Fly With Confidence with British Airways

Singapore, 31 August 2012: British Airways is going the extra mile to make sure nervous passengers arrive at their destination calm and relaxed. On 1 September, the airline will be launching a new film as part of its in-flight entertainment, presented by British Airways pilot, Captain Steve Allright.

According to British Airways, 25 per cent of people have a fear of flying on some level, while one in 10 have a phobia of flying.

The main principles Captain Allright refers to in the film originate from the British Airways Flying with Confidence course, a one-day fear of flying programme designed to help nervous passengers reduce anxiety and feelings of panic.

The film is designed to dispel myths passengers might have about aviation by explaining how the aircraft works, helping them to be more confident about the noises and movements they experience when in the air. It will also give passengers the tools they need to handle anxiety, so they start their holiday or business trip in the right frame of mind.

To help passengers keep anxiety at bay before they board, a preview clip from the video can be found on the British Airways YouTube site. Passengers will be able to watch the complete video on the British Airways Well Being channel, one of the hundreds of options on the airline’s extensive in-flight entertainment system.

Captain Steve Allright, who flies Boeing 747s, said: “The British Airways Flying with Confidence course has helped more than 45,000 people over the past 25 years to keep calm when flying.

“I really hope that we can help even more people with this video - whether they’re flying for business or for their holidays. It’s extremely important to us that we make our flights as special as possible for our customers.”

In addition to helping customers with a fear of flying, British Airways also leads the way in providing passengers with tools and services to deal with other travelling concerns, from health and medical guidance to jet-lag. The airline has partnered with leading sleep expert Dr Chris Idzikowski – Dr Sleep – to produce a series of popular podcasts and a jetlag calculator to help customers minimise the effects of long-haul travel.

Those who are anxious or nervous about flying will find ba.com a valuable source of information.

Customers who go on the British Airways Flying with Confidence course will, in addition to tackling their fear of flying, also qualify for a 10 per cent discount on any British Airways flight, for up to nine people - in any cabin class.

Sourced: etravelblackboardasia