I travelled on a Virgin Atlantic Miami to Gatwick a couple of years ago.
Old asge couple board, sit next to me - woman sees me reading the emergency card and calculating the seat rows to the doors. Says "Oh, you're like me, eh, don't like flying?".
Conversation ensued during which she admitted flying terrified her - I asked for reasons.
First response was "This is a long overnight flight - what happens if the pilots fall asleep?".
"I hope they do", says I, "I want them to be fresh and alert as we approach the airport in the morning and touch the ground at 180 miles an hour. They are not flying the aeroplane anyway, the computers are".
She sat back, thought for a while and then happily agreed. By the time she arrived at Gatwick *most* of her fears were calmed - just through conversation.