FOR someone with a fear of flying the thought of a stress-free holiday in far-flung destinations is merely a dream. From fear of engine failure and terrorist threats to a fear of heights or simply the fear of the unknown, aerophobia can have a crippling effect on millions.
The statistics that air travel is one of the safest methods of travel does little to reassure the estimated one in six people who suffer from flying or avoid taking to the air at all costs.
For 23-year-old Belfast business development executive Laura Juhas the fear of flying began after watching a television report on a plane crash as a teenager and grew to the extent that she would spend an entire flight crying hysterically through fear.
“I’ve been flying all my life but when I was about 14 I saw footage on television of a plane crashing. I watched it on TV all day long and later went online and started googling plane crashes," she recalls.
Laura, who has family living in Germany and Spain, tried many things to help her fly – from meditation, prescription tablets from her GP to flying at different hours of the day and "drinking a few cocktails before boarding", but nothing worked.
When her manager told her she would have to start flying to Germany for her work, as a "last resort" she booked herself on easyJet's Fearless Flyer course at Belfast International Airport last November.
"I was incredibly sceptical, but I was running out of options. I was exhausted of suffering every time on a plane. Not just that, I was always putting my friends and family through it. They had to prepare themselves mentally and brings lots of tissues for me."
The course was devised by Lawrence Leyton, motivational speaker and top phobia expert out of the success of his Channel 4 show Fear of Flying. During the first day of the course Lawrence gives participants a set of techniques for taking control of their thinking and making them realise that fear is a choice.
"With most people they are seeing the worst case scenario – they are playing a mind movie of the worst case scenario such as the plane exploding or terrorists entering the plane. Then they start looping those negative images around and around.
"What I do is give people an understanding of why they are feeling scared and explain how they can interrupt those patterns and replace them with more productive thoughts. When they stop being afraid of the fear, they don't actually create the fear in the first place," he explains.
For many flyers, turbulence causes the most distress, but Lawrence encourages people to reframe what turbulence means in your mind, by comparing it to driving on a bumpy road. "When we are in a car we don't think twice about it, as bumps in the road are completely normal, but when we are on a plane our mind blows each and every tiny little movement out of all proportion."
For those who are anxious about the technical side of flying and the various noises during a flight, during the course a senior easyJet caption explains the workings of a plane in great detail and those remove the fear of the unknown, which prevent many from ever boarding an aeroplane.
For Laura it was these technical explanations which helped her most.
"For some it was the relaxation techniques which helped, but for me it was more important to really know how the aircraft works. Deep down I knew flying was safe but it was the moment the noises started on the plane my irrational thoughts."
She was even assured to discover a rational explanation for the flickering of the overhead lights as she boarded an aeroplane.
"They test all the electronic systems and switch things on and off to check they are working correctly."
On the second day of the course attendees are taken on a one-hour dedicated easyJet experience flight where they put their new skills to the test whilE listening to a live commentary of the flight from the fearless flyer team.
"Take off was the scariest part but the pilot was constantly on the speaker telling us exactly what was happening and what each of the noises meant. When we were in the air, some people started crying out of pure happiness. I never felt so proud and relieved."
The day after her experience flight, Laura was once again at the airport – this time for a short break to Barcelona.
"I was a bit nervous that I would fall back to old patterns. But I didn’t and a few days later I flew again and I was 100 per cent relaxed because I knew exactly what was happening around me. Thankfully I no longer see flying as a dangerous death-defying horror trip but approach it like a bus ride," Laura says.
Laura is just one of more than 3,000 people who have overcome their fear of flying, since easyJet's Fearless Flyer course was set up in 2012. Her advice to others afraid of flying?
"Don’t compensate in your life – live it and open the world to yourself."
Now she is looking forward to holidaying in Vietnam in April – even the 21-hour flight.
:: For further information or to book your place on easyJet's Fearless Flyer Course in Belfast on April 29 and 30, costing £189, visit fearlessflyer.easyjet.com.
