Many people may be feeling apprehensive about stepping onto a plane after the horror Singapore Airlines flight - but there are ways to combat pre-flight anxiousness. Lots of holidaymakers already worry about travelling by plane, and after the recent incident that ended with one man dead and multiple passengers seriously injured , these worries may have heightened. Having a fear of flying is a real phobia, known as aviophobia or aerophobia.
This is the fear or apprehension that people may get before, during or after the flight. Now chartered Psychologist Dr Mark Rackley has shared some advice on how to get over the initial fear. He explained that anxiety works in a cyclical nature - if you feel afraid once, you will remember that feeling every time you think of flying.
EasyJet uses AI to manage flights from control centre near Luton Airport Dr Rackley said: "The brain associates flying with a feeling of being scared, anxious, worried and panicked. When we do that, the brain remembers how we feel about flying and so we have an anxious response when we think about having to fly. "Our feelings are influenced by how we think, so obviously people who have a fear of flying, have negative, threatening and fearful thoughts about flying.
They see it as dangerous and possibly life-threatening." To reduce the feelings of flight anxiety, he explains that you need to "change the thoughts that are producing the fears." He added: "So, this begins by allowing yourself to challenge your though.