17 Jun 2013
Posted by Arwen Foley 
More than 20% of women have a fear of flying, according to an AA Travel Insurance Poll of over 9,600 people. The results of the survey released today, also found that over 12% of men suffer from aviophobia.
“Fear of flying is very common” reports AA Director of Policy, Conor Faughnan. “It may have something to do with the unknown or lack of control; someone you can’t see is controlling something you can’t operate. Realistically though, you’re quite safe, in fact the drive to the airport is more dangerous than the flight.”
Participants in the poll were also asked what they used to tackle their fear. It was found that women are more likely to resort to medication than men. However, men were more likely to use alcohol to calm their nerves. A third (33.3%) of women said they would take a sedative, anti-anxiety medication or a sleeping tablet compared to just 23.7% of men. 24.3% of men had 1-3 alcoholic beverages before the flight compared to 21.6% of women. Men were also more likely to drink alcohol during the flight to combat their fear of flying as 7.9% had more than 3 alcoholic beverages whilst in the air, with only 4.5% of women saying the same.
Alcohol may allay the symptoms of fear and can help you doze off for a few minutes but it is inadvisable as it may increase your anxiety levels afterwards. Alcohol also has a different effect in the air than it does on the ground because of the altitude and low humidity. One glass of wine in flight is equivalent to nearly two on the ground, so you will get drunk more quickly.
While actually being in a plane is fear enough for many people, there are other worries when it comes to flying. For example, losing your luggage or your passport, flight cancellations or missing a connecting flight. If you’re already fearful of the flight, having these concerns might leave you overwhelmed. Having travel insurance though, might just give you that bit of peace of mind.
A lot of people try denying themselves sleep in advance of a flight so they can nod off in-flight. 8.6% of women preferred this approach compared to 5.5% of men. “Checking in at the airport is stressful enough without adding sleep-deprivation into the mix. You also need a lot of energy to combat anxiety so you may even be making your symptoms worse” advises Faughnan.
Women are also more likely to try more alternative ways of combating fear such as meditation (7.2%) or hypnotism (3.1%). Men preferred to read up on the mechanics of flying (6.8%) or took a flying lesson (2%) themselves to keep anxiety at bay.
Whatever method you choose to combat fear of flying it’s very important to remember to buy travel insurance, it will leave you with a lot less to worry about.
AA Travel Insurance Poll
Would you describe yourself as a nervous flier/someone who suffers from aviophobia?
| All | Men | Women | |
| Yes completely | 3.8% | 2.6% | 5.3% |
| Somewhat | 12.4% | 9.7% | 15.5% |
| Neutral | 5.5% | 5.7% | 5.1% |
| Not really | 22.8% | 21.2% | 24.6% |
| Not at all | 55.6% | 60.8% | 49.4% |
Which of the following methods, if any, have you used in the past to tackle your nerves before/during a flight? (Please select as many as apply in your case)
| All | Men | Women | |
| Taken a sedative/anti-anxiety medication | 22.8% | 18.2% | 26.5% |
| Taken a sleeping tablet | 6.3% | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| Denied yourself sleep in advance so that you would be more likely to nod off | 7.4% | 5.5% | 8.6% |
| Had between 1-3 alcoholic beverages in advance of flying | 22.5% | 24.3% | 21.6% |
| Had more than 3 alcoholic beverages throughout a flight | 6.0% | 7.9% | 4.5% |
| Tried hypnotism | 2.2% | 0.9% | 3.1% |
| Read up on the mechanics of flying to understand it better | 6.7% | 6.8% | 6.7% |
| Tried meditation | 5.6% | 3.3% | 7.2% |
| Taken a flying lesson yourself | 1.2% | 2.0% | 0.5% |
| Other | 4.7% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| None – I’ve just braved it out | 55.9% | 57.1% | 55.3% |
