“Some of the primary reasons some people are afraid to fly are a fear of crashing, a fear of being out of control, a fear of the unknown, a fear of heights, having lost a loved one in a plane crash and feeling claustrophobic,” says Ora Nadrich, a certified mindfulness meditation instructor and life coach.

The fear of flying, or aviophobia, is often not about the physical act of flying itself, but rather a combination of lack of control, claustrophobia, and the brain's "fight or flight" response to an unnatural environment. Evolutionarily, humans are not designed to be 30,000 feet in the air, so your amygdala—the brain's emotional center—may perceive the slight movements of turbulence as a direct threat to survival, even though the aircraft's structure is perfectly safe. Many people also struggle with the "internal loss of control," fearing they might have a panic attack in a space they cannot leave. Modern anxiety is further fueled by the "availability heuristic," where rare but sensationalized news about aviation incidents makes the danger feel more probable than it actually is. Experts note that flight anxiety often mirrors generalized anxiety; your mind tries to find external reasons (like engine noises or wing movement) to justify the physical symptoms of stress you're feeling. Understanding that a plane is essentially "resting" on high-pressure air like a car on a road can help, but for many, the "freak out" is a deeply rooted psychological response to the vulnerability of being a passenger.