UK Cures for fear of flying?

[Stan Sted]

A friend of mine, whose work in the travel business took her all over the world, has now developed a serious fear of flying and won't set foot in any form of flying machine. She has heard that BA run courses to help cure such problems but reckons they cost about £1,000 a day.

Is this correct? If so, are there cheaper courses in the London UK area?

Her fear is not that the aircraft will crash, but the 38,000ft below her during the cruise.

Any ideas?

[sickBocks]

Try www.aviatours.co.uk - you need to phone for a quote but I think it's a lot less than £1000.

Run by BA peeps using BA FD & CC.

Hope this is of some use.

sB

[slim_slag]

Hypnotherapy might help.

[ETOPS]

Stan Sted

A few years ago I had the pleasure to be rostered to operate one of these flights using a BA 737-236. The course is well thought out and takes the form of presentations/lectures and discussions during the morning. After a lunch break there are relaxation excersises and then the flight.

As I was keen to help, I agreed to attend the morning part in order to let the group see who would be their Captain. (Nobody ran screaming from the room thankfully!) The flight was out of MAN and I chose a route WAL-IOM-BTN (As it was before MIRSI) to give about 45mins actual airborne time. Of the 100 course members 97 actually boarded the aircraft and during the flight most visited the cockpit - the majority in tears of joy. Most said they couldn't understand why they had been so frightened and were loving every minute. One lady was going to fly to Australia that week!

Having given them a super ride round I was a little taken aback to be told to go and find some turbulence! It was part of the course - they had planned for it. paid for it so were going to have to get it!

Stan Sted - get your "friend" on one of these courses pronto, it's nothing like £1000 more a couple of hundered and it works.......

[Mister Slot]

Stan Britannia have been running their "Flying with Confidence'" courses for some years now with great success. Current price is only 150 quid.
Take a look here - Britannia Airways (http://www.britanniaairways.com/index.html) and follow the "more categories" link on the left of the page.

[Stan Sted]

Cheers folks...have passed on the info to my friend and she is raring to go on either an aviatour or Britannia course.

Cheers especially to ETOPS whose words of advice have been a great comfort to her.

I will let you know how she gets on, if she agrees to spill the beans.

cheers

SS

[airsmiles]

This might be a bit wacky but I suggest you take your boss to Amsterdam - it worked for me!

I used to be a VERY SCARED flyer until I had to go on a business trip with a Head Office boss. I was dreading it but obviously I couldn't let on to the big chief. On the appointed day I sat next to the blighter on a KLM SF340 (since crashed at AMS!). When descending into AMS, through about 15,000ft of thick cloud, we finally arrived at a rain-soaked Holland. I had done it and survived. Since then I have enjoyed many flights, incl. long-distance, and found a new sense of freedom.

It really is mind over matter, but you need to put yourself in a situation that is conducive to overcoming the mental block. The courses mentioned are excellent I am told, but the other option is to find someone who you really respect (or fear!) and ask them if they would accompany you somewhere. You can then buy the cheapest tickets from GO, Easyjet, Ryanair etc.

Make a day trip of it, buy some cheap booze/perfume, have a meal and change your life. It will be the best days investment in time for many a year. :)