Flying tomorrow ~ I'm bricking it!

Barcode

I won't tell you that statistically speaking, planes are very, very, very, very safe as that doesn't help the irrational part of your brain.

Perhaps you could try and speak to one of the pilots before take-off. Most are happy to answer questions, and will point out what type of weather, if any, you're likely to encounter. At least when it's expected, it might not seem so bad.

I wouldn't normally advocate this, but if you don't fly that often, then self-medication may not be such a bad thing - although obviously not to the point where you are banned from boarding!

For the past four years I've been flying at least twice a month as my gf lived in Switzerland (less frequent now). I honestly can't remember how many times I've flown or all the trips we've taken together, but I do know that I have never had any real reason to be concerned.

I am saying this as somebody who has been in turbulence where the beverage cart lifted off the floor and anything (including people) that was not bolted down had an encounter with the ceiling. Yes, it was rather alarming, and I had about five vodkas after that prior to landing - but the FA's were more concerned that everybody was alright rather than worrying about plummeting to the ground. I've also been in monsoon related turbulence for three hours over the Bay of Bengal which is not pleasant, but the flight attendant was sitting there reading a magazine. As a passenger, what seems like a free fall is really only about five feet.

When I board a plane, I'm more worried about sitting next to an annoying passenger than falling out of the sky. If you can't talk to the pilot then try and let the FA know - it may be that the pilot will make more announcements and reassure people if any turbulence happens (which anything more than light is unlikely).

Barcode

Oh, you can also go here for turbulence forecasts:

http://ows.public.sembach.af.mil/index.cfm?section=Hazards