The fear of flying is called Aviophobia, and millions of air travelers and potential flyers worldwide suffer from it, to a greater or lesser extent.  It can be triggered by a number of concerns such as the fear of heights, the fear of falling, the fear of takeoff and landing, the fear of crashing, the fear of flying over water, the feeling of loss of control causing panic attacks, air turbulence, stormy weather, hijackers or terrorists, motion sickness, claustrophobia, as well as other phobias.

If your fear of flying is very severe, you should enroll in an intensive treatment program.  However, if your fear of flying is not severe, there are some things you can do that may help remedy the problem.

Sit in a seat over the wings, preferably not a window seat, so you can’t look down at the ground.  When you sit over the airplane wings you will experience a much smoother ride.

If you can, leave your seatbelt on as much as possible so if air turbulence does occur you won’t get jarred or bounced about as much.

If you can, avoid eating or drinking any food or beverage that contains sugar, caffeine, or alcohol.

It will help a lot if you try to stay positive and always think only positive thoughts.

If you can fly at off-peak times, you will probably feel less stressed as there are fewer airplane passengers to contend with.

Many airline passengers also suffer from the fear of heights and claustrophobia, in addition to the fear of flying, which can easily compound the problem.