It was a close call for these passengers: How a near-miss can cause guilt, flight anxiety
AI-assisted summary
Dr. Michaela Renee Jonnson, a psychotherapist and pilot, says close calls like this can cause near-miss guilt and acute stress disorder.
Despite the recent crashes, experts emphasize that flying is still a statistically safe mode of transportation.
Travelers are encouraged to seek support and reevaluate their travel plans based on their comfort levels.
Kim O'Connell was just about to board the Delta regional jet from Minneapolis to Toronto on Monday when he decided to take a later flight. While he normally wouldn't want to disrupt his travel plans, he gave up his seat since he had the day off work, and the airline was offering $500 dollars to people willing to delay their arrival by a few hours.
Later in the afternoon, when he was in the air, O'Connell connected to Wi-Fi and began receiving messages from coworkers asking if he was OK. Soon, he learned the flight he was supposed to board had crashed in Toronto.
'My heart just sunk,' O'Connell, 29, told USA TODAY. 'I thought I was gonna vomit.'
At the time, it wasn't known whether there were any survivors. O'Connell got up from his seat and told the two other people who volunteered for the later flight what happened at Toronto Pearson Airport. One of them burst into tears, and the other clutched O'Connell's hand, telling him, 'It's going to be OK, brother.'
Their plane landed in Detroit Monday night, and O'Connell has since been staying with family in Michigan. He plans to return to Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
While O'Connell narrowly avoided the crash, that kind of close call can be its own kind of challenge. He is one of a number of flyers whose own travels intersected with the incident, leaving them shaken.
'There's pretty much nothing I can do'
On Monday, Sarah Purser and her 9-year-old son were aboard a plane that was descending toward Toronto Pearson Airport when the Delta flight crashed on a nearby runway.
Purser said she could feel the jet begin rising in altitude before the pilot came on and said the airport was closed and they were being rerouted to Montreal. 'We knew it was something serious, but we didn't know what happened,' she said.
As they headed away from Toronto, Purser and the other passengers hovered over their phones, trying to find out what exactly happened. Then they started seeing pictures of the overturned plane, one of its wings sheared off as passengers climbed out of the cabin.
'It's pretty unbelievable,' Purser, 45, said. 'And what's even more unbelievable is that everybody survived.'
The plane sat in Montreal for several hours before landing in Toronto around 10:30 p.m. local time, making their trip from Los Angeles over 12 hours long. Since Monday night, she has been trying to get on a plane to Quebec City so she could see her mother in the hospital.
'I'm dying to get there, but there's pretty much nothing I can do,' she said.
Is flying still safe?:Yes. Here's what travelers should know.
'It could have been your plane'
Dr. Michaela Renee Jonnson, a licensed psychotherapist and commercial pilot, said close calls like that can result in near-miss or survivor's guilt.
'It's not exactly survivor's guilt because the people in this aircraft didn't necessarily perish, but the feelings are the same,' she said. Travelers might 'question, 'Well, why didn't I do this? Or what would have happened to me had I done this?''
While the experience differs from that of the passengers in the crash, being close to or witnessing the aftermath can still cause a fight, flight or freeze response. Travelers could experience acute stress disorder – which 'basically puts the brain on hyper-alert for anything similar' – in the six months following the event or post-traumatic stress disorder after the six-month mark.
Hasna Nizamuddin was at Toronto Pearson Airport waiting to fly home to Montreal with her family when another traveler at a lounge told her a plane flipped outside. She and other passengers rushed to the window, where she could just make out the flashing lights of emergency vehicles.
'And that's when it got a little bit stressful,' the 31-year-old said. 'I could hear the people around me talking a little bit louder, and then everybody was getting worried about whether or not they're going to make it to their flight or not.'
A ground stop was issued shortly thereafter and her flight was canceled. Nizamuddin had been at the airport for nearly 24 hours, after she, her husband and their two young sons missed their connection on their way back from Turks and Caicos the night before due to a winter storm. Travelers swarmed the Air Canada customer service desk, and she scrambled to make alternate arrangements.
A person's response to a close call can vary based on their life experiences. 'So, somebody who's just kind of coming to the table with a baseline level of anxiety is going to be a lot different than somebody who's actually lived through some sort of grief, loss, trauma that is creating a heightened activation,' Johnson said.
She recommended reaching out to talk to someone 'outside of the situation to get some clarity from like a 10,000-foot viewpoint,' whether a friend, family member or mental health care provider, and noted that close calls could be opportunities to reevaluate priorities.
That could include how and whether or not to travel, given spiking flight anxiety in the wake of multiple plane crashes this year.
Nizamuddin rebooked two other flights to Montreal, one of which was canceled. The other flight's plane 'never showed up.' Hotels and trains were booked. 'So we felt really stuck,' she said.
Finally, around 8:30 pm, an Enterprise employee helped them find an available car to rent and they drove more than seven hours in the snow to their home in Repentigny. 'It was really not a nice feeling to be literally right there, and it could have been your plane that happened to,' she said.
'I think with any fear that we're allowing to kind of drive our life, we have to really consider the risk in terms of safety,' Johnson said. 'And it still is an incredibly safe way to travel relative to the one that most people are using every day, which is the car, just based on numbers and the amount of training that goes into it.'
Even so, she added, 'I've never been successful at talking someone out of fear rationally. They have to kind of come to that term on their own, and it's really a different level for everybody.'
For his part, O'Connell was rattled in the immediate aftermath. 'I'm pretty shaken up from it,' he said. 'After almost stepping foot on a plane that ended up crashing, I just want to go back to my wife and be home. But I'm very, very thankful that everyone was safe.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
A new COVID-19 variant, vaccine changes: What to know in 2025
A new COVID-19 variant, vaccine changes: What to know in 2025 Show Caption Hide Caption RFK Jr. says COVID-19 vaccine no longer recommended for some The COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says. Like it or not, COVID-19 is still a public health issue five years after the start of the pandemic flipped the nation, and the world, on its head. Changing vaccination guidelines, ever-evolving variants and strains, threats to health insurance and more mean COVID is still very much a regular conversation on the lips of lawmakers, regulators and the general public. More than 40,000 positive tests were reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May, and while hospitalizations and deaths are fortunately down significantly since the pandemic's peak, vulnerable people are still grappling with limiting their risk amid changing practices. Here is a brief recap of the status of COVID cases, variants and vaccines in the U.S. as of June 4, 2025. Where do COVID cases currently stand in the US? According to the most recent data on the CDC's COVID Data Tracker dashboard, there were 735 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in May 2025 as of May 24. In the four weeks leading up to May 24, 3% of 1,344,681 COVID tests administered nationwide were positive. New NB.1.8.1 COVID variant In January, a new COVID-19 variant known as NB.1.8.1 was first detected in China. As of mid-May, the variant had reached 10.7% of global reported COVID-19 cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of May 27, less than 20 cases of NB.1.8.1 had been reported in the U.S., a CDC spokesperson told USA TODAY. This figure is too low to be added to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker dashboard, the spokesperson added, though they did not clarify the threshold for adding new variants to the dashboard. New COVID variant in China: Here's what to know about NB.1.8.1 NB.1.8.1 is one of the latest variants of COVID-19, a "slightly upgraded version" of the LP.8.1 variant that is prominent right now, Subhash Verma, microbiology and immunology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, previously told USA TODAY. For comparison, LP.8.1 made up 70% of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. between April 26 and May 10, as reported by the CDC. Verma said NB.1.8.1 may be able to be transferred more easily than LP.8.1. Additionally, he said that NB.1.8.1 is able to evade antibodies created by vaccines or past infections more easily than LP.8.1. The variant has similar symptoms to other strains, including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting. Vaccine back-and-forth: Who can get it and will there be new boosters? Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on May 27 that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, a move that broke with previous expert guidance and bypassed the normal scientific review process. Under the changes, the only people who will be recommended for COVID-19 vaccines are those over 65 and people with existing health problems. This could make it harder for others who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get it, including health care workers and healthy people under 65 with a vulnerable family member or those who want to reduce their short-term risk of infection. RFK changes vaccine recommendations: Want a COVID vaccine? It could cost you $200. Insurance coverage typically follows federal recommendations, so anyone who is healthy and under 65 is likely to have to pay out of pocket to get the shot, which runs about $200, if they can get it. It's not clear what insurance companies will do about the new recommendations. RFK Jr. is a vaccine skeptic known for making false claims about vaccination and other medical practices. Under his leadership and the Trump administration, the FDA canceled the advisory meeting of independent experts who usually gather to formulate new flu shots annually and nixed a contract with Moderna to develop a bird flu vaccine amid the spread. He also pushed false claims about MMR vaccines as measles, previously eradicated in the U.S., began erupting in states across the country, causing the first death in a decade. It is not yet known how accessible the COVID-19 vaccine will be moving forward. Contributing: Karen Weintraub, Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY; Reuters


New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Airlines hate this sneaky travel hack that can save flyers serious money when booking flights, expert says
Although prices are way down for airfare this summer — there's no harm in wanting to save an extra buck where you can. Founder of the Cheap Holiday Expert and podcast host, Chelsea Dickenson, recently shared on an episode of her pod, Passports Please!, that 'skiplagging' is a travel hack that allows travelers to fly for cheap to long-haul hotspots. 'Skiplagging is when a passenger books a flight with a layover but intentionally gets off at the layover city instead of continuing to the final destination,' Dicksenson explained to her co-host, James Robinson, in a clip from the episode that was posted to TikTok. Advertisement 'And that is because the layover city is usually cheaper to fly to as part of a longer route.' For instance, booking an indirect flight from New York to California, with a layover in Texas, is cheaper than flying directly from NYC to the Lone Star State. Advertisement So a traveler would book the longer flight to California, get off the plane in Texas, stay there and just miss the second flight to California — since they intended to stay in Texas originally. While this is a smart hack — it's not foolproof and airlines 'absolutely hate it cause you're wasting a seat on one of their flights.' And as a result, there are consequences. Travelers can entirely skip a flight and just stay in the layover city — which is often cheaper than booking a direct flight somewhere far. luengo_ua – Advertisement 'You can get blacklisted by doing it. Some people have been totally told they cannot book with airlines if they've done it repeatedly,' Dickenson said on her podcast. Many people in the comment section seemed to support this travel tip — and brought up valid points regarding airlines' snooty attitude towards it. 'If airlines hate it, then make the prices make sense…' someone pointed out. 'You can get blacklisted by doing it. Some people have been totally told they cannot book with airlines if they've done it repeatedly,' Dickenson said on her podcast. John N – Advertisement 'You are not wasting a seat cause you paid for it,' quipped someone else. 'Delta all the time. Know folks who live in Atlanta and always book Delta to anywhere because the layover is 95% of the time in Atlanta,' a comment read. A few others were concerned about luggage when skiplagging. 'My first thought is. This would only work for passengers with hand luggage only,' one person wrote. 'Obviously, people who do this don't have checked-in luggage,' chimed in someone else. And someone else offered some great advice to avoid getting in trouble from an airline for making skiplagging a habit. 'To avoid being blacklisted show up late to the gate and pretend to be upset that you missed your connecting flight,' a person wrote. 'The airline will cancel your return flight if you do this,' someone hypothesized.


USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Hands-free ways to clean your toilet without chemicals: Video
Hands-free ways to clean your toilet without chemicals: Video Show Caption Hide Caption How to clean your toilet properly Cleaning your toilet doesn't have to be hard. ProblemSolved, USA TODAY No one wants to clean the toilet, but it needs to be done. The bowl is no stranger to hard water rings and other stains, but you don't have to get your hands dirty to get it clean. You don't even need to use store-bought cleaners, either. There are some easy ways to clean the toilet bowl using things you might already have. While these methods clean the inside of the bowl, you also need to clean the outside, especially the seat, with your go-to household cleaner and a paper towel or microfiber cloth. Watch this video for four tips for getting your toilet bowl sparkly and clean. Clean toilet bowl Ditch the store-bought toilet bowl cleaners and consider these alternatives instead: Alka Seltzer tablets. Just toss two tablets in the bowl and let them do all the work. The tablets will fizz up and handle the stains, while you're free to handle other things. Let the froth sit for at least 20 minutes to fully dissolve. If needed, give the bowl a once-over with the brush. Just toss two tablets in the bowl and let them do all the work. The tablets will fizz up and handle the stains, while you're free to handle other things. Let the froth sit for at least 20 minutes to fully dissolve. If needed, give the bowl a once-over with the brush. Distilled white vinegar. While many people reach for bleach to clean their bathrooms, including the toilet, it can be harsh. Instead, use white vinegar. Pour a couple of cups of it into the toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. While many people reach for bleach to clean their bathrooms, including the toilet, it can be harsh. Instead, use white vinegar. Pour a couple of cups of it into the toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. If there are stains outside the waterline, soak a paper towel with vinegar and lay it on the stain. This also works well for the area underneath the rim of the bowl. Let it sit overnight, then remove any paper towels before using and flushing. Bonus, soak your toilet brush in the vinegar-filled bowl to clean it, too. Shop top-rated related products: How to clean a toilet brush Your toilet brush does all the dirty work, so it needs to be cleaned! To clean your toilet bowl brush: Pour bleach into your toilet bowl and submerge the brush. Let it soak for 30 minutes. Flush and rinse the brush in the fresh water. Wipe the handle with a disinfectant wipe. Let it air dry by sandwiching the brush between the rim of the toilet bowl and the toilet seat. This will secure the brush end over the bowl to catch any drips as it dries. You can also spray the brush with a disinfectant, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide after each use to keep it clean.