Confront your fear of flying from home

A course that helps nervous passengers confront their fears of flying is being rolled out online, with a new emphasis on safely navigating the skies in the age of a pandemic. For 35 years, British Airways has been comforting customers with its classroom-based Flying with Confidence course, followed by a short flight. More than 50,000 people have enrolled since it began. But airline executives have decided to make it available for anyone from their comfort of their living rooms. BA captain Steve Allright, who teaches the course, said: “We are delighted to offer this popular course as a live, interactive webinar to give more people than ever the chance to sign up and overcome their fear of flying, from home, wherever they are in the world.” Participants learn the mechanics of flight, including myth-busting lessons on turbulence, as well as simple breathing techniques designed to ease airborne anxiety. The British carrier said as many as 25 per cent of people have some fear of flying, with one in 10 reporting a full-blown phobia. Allright said COVID-19 has made it more important than ever to share not only the technical aspects of flying but the suite of safety measures in place to keep travellers safe. This includes the use of hospital-grade air filters that BA said will remove bacteria and virus clusters “with over 99.9 per cent efficiency.”