Fear of flying

[jb747]

This is something that may be of use to some people:

https://simpliflyapp.com

 

[Lost Redditor]

Slightly off topic, my in-laws are worried about me and my partner and our son flying on anything but Qantas because "Qantas has never crashed". I see them tense up and start to worry when I say Finnair or Qatar. When we were students they even paid for us to fly the more expensive Qantas routes.

I've shown them live flight trackers, tried to tell them how many planes are constantly taking off and landing without issue, and reminded them that flying is not a new thing. It's not experimental anymore. I've not bothered with statistics, numbers don't mean anything to them.

Meanwhile they're happily driving 900km every few weeks to see us, thinking they're very safe on Aussie roads.

They don't have a fear of flying, exactly, but they seem to have a fear of us flying on anything but good old Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service.

Is there anything that I can say to alleviate their worries?

 

[Daver6]

Slightly off topic, my in-laws are worried about me and my partner and our son flying on anything but Qantas because "Qantas has never crashed". I see them tense up and start to worry when I say Finnair or Qatar. When we were students they even paid for us to fly the more expensive Qantas routes.

I've shown them live flight trackers, tried to tell them how many planes are constantly taking off and landing without issue, and reminded them that flying is not a new thing. It's not experimental anymore. I've not bothered with statistics, numbers don't mean anything to them.

Meanwhile they're happily driving 900km every few weeks to see us, thinking they're very safe on Aussie roads.

They don't have a fear of flying, exactly, but they seem to have a fear of us flying on anything but good old Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service.

Is there anything that I can say to alleviate their worries?

A clinical physiologist would be able to help them overcome that irrational fear.

 

[jb747]

Is there anything that I can say to alleviate their worries?

Nothing. They’re probably correct. So, just don’t tell them.

Actually, even within the Qantas Group, there are airlines that I consider safer than others. It all has to do with the culture. Sadly, CEOs, worldwide, are working to erode that, and it’s especially evident in newer airlines, where, perhaps, there was little culture to destroy.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Slightly off topic, my in-laws are worried about me and my partner and our son flying on anything but Qantas because "Qantas has never crashed".

Is there anything that I can say to alleviate their worries?

I don’t have an easy answer for you. But I suspect it won’t help to point out the factual inaccuracy on which you in-laws fears are based.

 

[Saab34]

Culture and Training departments have a big part to play in the safety locally. Virgin, Jetstar and Qantas mainline from what I’ve been told, all have very solid foundations behind the training departments. Culture is an issue everywhere it seems.

Qantas might be good. But others are also. Others might even be better in terms of training standards. Qantas makes mistakes, as do others.

 

[Quickstatus]

Qantas has never crashed"

Just tell them:
1) That's just in the movies (RainMan)
2) Qantas had several fatal crashes. Last one on 1951
3) what's a crash? - does VH-OJH qualify as a crash?

 

[Captain Halliday]

3) what's a crash? - does VH-OJH qualify as a crash?

Yes, according to Miriam Webster dictionary.

 

[jb747]

Anyway, the app is possibly useful to those who personally have a fear of flying. For the rest, there's probably Twitter.

 

[Lost Redditor]

Anyway, the app is possibly useful to those who personally have a fear of flying. For the rest, there's probably Twitter.

I tried Twitter. Now I have a fear of humans

 

[Buzzard]

Soon I'll be doing a flight with Cambodia Angkor Air. +1 thinks I might yet get my 15 minutes of fame.... on ACI