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Better chance to get in a car accident and die then even have your plan crash *shrug*.  I have flown a lot its not bad... if you are still scared just down a ton of sleeping pills and just doze off.   My longest was a 7 hour flight... was boring as hell...

im pretty sure your uncapable of sleeping 16 hours- so i would suggest bringing a laptop or music-soothing music, to get your mind off of things

 

Flying can make even seasoned fliers like me nervous.  I sit around just like you and think "what if?"  But you know what?  If we let our sense of fear keep us from flying then we would never get to experience all the fun, exciting and new things we can see in different countries.

I have flown international 2 times.  Once to Germany and once to China.  Germany was about 9 hours I think and China about 12.  They were both long long long flights.  The worst part was sitting in coach, there just isn't enough room to get comfortable.    But the nice part is you can get up and walk around the plane, stretch your legs and talk to others who are traveling the same place you are.  You never know you just might meet some really nice people.

If you are truly afraid you are going to have a panic attack talk to your doc and see if you can get some mild sedatives.  Also I agree with taking Tylenol pm or some other sleep agent with you.  You may not need them but they are great if you do.  Just make sure if you take sedatives to check with your doc to see if it is ok to take both.

Please don't cancel your trip.  I think you will regret it.  If you want to chat more just send me a message, I will do the best I can to help you prepare for the trip.

 

As a former pilot, and instructor, and aerobatic fanatic, I can tell you that flying a reputable 1st or 2nd world alrline on a regularly scheduled flight, in normal weather conditions, is way, way, way, way safer than getting in your car and driving anywhere in significant traffic, or even crossing the street as a pedestrian at a busy city intersection.

It's all about risk management. It just feels very scary to worrywarts like ourselves (and believe me, I still worry sometimes, because I know too much about what *could* go wrong), because we're not in *control*.

What we forget is that driving in a car, we're not *really* in control - our destinies are entwined with that big truck coming up beside us, in which the driver's half-asleep after having done too many hours without a rest break, or with the SUV about to T-bone us because the driver's too busy chatting on a cell phone, or thinking about the next business meeting, or ...you get the picture. You can drive defensively and still get whacked - which is why so many people die in car accidents every year, and percentage-wise, the total amount of people dying in airline accidents per year versus the amount flying is a minuscule fraction of that.

Giggle-puppy's right, get a script for some sleeping pills or Atavan and chill out. Music, a good book, and bring your own food! The worst disaster on planes has always been the "food"!

Have a nice trip!

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You should be able to sleep just fine.  But a tylenol pm may help.  I slept most of the way back from China, I think about 7-8 hours just fine.  I was a little stiff when I woke up but I was able to get up and walk around a bit and was fine.

You will have such a great time!  You will have to let us know how things are going.

I've flown internationally 4 times-- the 3rd time was when I was 16 and only with my 12 year old little brother. It was scary, since I'd never really done it "alone" before-- and here I had to look after my little brother, too! I got through it perfectly fine. Both ways were uneventful-- well, MOSTLY uneventful. We nearly missed the plane at the transfer point on the way there. ;)

The main thing to remember is that if you at ANY time do not know exactly where you're going, ask. If you know where you're going in the airport (and that you're not alone) you will be able to keep your stress level down.

I think MOST people are afraid of plane crashes. There is always that evil part of the imagination that haunts you. BUT personally I am more terrified of driving on the highway than flying in a plane. Especially since once you're on a plane, there's absolutely nothing you can do about anything! Except relax.

You can sleep for a good period of time on the plane. Bring one of those neck pillows, comfy clothes, a teddy... ;D Soft music REALLY helps. One thing that I would REALLY REALLY recommend is seeing your doctor about this issue. He could prescribe something for you to help you sleep/calm. DEFINITELY.

I spent about 2 years literally criss-crossing the globe on business - I was in Africa, Asia, half of Europe, and South America (as well as flying between the USA and Canada more times than I'd care to remember).  I will say that the "before and after" (dealing with customs, baggage, etc) always caused me FAR more aggravation than the flight itself.  In all the hours I logged in the air I think the worst that ever happened was some turbulence spilling my drink.  :-)

I've flown internationally.....three times? (France, Italy, and I'm counting Hawaii because it was a LONG flight...) I hate airplanes immensely (I hate sitting still for that long and breathing recycled air), but as far as safety goes, you'll be fine. They're required to be extremely safe (otherwise they wouldn't be as popular and the lawsuits they would get would make the companies bankrupt. : P)

I've dealt with some turbulence before, but pilots have to go through some serious training to learn to deal with it, and it's unlikely that the plane would crash anyway. Most people have some manner of fear of airplanes, so I wouldn't worry about it to much. Just try your best to relax, and it'll be over before you know it! Read, sleep, or do whatever you feel like to keep your mind off of it.

Take care and I hope you enjoy your trip!

I won't be flying until May 2009 for my honeymoon.  And I'm still scared senseless.  My mom has flown to Las Vegas about three years ago, and I do have a funny tale to tell about that.

Three hour flight.  Never flown before.  Even before she packed her bags she went to her doctor and stocked up on Valium to ensure she got through the flight just fine.  She was going with my great uncle, Mark.  She has this fear that because she's over 200 pounds she's going to be too much weight and make the plane crash, even though she was sitting next to my 300+ pound uncle.

So she gets to the airport and decides it's not so scary and she'll do without the pills.  She tucked them into her carry on, went through security, got on the plane, sat in her seat and was perfectly fine.  Laughing at random jokes with Mark, chatting it up with the stewardess, inspecting the bathrooms and all the nifty buttons on the airplane.  She even buckled her seatbelt without the slightest fidget, didn't hyperventillate at all when they announced it was take-off time..

And then the damned plane moved.  My mom's arm jolted towards Mark, latched onto his forearm, and squeezed like hell.  She held her breath, turned beat red, breathed very, very slowly, and clenched harder and harder.  As much as Mark tried to fidget away and loosen her grip, she was as stiff as a board.

Around the time they were in the air, level once again, and she no longer felt the feeling of the plane moving, her breathing regulated, she let go of Mark, and went back to pretending the whole flying experience wasn't as bad as she thought. 

Then she noticed Mark rubbing his arm and flinching in pain.  She asked what happened and he revealed the perfectly shaped imprint of her hand, dark red and starting to bruise, on his forearm.  He made her take the valium before they flew back home two weeks later, and his bruise was just starting to fade.

I warned him.  She did the same thing on roller coasters, and I was always the one stuck sitting next to her because I was the youngest and she wanted to "protect me".

Stay calm, don't panic, and realize you're VERY, VERY safe.  There will be turbulence, there will be noisy and annoying people, but you can handle it if you keep control of yourself.  If you truly feel you might have a panic attack, get a prescription from your doctor ahead of time, but I think you'll be surprised at what you can handle when you keep your mind on more positive things.  Flying over the Atlantic isn't so bad because there much to catch turbulence off of, so the flight is usually pretty smooth.  I've made dozens and dozens of flights over the past few years and NEVER felt unsafe even though I was a worried flier once upon a time.

 I'm in Iraq right now, and I can't WAIT until my next international flight because it'll mean I'm going home!  Funny thing is, the flight is the SAFEST part of my little adventure, so put it in perspective and don't focus on the negative.  

 Pick up some magazines at the airport before you leave.  Make sure you have some yummy snacks (don't worry about the diet- you can think about that when you land) and for those of you who are worried about in-flight calories, try ordering a vegetarian meal because they're usually pretty healthy and low-cal.  Just make sure you request it from the airline BEFORE the day of your flight so they can arrange to have one for you.  

Under_my_umbrella, you have nothing to worry about! The worst part of flying for me is boredom! I've been on 21 hour flights and 1 hour flights and everything in between! And I've been on nearly every airline there is interntationally... haven't yet been to Egypt, but would love to! What airline are you going on? Almost all are decent except the ones in the US domestic and middle east. I think the best thing is to just keep yourself busy with music, a laptop, books, bring some good snacks (in case the food sucks), and something that helps you sleep. You can do this! I promise!

I take an 11-hour flight from Japan to the states and back about once a year, and although I get a LITTLE apprehensive about flying, the boredom and discomfort of the trip pretty much distract me from my fear.

 

So maybe focus on how boring and uncomfortable it is? 

I sympathize with you for sure - I have extreme anxiety when I know I am going to fly.  To me flying is so unnatural (as are many things we do in our lives) and I figure we're tempting fate when we're up in the sky.  I also have problems with the people on the plane and not being in control of anything but myself (not enough!!).

I am going to paste a link to a website that was the only thing that got me on a plane - it's written by a pilot in a course format.  There's a bit you can print off and keep with you in the airport and on the plane if you get anxious again.  It really helped me calm down in both the days leading up to my trip, at the airport, and on the plane. 

 http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/

You might still like to keep some Gravol with you (that was enough to knock me out) and/or Nyquil or other sedatives that your doctor or a clinic can prescribe you.  (Personally I was too self-conscious to go to my doc and say I was afraid of flying).  Other things that helped me were comforts of home, like a portable DVD player, Nintendo DS with Super Mario World, iPod shuffle with calming songs...think of what you'd like to keep you company.

Good luck!  Have fun!  :)

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Air France is a wonderful airline.  Once you are up in the air, they have so many things to distract you, you'll hardly remember that you are on an airplane.

I also travel for business and what has helped me the most is to "make friends" with the flight attendants.  I figure that if something is wrong, they will be worried too.  I watch their faces during take-off and landing and during turbulence, which eases my anxiety considerably.

i think distraction is the key. : D

in the last 2 weeks I flew 36 hours (from adelaide/australia to melbourne/australia to hongkong/china to london/UK to berlin/germany) and the best advice I can give you is to get in contact! There'll be alot of other people around you and if you find someone to chat to, time will fly and it will probably even be nice (cause it's likely oyu meet alot of people from everywhere)

 

I wish you a good flight :)

 

PS: Get youself a sleeping mask & extra-socks!

I always try to get a seat on the aisle so I can't look out of the window. Looking out the window makes me sick and I realize how high up the plane really is. If you think that might happen to you, try to get an aisle seat. It really helps me.