Lovefly Blog - Karren Brady discussing bad behaviour on an aircraft

We have been following the case of Demi Burton being arrested for poor behaviour onboard.  Today, we are making a comment.

Demi Burton has been sentenced six months prison for her drunken behaviour onboard an aircraft.  In her lawyer's statement, he cited fear of flying as the reason for her drunkenness and what followed.   Whether this is true or not, it is not right to speculate. 

However, this is not the first time that this has happened onboard an aircraft for somebody.  It is not okay to get drunk and behave badly - which is why the crew are so very well trained to deal with it.  That also includes the authority to restrain and handcuff passengers!  Most of the time, the crew deal with it calmly and quietly and nothing is heard. If it gets out of control, then it will make the news. Remember, anything to do with commercial aviation tends to make the news.

So, if Demi does have a fear of flying, she has done what a lot of nervous flyers do before their flights....  have a 'few' drinks for courage.  This is not the long term solution.  Nothing wrong with a glass of wine to relax. You need to drink lots of water on flights as it is quite dehydrating up there, which makes the alcohol kick in a bit quicker.

Saw this article by Karren Brady and thought we would share it as very nicely put.
Click here


If you are have a fear of flying, please get some help with it.  There are lots of professional people out there who can help you.

Take care,
Lovefly® Team

Course coming up
Lovefly®  Runway Course  21st March 2020  Details here

Lovefly Blog - Iran Ukrainian Plane Crash

The Ukrainian aircraft crash will have disturbed a lot of people - not just those with a fear of flying.  Here are our thoughts on this terrible tragedy.

According to the reports I have read on BBC website (UK) today, Iran has allegedly admitted that they 'unintentionally shot it down.'  Whether this becomes defined as an act of war or terrorism, is for others to decide.

For us, in commercial aviation, this is what will happen.

As with all incidents and accidents, we learn from them.  Aircraft routing will be changed to ensure we all fly in safe areas. There will be known 'no fly areas' that all commercial airlines will share and adhere to.  This is something that will be constantly reviewed and adjusted - as it always is.

Our thoughts are now with the families of those poor people who lost their lives.  For the rest of us,  we must carry on out of respect to them.  We cannot let bullies or extremists from stopping us go about our lives.  Commercial aviation is still incredibly safe and incidents like this are thankfully, extremely rare.   

For those of you reading this with a fear of flying, please do one thing.  Do not read, view, listen or engage in any reporting of this tragedy.   It will not help your fear of flying and in fact, you will be 'feeding the fear.'

Hope that found that helpful.

Take care,
The LoveFly Team


   

Lovefly Blog - Weather Worries

Happy New Year!

At this time of year, you might experience all sorts of rotten weather...Snow, Ice, Fog, Torrential Rain - this might worry you?

This blog is intended to reassure you if you have a fear of flying - commercial aviation is prepared for all types of weather.











In a nutshell, there are strict rules and limits when it comes to this type of contamination (airline speak for things like water, snow, ice...) and general weather challenges such as fog for example.   We have procedures and strict rules as that keeps us all safe.   These are not airline specific, they are country specific.  So, in UK it is the Civil Aviation Authority.  There are similar organisations that govern standards in US, Canada and Europe.

We know what we can take off and land in.   We know what to do when it is snowing, freezing or chucking it down with rain.   All of this has been thought about.  

If you could see how the aircraft and engines are tested long before they are signed off for flying, you would be absolutely amazed!  Plus, very reassured.  Safety first always.

Take care,
LoveFly Team

P.S. We have a course with limited places coming up on 21st March 2020 normally £200 but this course is £120 all in....including food! Here are more details 

Lovefly Blog - Nervous flyers most dreaded time of year

Hope that you have had a decent break over this festive period?

At LoveFly, we love research that is 'out there'... This particular article caught our eye because we know that people with a fear of flying, hate this time of year.  Why?

Because, this is when the relatives and loved ones start looking to book a holiday for the summer. Also, it is the time when the television adverts are rammed with holiday commercials...

The article from YouGov backs this up - 

'Four in ten (41%) people with a fear of flying say their phobia is so severe that they are unable to go on exotic holidays that require long-haul flights, new YouGov Field & Tab research among aviophobics reveals.

The data shows that the majority (60%) of people with a severe fear of flying can’t go on exotic holidays, while nearly a quarter (23%) of those with a moderate phobia also miss out on such trips.

YouGov’s research among nervous flyers shows that their fear is preventing them from enjoying a vast array of experiences. One in six (17%) have missed out on visiting friends and relatives abroad, a figure that rises to almost three in ten (28%) among those with severe anxiety of flying. Furthermore, one in fifteen (7%) have had to miss overseas weddings. Overall, YouGov Omnibus found that in total one in six (16%) Britons suffer from aviophobia.' 

Here is the full article 

Thankfully, all is not lost. There is help available...In fact, we have our very own course with limited places running on 21st March 2020.  For more information, please go to our website  

Take care,

LoveFly Team

Lovefly Blog - fear of flying top 3 reasons

We like to keep an eye on the research around fear of flying.  Also, from the many, many years of helping nervous flyers, we have learned a lot.  

The first bit of research by Boeing back in the 70's and 80's suggested around 1 in 5. This varies depending on where else you look of course. 

According to YouGov 2017, here are the top three reasons people have a fear of flying:

Reads: Technical failure - 68%, Turbulence 61% & Bad Weather 56%.  Full report

In our experience, we were surprised to see that the following were missing:

• Lack of control
• Claustrophobia
• Terrorism (it is mentioned above but not as much as we would have expected)

Take care,

lovefly team

Lovefly Blog - how professional is commercial aviation?

This is a question that a lot of people ask us...Can we trust you?

Fair question.

This is the logo our friends at aviation skills partnership have given us permission to use.

The reason that we like it is that it shows some of the many areas of professional people who look out for you on EVERY flight.  

Licensed, certificated, trained, monitored and regulated professionals that come together to monitor the safety of commercial aviation.  Looking after each and every flight.  Part of the reason it is so safe.  (That includes your flight too....)

Take care, 
lovefly team