To think it is really insensitive to tell me plane horror stories when these blokes knew I was terrified of flying...

[iwanttolearn]

I as at the airport collecting a bag I had left there and some tourists invited me to share their taxi.

We got in and all was well... I asked them which airline they had flown with and they told me Emirates and Thai air. I said I like emirates because it seemed safe as I am petrified of flying. Even thinking about it gives me a headache.

So then one of them started talking about how many flights crash and went into details about how the air france jet was struck by lightening and how the passengers were found still in their seats, etc. Then they said about how a plane struck by lightening could crash. I as getting very uncomfortable by the time they had finished and then one of them said oh so generously that he as sorry to put me off flying but did I hear about the woman who was sucked through a windo or the plane where all of the passengers lost consciousness and fighter jets had to be sent to crash it...

The lads seemed to be early 20s, they might have enjoyed their horror stories, but i as so glad to get out of that taxi!

Next time I won't be sharing a taxi with some backpackers, that's for sure!

Grrr, and I have a flight on Tuesday, too. I am very scared of flying since I was already in one incident (we had a decompression and had to put the masks on). i have to travel frequently and I honestly hate it! I try and think of being a flight attendent, it's just a job to them, but that doesn't help much. Sorry for ranting on, but I'm in such a state right now. Flying makes me feel sick.

YANBU. That was really insensitive of them. Could you have a before you board?

IMO sharing a taxi with people you didnt know is where the situation went wrong...

I hate flying too, so sympathies and yes, it was pretty insensitive. Total lack of imagination or empathy.

My failsafe method of preventing a plane from crashing - sit on the left hand row, aisle seat, about a third of the way down, have a gin and tonic asap. I do that every time and the place has never crashed. Eyebrows were raised at my 8am gin and tonic once but it kept the plane in the air.

Your OP reminded me of a thread here recently where this poor woman was petrified about flying to southern Spain. Everyone was being lovely and reassuring, until someone popped up to say "the flight's not your problem, southern Spain's your problem - do you realise how close that is to Libya? You're all going to dieee". Was gobsmacking.

Planes rarely crash. The ones that do are almost always dodgy old russian/chinese ones that aren't allowed in countries like the UK. I am also afraid of flying but it is really an illogical fear. I knew several people who died in car/motorbike accidents but hwo often do you worry when getting in a car. Do a fear of flying course. It helps massively. Virgin and BA do them.

Yes they were insensitive tw**s but if you mention fear of flying you'l always get some tosser telling you about x,y,z. No-one knows what happened to the AF flight since the data has not been recovered. I don't like flying, I know how safe it is and what keeps the plane up. It's highly regulated and the people who fly the plane are highly trained and medically and flight qualified at least annually. When was the last time anyone you know took a medical and a driving test. I fly because I need to but I'd rather not or preferably sit up in the cockpit. Just get on the plane and leave the job to the men and women who do it everyday. The big airlines DO NOT give £100million+ jets to idiots to fly or service.