ATS
However, why (in my experience) do the same slightly nervous pax admit "Flying is the safest way to travel"?...
The fact that they feel the need to say this speaks volumes
The body can directly cause physiological reactions, even though the cognitive (thinking) functions know that these are inappropriate.
Do you drive a car? If so, think about a time when you had a near miss, maybe someone braked hard and unexpectedly,causing you to so this same.
Even though you 'know' you didn't crash and there wasn't time to think about it as you were reacting, your body still goes into FOF (flight or flight) mode and you get the increased heart rate etc.
So, the pax are cognitively aware that the experience is safe, but the body circumvents the conscious part of the mind.......
Ask your old man if he ever suffered from 'the leans' when flying on instruments and had to really force himself to ignore what his inner ear was telling him - it's a similar thing.