F is for Flying Phobias
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In the ‘Journey’ issue, we track a few of the phobias travelers may face and the innovative approaches airlines and airports have been taking in helping their customers overcome them. Here is our original published list, plus a few more…
Aviophobia: Fear of being in an airplane or other flying vehicles.
Aviophobiacs can learn to combat this fear by enrolling in fear of flying courses offered by airports and airlines like Virgin Atlantic, easyJet and Turkish Airlines. If a diploma from one of these courses isn’t enough, British Airways’ “Slow TV” – seven-hour-long footage of a scenic train ride – helps the fearful imagine themselves in a grounded locomotive.
Autodysomophobia: Fear that one has a vile odor.
Those whose olfactory senses tingle out of fear that they may be emitting vile odors cabin-wide, can skip dousing themselves in cologne and opt to fly on airlines that have gotten into scent branding, including Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways or British Airways. As the old adage goes, the noes knows.
Cathisophobia: Fear of sitting.
At the airport, chair-bound travelers can stay on their feet – or at least try to – by surfing in Munich Airport’s wave pool, skating in the Ice Forest at Incheon International, or downward dogging through a yoga session at Helsinki, San Francisco, or London Heathrow airports.
Monophobia: Fear of being alone of left to one’s self.
The increasing popularity of airline social programs means that one doesn’t have to be the loneliest number anymore for the lone travelers among us. Seat-to-seat messenger, now found on many airlines, or initiatives like South African Airways’ Social-Check-In can help monophobes find and make friends for the plane ride.
Ataxiophobia: Fear of not being able to use your muscles properly.
Airports like SFO, DFW, and HEL, have yoga rooms that let ataxiophobics pre-stretch before their flights, but for passengers whose zen and namaste feelings wear off as soon as they enter the cabin confines, carriers like Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Air New Zealand offer their travelers tips on how to stay limber in-flight.
Macrophobia: Fear of prolonged waiting.
Automated kiosks for check-in and bag-tagging, and other self-services provided by IATA’s Fast Travel program help passengers avoid lengthy cues landside. Arriving passengers can sign up in advance for Trusted Traveler programs to fast-track border crossing. For extreme macrophobiacs, apps like WhatsBusy help the non-lingering sort avoid lengthy wait times around the airport.
Econophobia: Fear of flying economy
While for some econophobia represents a more wide-reaching fear of economics, for others like Johnny Jet, it refers to an “abnormal fear of flying in economy on commercial airlines.” For those with classist-related anxieties, there’s really only one option: upgrade! Premium cabins are a popular antidote, available on many airlines.
Somniphobia: Fear of falling asleep.
Free amenity sleep kits provided by airlines like JetBlue, LAN and Cathay Pacific equip those wary of public weariness with the tools they need – eyeshades, earplugs – to doze off a little more comfortably in economy. In-flight entertainment aids include Air New Zealand’s video “Delta,” which features low frequency sound waves present during deep sleep, or Delta Air Lines’ Radio Delta white noise channel.
Dispsosphobia: Fear of getting rid of, or losing things.
Don’t let your baggage become emotional baggage. Affix belongings with tracker tags (like HomingPIN, ReboundTAG, or SuperSmartTag), use Air France-KLM’s permanent eTag (equipped with GMS, GPS and Bluetooth technology) or quell anxieties further by tracking your items along the journey on smartphone apps provided by airlines like Delta and British Airways.
Nomophobia: Fear of losing cell phone reception.
With Wi-Fi in the sky becoming commonplace, the future looks bright for nomophobiacs. The FAA’s 2013 ruling on the allowance of gate-to-gate device use means that nomophobes can stay connected, and the bring-your-own device in-flight entertainment trend is making “airplane mode” a thing of the past.
Nephophobia: Fear of clouds.
Pick a window seat so you can keep the window shade down at all times. If that’s not possible or just having the window shade open during takeoffs and landings is enough to cloud your in-flight experience, bring or buy eyeshades – unless you’re flyingLAN Airlines or others where they give them out for free in their amenity kits.