A PILOT has revealed the pre-flight request you should always make if you’re a nervous flyer.
For some, the thought of boarding an airplane can cause anxiety caused by safety concerns and flying nightmares.
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They can often find themselves grappling with a sense of being out of control and unable to calm their nerves.
Luckily, veteran pilot Tom Bunn has shared his top strategy to enjoy the ride.
He said: “You’ll find that most people who have trouble with flying have a trouble with some other similar no-control situation such as being in elevators, bridges, tunnels, high places and MRIs).
“It’s usually not just about flying, which tells us it not only is about the question of safety on the plane, it’s about emotional safety.”
He recommends anxious passengers to request to meet the pilot before takeoff.
Passengers can take the opportunity to ask professionals their most common fears – including about turbulence and what would happen to an airplane if an engine fails.
Bunn said: “No one would go to a hospital for an operation without meeting the doctor.
“If you do meet that person, you’re going to feel a lot better on the flight.”
All you need to do is to rush to the boarding area earlier and let the flight attendant or gate agent know that you are an anxious flyer.
You should then ask if it’s possible to meet the pilot.
This can also give passengers scared of get weather conditions a chance to ask the pilot how much turbulence to expect.
But there are other ways to ease your nerves during take off.
If you’re still struggling even after this, experts recommend to do an easy exercise that only takes a few minutes.
Bunn encourages passengers to try the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise to help reduce the stress.
He said: “What we want to do is to stop paying attention to everything around you for 90 seconds, so you can burn those stress hormones off and get back to calm again.”
Another pilot said the best thing anxious flyers can do to help calm their nerves is to make a list of all the things they are worried about.
He said: “I’d recommend writing a list. Write down everything that makes you worried, anxious or scared, then cross out absolutely everything that you have no control over-focus on the things that you have.”
