Will Fear of Flying Hit New Heights?

Aug. 6, 2008 — -- A spate of highly publicized emergency aircraft landings in the past three weeks may be enough to elevate apprehension in some travelers who fear flying, psychological experts say.

But the fact that nobody has been injured in the course of these emergency landings could actually be heartening to some. As more details of the cases become apparent, according to experts, it is unlikely that the incidents will scare many Americans away from air travel.

Still, the incidents have led to some tense moments. On Tuesday afternoon, an American Airlines jetliner bound for Honolulu was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International airport after smoke was detected in the cabin.

Meanwhile, Australia-based Qantas Airways has weathered three emergency landings in the last two weeks. The most dramatic instance occurred on a July 25 flight out of Hong Kong after an explosion blasted a hole in the side of the aircraft, causing a rapid loss of cabin pressure.

And on July 22, a Continental Airlines flight carrying seven members of Congress, including Texas Rep. Ron Paul, made an emergency landing after mechanical problems reportedly led to depressurization in the cabin and deployment of the oxygen masks.

"Of course, that's going to make people more frightened," said Jerilyn Ross, president and CEO of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and director of the Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders in Washington, D.C. "But as scary as the situation is, fortunately, thank God, nobody was hurt. It shows that the airlines were able to handle these things in an effective way.

"If people are able to say, 'wow, that was really scary, but nobody got hurt,' that's pretty reassuring."

"I used to be afraid of flying. I didn't fly for the first half of my life," said Martin Seif, psychologist and associate director of the Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, N.Y. "One of the reasons I became a psychologist was to help people with their fear of flying."