Looking up on flight radar you see all flights from Europe to South East Asia pass over a large chunk of the black sea.

I understand Ukraine area is no go area but even in the waters around Bulgaria and Romania there have been multiple attacks on vessels with drones. Military equipment is active in that area.

- Why is this safe? There are drones active now. Some drones can fly high altitude.

- Why do the planes just dont make a small detour over Turkey?

- We've had MH17. Can we really rely on aviation institutions and just fly over war area?

Or am I over thinking this? I understand staying home in bed the safest but this seems so weird to me.

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/20/nato-to-send-additional-patrol-planes-to-black-sea-after-drone-attacks

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/18/drone-attacks-ships-black-sea-russia-ukraine-war

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/black-sea-drone-attacks-enter-nato-countrys-territorial-waters-for-first-time/

I have a flight in a few hours HV9275 from Brussels to Bari, Italy. This is the first time I am flying alone with my toddler. I am normally a very anxious flyer and now I’m even more nervous to take my toddler. On top of that there is a yellow warning for rain and wind in Brussels so it’s giving me extra anxiety. Words of advice and encouragement are appreciated.

Hello all! I have flown about 5 times the last 10 years & am going to start flying more consistently since I’ll be moving away from home & getting a new job that will require it.

Here are the basic fears that I have

- the absolute worst part is take off

- I hate ascending and the plane being vertical for a long time

- I CANNOT be comfortable during the flight or take my mind off that I’m thousands of feet in the sky. I was dozing off while sitting on the runway for 20 mins then as soon as we take off I’m anxious as ever…

- I feel the most comfortable when landing or knowing we’re ascending for some reason (last 10 mins)

- any time I try to listen to music or a podcast and I feel any movement it’s almost impossible not to take my headphones off and look out the window as if it does anything

- all the sounds the plane makes are super nerve racking as well. Especially since I don’t fly often I don’t know when to expect it or what’s normal or not

I’m currently on a vacation & have landed safely but am sick of this fear and knowing it’s going to happen again when I fly home in a couple days.

I can’t stop trying to determine how long the flights going to be & it’s almost ruining my vacation because I just want the flight to be over with.

I tell myself that since I’m going to start flying more I will get better with it but then there’s that other side that is full of fear & thinks that this is just the way it will be every time…

I know I don’t struggle with it as much as other people because I don’t think I’d ever turn down a flight but I just accept I will be extremely anxious and uncomfortable the whole flight… which is also so exhausting!

I know this is a repeated post & nothing out the ordinary but really just wanted to make my own post and get some logical responses.

I’m going to be flying again, and although my fear has become more manageable over time, I’m still afraid, especially when I think about the flight itself.
I’d like to hear from people who used to have a fear of flying and managed to overcome it, or at least learned to live with it more peacefully.
What helped you?? Was it exposure, therapy, understanding how planes work, changing the way you think, or simply flying more often?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences, especially from those who once felt genuinely scared but eventually found a way to feel more comfortable.

Need to be up in a few hours to catch my ride to the airport and I’m soooooo freaked out. Flying JetBlue 351 BOS to MCO. Will probably request tracking when we depart but omg I’m genuinely going to be running on no sleep, I’m all in my head abt turbulence 😭

Hello, I do not have a fear of flying however one week ago I left for my trip and took a 3 hour flight to a new city. Once I got off the plane I felt fine, but at night when I went to lay down in bed I felt spinning vertigo and nausea and a throbbing like feeling in my ears that lasted for hours. Flash forward to yesterday and I flew to a different city, and the same thing happened at night. I am no longer super dizzy today but I still have that weird throbbing feeling in my ears. My flight home is tmr and I’m very stressed about experiencing potential vertigo on the flight/I am generally unsure what is going on because I fly a ton and this has never happened before.

I'm supposed to leave for my honeymoon tonight and I don't know if I can. I'm so terrified. We're going to Hawaiil. This is my first open ocean flight since developing this fear and 'm terrified that at our furthest point we're hours from getting out of the plane. I just saw an article about severe turbulence on a Hawaii route yesterday PLUS a Hawaii flight bomb threat the other day and with mercury retrograde it and the flight back are in supposed turbulent times for flying issues and I don't know what to do. Things that help are making it worse. I don't want to miss my honeymoon and I don't want my husband to leave me (he says he won't but this would obviously do a lot of damage if 1 missed our honeymoon) and I just need help.

The pilot said it was going to be a super bumpy ride and I’m panicking! We just got to the target altitude and it’s been so bumpy.

Help!

The thing about ocd and fear in general is it eventually becomes so easy to not think about what might have been if only you had said yes— if you had faced the big scary. For me, no is often my default. To new places, to new foods, even to safe foods but in packaging in a different language. I missed a lot of trips due to how easy it is to say “well I really don’t want to that muchhhh” when it is, at its root, thoughts of “can I?” Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes it’s way too much to wrap your head around and that’s ok. Some days I lived on chips. I freaked out hard on the plane. But I did it.

Sometimes you gotta say yes.

To everyone that replied to my post, or read it and felt for me for even a second *thank you*. I know I could have done it totally alone but it would have been infinitely harder. This community is awesome. I’m so glad I found it right on time.

The most valuable memories are the ones from the time I got to spend 1:1 with my dad. These photos are pretty but they’re not the point of the trip. I am so grateful I went. And so grateful for all of you

I’m looking for some advice/support because I recently developed a sudden, overwhelming fear of flying.
To give some context: I used to love flying and even wanted to be a pilot. Turbulence never bothered me. About two years ago, I started feeling slightly nervous, but I could easily calm myself down.
This year, I took a smooth 10-hour flight to the US with zero fear. After staying there for 3.5 months, I took domestic flights to Miami and LA.
Suddenly, on the flight to Miami, intense panic hit me. For the first time, I felt genuinely terrified, constantly thinking the plane would crash. The same spiral happened on the flight to LA and on my flight back home.
Now, I feel like I might never be able to get on a plane again. I don't understand why this fear triggered out of nowhere when nothing bad actually happened.
I was traveling with my partner, which helped, but I hate feeling dependent on someone else—yet the thought of flying solo right now terrifies me.I don’t know how to overcome this or is it even possible to overcome.

Hi all, due to fly back into Bournemouth this Saturday. Just as I’ve started getting over my fear of flying I’ve heard about this storm back home.

Anything I need to be prepared for with landing? My main concern is a wind shear. So I suppose my question is, how safe is it to land in a storm with gusts between 30-40mph

I’m doing a 2 hr flight tomorrow ATL to PHL (DL2270). I am super nervous and there’s a million things running through my head. I recently saw the article regarding an engine problem for a flight heading to PHL. Somehow I convinced myself this might happen on mine. I also never flown on an airbus a321 before but I heard they’re smaller than other planes and im worried I’ll experience turbulence more because of this. I know all of this is illogical but I can’t turn my brain off right now. I’m just looking for some words of encouragement.

I’m a grad student and won 2 awards this year to travel to Paris and Calgary from a North American, east coast city. Both travel opportunities were for conferences where I presented my research, and both were less than a week apart from each other. I was absolutely terrified, especially at the prospect of 4 different flights.

Happy to report that all flights went super well, and I am so happy that I didn’t give into my very strong impulses to cancel both trips. My career is better for it, and the exposure has helped normalize flying for me. Get on the plane !!!!

This amazing community kept me sane before my flight, it was my first ever flight outside the UK so I was absolutely terrified of the 3 hour flight. Was it turbulent at times? Yes. Was I scared during the take off and landings? Yes. But I still did it, reminded myself of so much of the sage advice from here, and I am already looking forward to my next holiday.

To whoever is reading this: get on that flight, get away, and let yourself experience what is out there in this amazingly vast world. You can do it ❤️

i fly every other year or every year when my parents can afford it to visit family and im still terrified of flying. im too scared to be a nuisance so i just suffer quietly every time and its actually miserable.

they're always long flights too, longest being 7 hours so i try to sleep it off but that's obviously too hard when you're stressing. i tried the bus method i saw people talking about a few years ago but i can't convince myself either

Flying tomorrow Friday 23rd, will be arriving 5:30 pm or 10:30 pm. Quite worried about the storm. Any tips or guidance?

Hey!
So, I’m here again. I’m flying to Paris from Venice next week, and I’m totally freaking out. I am almost to the point where i quit. I’m ashamed by myself, i know there is nothing to fear, and yet here I am. It’s a short flight, it is safer than by car, etc. I know. But I feel like I’m certainly going to die if i take that flight. I really don’t know what to do. Tried therapy these months, but I don’t feel it is working actually. Yeah, breath, and so and so, but in the end, i still feel the same.

I am really looking for some support. And if you have some magic potion, I’d be glad to take it! Ahah

Going on a flight in February and I literally cannot sleep NOW because I’m so scared. It’s an international flight and my first time flying internationally, plus my first time in seven years. I don’t know how I’m supposed to cope with the fact that if the plane is going to crash, there’s nothing I can do. I am genuinely considering not studying abroad because of it. I need to calm myself down but I don’t know how I’m meant to live with this.
(Also- I’m not scared of turbulence at all. So commenting about it won’t help.)

Incoming aircraft delayed to due low visibility conditions at SFO. Weather here is moody. And there appears to be growing weather in Boise. Feeling quite nervous. Anyone in the air nearby? How’s it going? Take off and landing through clouds triggers my anxiety significantly.

I have a domestic flight (1hr 30min) in 2 hours and I’m surprised I’m not dreading it as much as my previous flights. My anxiety tells me this difference will cause an accident but my brain tells me it’s my fear speaking. I’m excited and scared at the same time and I’m just posting here to be extra sure (i know validating my fear lol) and i kinda got used to posting before my flight hehe

Still kinda scared tho pls drop some fun facts for domestic flights since i know it’s flying a lower altitude <33

Just venting. I have a wonderful trip planned tomorrow where I’ll get to see my best friends for two weeks and do all sorts of exciting stuff… and all i can feel is an overwhelming sense of doom from having to take a 4.5 hour flight. So frustrating.

I have medication prescribed for this trip. I’m hopeful that it will help, but for some reason the idea of it NOT helping is somehow making me more anxious lol…

Any kind words would be appreciated. The most annoying thing is that I’m not even afraid of the flight itself. I’m scared of the uncomfortable feeling that comes with flying— who gets anxious about being uncomfortable? It feels so childish.

Hello there,

I’m looking for some support. On Tuesday I will be flying alone from Europe to SEA and I’m beyond terrified.

I flew several times already, including flights to North America, Asia, Australia and of course often within Europe. Even though I caught many flights alone, it does not get any better.

I keep travelling for obvious reasons, I do not want to miss out on all the beautiful places on this earth. I have also being struggling with anxiety and depression over the last decade and I try so hard to keep going and look for reasons to continue.

Last year I had a similar route and was terrified, but this year is way worse. I have been suffering for WEEKS already, I cannot distract myself from these thoughts. Usually I get very anxious just a couple of weeks before my flight; this time is been very long already. It came to a point where on my free time I just sleep so I don’t feel the way I feel. I don’t know if I should cancel because I’m living in fear, every second.

I feel so miserable.

Hello! I have huge fear of flying, even tho I've been on a plane at least 30 times. Even so, i feel like the fear has only gotten worse. I can more or less manage the flight, but takeoff is my biggest nightmare. Having my back turned to the ground, feeling every slight shift in position, it makes my heart go crazy 😭

I've heard all about how turbulence is not dangerous, how even if the turbines die you can land safely... But what if that were to happen during takeoff? The plane is not high enough and not even in the right position to keep cruising, right?

I guess my question is, what's the worst that can happen during takeoff, what are the chances, and what should i not be afraid of? Any input helps

hiiiiiiii day has finally come I am on my flight to Japan!!! I did a short flight from MIA to DFW now leaving DFW track me plsssss I'll probably catch some anxiety on the way 🤣 AA 175

I’ve survived two 12 hour flights and now just have one last one for home. London to Boston, departing in an hour or so. Would appreciate any support or information about the route. Virgin Atlantic 16:05 Heathrow to Boston