Why more than 50,000 passengers have booked on 'flights to nowhere' from UK airports like Heathrow and Gatwick
Nervous Londoners have been invited to take a 'flight to nowhere' from Heathrow Airport in a bid to cure their fears of flying.
More than 50,000 people have booked onto British Airways' Flying with Confidence Course since 1986 to try and overcome their fear of flying, the airline has revealed.
See also: I'm a travel writer who had a fear of flying — here's how I overcame it
The one-day course, which costs £399 and next takes place on June 28, has a 98% success rate and has been designed by pilots and cabin crew to help frightened passengers.
Speaking to the Independent last year, the programme's director, Captain Steve Allright, explained: 'When they come off the aeroplane at the end of the day, there's tears of emotion.
'You hear things like, 'I'm a changed woman – thank you so much, I can go and visit my grandchildren in Australia'.
'All the research shows that one in four people has some kind of fear of flying, and one in 12 has significant difficulties. So there are literally millions of people around the world that have this fear.'
During the event British Airways pilots give a presentation about how an aircraft flies and operates, particularly focusing on turbulence and flight safety.
A psychologist also speaks to soon-to-be passengers to help them cope with their fears and how best to deal with anxiety and feelings of panic.
The day finishes with a 45-minute flight returning to the same airport as take-off, and passengers are accompanied by a team of pilots, cabin crew and psychologists.
Events take place at Heathrow and Gatwick as well as locations across the UK, including Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
British Airways Has Banned Crew Members From 1 Activity During Layovers
British Airways crew members might be spending less time in front of the camera now. In a new edict, the major airline has ordered all employees, including pilots and flight attendants, to refrain from posting selfies, videos or other personal content on social media during layovers. Additionally, employees have been told to cleanse their social media accounts of any prior content from layover hotel stays, according to One Mile At A Time. "The concern is that someone with bad intentions could use computer software to analyze a background and identify the location of a hotel," One Mile At A Time reported. "It's standard procedure for airline crews to not publicly disclose where they stay on layovers, but at the same time, there haven't been any restrictions on posting from hotels in general." Any content taken in hotel lobbies and restaurants or at pools or parking lots is also off-limits, even if the person's profile is set to private. Those "Get Ready With Me" videos you see influencers--and some flight attendants--post are also forbidden. This policy change has been criticized by some as too harsh, but British Airways insists it simply has the safety of its crew members in mind. 'The safety of our people is really important to us and as a responsible employer, we're continuously looking at how we can improve their security,' airline reps told the New York Post. British Airways last updated its social media guidelines two years ago, when it banned employees from sharing any social media posts of themselves "professionally engaged" in their jobs. While unclear if the latest restrictions were shaped by one event in particular, Irfan Ali Mirza, 45, a British Airways flight attendant, was found dead in his San Francisco hotel room during a stopover back in April. At the time, authorities said they did not suspect foul play, and Mirza's death went under investigation. British Airways Has Banned Crew Members From 1 Activity During Layovers first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 5, 2025
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
British Airways bans crew members from taking selfies during layovers: ‘Bit of an overkill'
A layover could lead to a layoff in a flash. While airlines often restrict crewmember social media use on the job, British Airways has taken the crackdown to the next level — by limiting what members post during their personal time as well. The carrier now prohibits airline employees — including pilots and flight attendants — from documenting where they stay during crew layovers on social media, One Mile At A Time reported. This means that ever-popular 'get ready with me' TikToks — in which flight attendants film themselves donning their outfits for the day — no longer fly. The airline's security team claims that bad actors can use AI-powered location tools to pinpoint crew member locations, thereby compromising their safety. Getty Images And don't think about snapping a pool or lobby selfie– the policy applies everywhere inside the crewmember hotel, outside the hotel and even the parking lot, A View From The Wing reported. Even a quick room-view shot showing nothing but sky and curtains is verboten under the ban. According to the new guidelines, crew members are also required to go over their feeds with a fine-toothed comb and delete every trace of prior layover hotel-related content — even the stuff set to 'private' — or risk getting canned. British Airways isn't imposing this digital clampdown to kill crewmember fun or torpedo fledgling influencer careers, but rather to mitigate any potential safety risks. Flight expert Gary Leff at A View From The Wing found BA's social media crackdown overzealous given that crew resorts aren't exactly a secret. NurPhoto via Getty Images The airline's security team claims that bad actors can use AI-powered location tools to pinpoint crewmembers' locations, the Mirror reported. This sophisticated software can analyze subtle background cues — including parking lot signs, pool tiles and even window geometry — to identify flight attendant accommodations, which could put flight staff in jeopardy. One Mile At A Time described the policy as 'strict', writing that it 'seems like a bit of an overkill, since it's not that hard to figure out where airline crews stay.' The move follows a BA policy rolled out in 2023 that banned crew members from posting while on duty, including snapping cockpit selfies or sitting in an engine. The crackdown comes as an increased number flight attendants are taking up side hustles as influencers, often providing travel tips and other inside info to their sometimes million-plus followers. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the content takes place inside hotels with topics ranging from hotel cleanliness to the best ways to tell if an intruder is lurking under the bed. Flight expert Gary Leff at A View From The Wing found BA's social media crackdown overzealous given that crew resorts aren't exactly a secret. 'Crews arrive in uniform to the same contracted hotels in each city. Local drivers, aviation enthusiasts and would-be stalkers already know where they're staying,' he wrote. 'They go out into the city and tell people where they're staying. So while it's possible to extract location clues from photos, it's entirely unnecessary to do so.' He found the measure particularly ludicrous as there's been no actual incident of a hotel safety issue and that it's all 'hypothetical.' In April, a BA crew member was found dead in his San Francisco hotel room during a stopover between flights — although there was no evidence of foul play. Leff added that this clampdown could put a damper on crew member recruitment as a lot of this outreach is done peer-to-peer via social media so 'cracking down on crew behavior makes those same jobs less attractive' to applicants.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
British Airways says its short-haul business class is booming. Here's why that could be a boost for US budget airlines.
British Airways' CEO said Club Europe sales have "defied our best expectations." The premium cabin has the same seats as economy, but with the middle one blocked off. Spirit Airlines is introducing a similar product as fliers are more interested in upgrades globally. European-style business class isn't the most luxurious, but its popularity has reached new heights at British Airways. British Airways CEO Sean Doyle said sales in its Club Europe class have "defied our best expectations," The Times of London reported on Tuesday. While legacy US airlines offer comfier seats and more legroom on all their aircraft, most European carriers have a much simpler premium product on their narrow-body planes. In the typical 3-3 layout, business class simply has a divider placed on the middle seat. A curtain separating it from the economy cabin can be moved down the aisle depending on capacity. "After the global financial crisis in 2008, people were saying it wouldn't work," Doyle reportedly said at the International Air Transport Association conference. "And yet it's more popular than ever, especially for leisure passengers." He pointed to perks like lounge access, priority boarding, and better food-and-drink options. "There is really important value in short-haul premium for customers, and we are seeing that come through in the numbers," Doyle added, per The Times. The fact that the hard product — the seat itself — is so similar to traveling in economy means some Europeans don't see the value compared to flying with a budget airline like easyJet or Ryanair. However, premium options have been in more demand around the world since the pandemic. That's strained budget airlines, especially in the US. They've been rolling out upgraded offerings in an attempt to attract more customers as their preferences have changed. For example, Doyle's comments could be particularly welcomed by Spirit Airlines. Last July, it announced a "Go Comfy" option that would include a blocked middle seat in the same style as British Airways' Club Europe. However, unlike the London-based carrier, "Go Comfy" seats will also have four inches of extra legroom. Southwest Airlines has also announced premium options, scrapping its signature unassigned-seating policy to encourage passengers to pay for extra legroom. At the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference last week, CEO Bob Jordan said customers want different cabins, a variety of offerings, and "access to premium." Doyle's comments suggest that the American budget airlines are on the right path. Even if their offerings aren't as opulent as Delta Air Lines or United Airlines, passengers simply care more about the experience of flying in a premium class. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
