Brussels Airline Launches `Fear of Flying` Course to Help Passengers Overcome Phobia of Flight

The `Fear of Flying` program will be taught in Dutch, but depending on demand, sessions may also be presented in French and English to address passengers` problems with flying.

Flights are not easy for everyone, with the fear of heights, turbulence, and several other factors in play flying planes can be a scary experience for many. To help such people Belgium's flag carrier, Brussels Airlines launched a special course to overcome the fear of flying. The special program was developed with the help of behavioral therapists and uses virtual reality (VR) to simulate a flying experience. The airline claims that after completing the program most passengers could travel by airplane without any fear.

The aviation industry in Belgium is recovering from the effects of the pandemic. With the gradual increase in the number of passengers, people who need help to address their fear of flying also increased as per behavioral therapists at The Human Link, a business that provides psychological treatment to people who have problems that prevent them from fully appreciating life.

This is when Brussels Airlines with The Human Link developed the 'Fear of Flying' course that will be held at the end of March. As per a report by Simple Flying, the course was created in 2006 with joint efforts of Ghent University and has a success rate of above 80 percent. The course was paused because of the Covid-19 pandemic but will now be used to address the problem.

There are three sections to the course. Participants will first go through a therapist interview to see whether the course would be acceptable for them. The remaining half-day is devoted to practical exercises with therapists to help travellers deal with their apprehensive sensations in a different way. The course will also provide participants the chance to use VR to completely immerse themselves in an aircraft's surroundings.

The course will be taught in Dutch, but depending on demand, sessions may also be presented in French and English, according to Simple Flying's report. According to Brussels Airlines, more than eight out of ten participants can now fly without worry after finishing the course.