Airline ticket help? Wife will not fly now.

[adhale]

My wife was going to be a first time flyer, and with the plane crash in Spain the other day has said we are not flying. Tickets where already bought which I know there is no refund. What can we do with the tickets we are flying US Airways. We are still going just having to drive now.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Honestly, not much about the refund but try to focus her on the number of flights that come off without a hitch. Thousands and thousands of flights every day and hour and they all take place safely. I have a similar uneasiness of flying, have real tension leading up to the flight(I hate not being in control) so I understand the feelings but I focus on the safety of flying and I go.

Actually, driving in a car to Florida is statistically far more dangerous than a plane. That's what to focus on, how safe planes are compared to other forms. If we wanted no risk at all in our transportation we would never go anywhere. There are bus crashes, train crashes, ferry sinkings, taxi cab incidents and thousands of car accidents. Its about how likely things are and planes aren't likely at all to go down.

May not help but got to focus on the positive if at all possible.

[princessjojo]

Actually, driving in a car to Florida is statistically far more dangerous than a plane. That's what to focus on, how safe planes are compared to other forms. If we wanted no risk at all in our transportation we would never go anywhere. There are bus crashes, train crashes, ferry sinkings, taxi cab incidents and thousands of car accidents. Its about how likely things are and planes aren't likely at all to go down.

May not help but got to focus on the positive if at all possible.

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure where you're coming from, but for us, taking a 10hr drive down I-95 is way more dangerous than flying. There is always the exhaustion involved with driving and the negligence of others on the road, not just one but thousands. You may want to speak with your family Dr. and see if he/she can prescribe something to take the edge off of her anxiety before the flight.

[dnickels]

Tell her you and the kids will meet her in Fla!

(and be prepared to sleep on the couch)

Honestly though I can never understand that, she's going to switch from one extremely safe mode of transportation to another that's statistically FAR more dangerous.

It's like hearing about a car hitting someone on the sidewalk and deciding that from now on you'd rather walk in the median.

[Bri]

you're right, you can't get a refund. the only thing you can do i cancel and rebook within 1 year of the original booking date. even then you will have to pay a fee, probably around $150 per ticket. i also get uneasy about flying but like the other posters said, it's much more dangerous to drive and dealing with all the other drivers, esp trucks, could be really un-nerving. i would talk with her dr to maybe get an anti anxiety pill for the flights.

[chick20679]

You may want to speak with your family Dr. and see if he/she can prescribe something to take the edge off of her anxiety before the flight.

This is what I was thinking.
My mom takes 'a little something' before we fly to help calm her nerves and keep her from thinking too much about what 'could' go wrong.

And like the others have said, try and remind her that airline travel really is much safer than driving. The chances of being involved in an aircraft accident are about 1 in 11 million (chances of being killed in an automobile accident? 1 in 5000).
Maybe try searching for "fear of flying" on the web? There are quite a few websites that offer good advice.

On the refund front, you MAY be able to get a credit for your tickets if you can get ahold of the right person, but it won't be easy. You might write to the airlines corporate offices or customer relations department and see if they can help, but again, it would only be a credit to use towards future travel, and there's certainly no guarantee you'll get anything back at all.

Good luck, with which ever option you opt to pursue.

[Zippy 1]

I really hate to fly!!!!! I finally talked to my doctor who gave me something to help keep me calm when flying. Sometimes that is the only way for some of us to do it. Like your wife anytime I see something about a flight in the news I get real nervous. Have her talk to her doctor and see if he will perscribe something to help.
On a side note - I have talked to many people in the airline industry and flying is the safest of all modes of transportation. I realize sometimes that is hard to get your brain to except but she needs to concentrate on all the good flights. Believe me I know how hard that can be!!

[caryrae]

All transportation can be dangerous, planes cars, buses, trains (derail), boats (sink), riding a bike, even walking. There is and always will be something that can go wrong with any of those.

I found this on Wikipedia:

Air travel is the safest form of transportation available. Trains have .04 deaths for every 100 million miles while air travel has .01 deaths for every 100 million miles traveled. Compared to the automobile, with .94 deaths per 100 million miles, both figures are low. According to the BBC: "UK airline operations are among the safest anywhere. When compared against all other modes of transport on a fatality per mile basis air transport is the safest - six times safer than traveling by car and twice as safe as rail."

A 2007 study by Popular Mechanics found that passengers sitting at the back of a plane are 40% more likely to survive a crash than those sitting in the front

Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO)
The Geneva-based Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO) compiles statistics on aviation accidents of aircraft capable of carrying more than six passengers, not including helicopters, balloons, or fighter airplanes. The ACRO announced that the year 2007 was the safest year in aviation since 1963 in terms of number of accidents. There had been 136 accidents registered (compared to 164 in 2006), resulting in a total of 965 deaths (compared to 1,293 in 2006). 2004 was the year with the lowest number of fatalities since the end of World War II, with 766 deaths. The year with most fatalities was 1972, with 3,214 deaths.

[adhale]

Thanks for all the input Im going to let her read this later today. I called Disney I can rebook within one year plus a rebooking fee plus the diffrence in price if there is one. Its a 14hr drive from Charleston WV to Disney.

[thrillme]

Heavens...the chances of something happening in a 14 hour drive is much much MUCH higher than plane travel and it's soooo much more fatiguing for the driver.

There would be no way if I got tickets that I would ever pass up flying for ANY other mode of travel. Accidents happen in ALL modes of transport...car, bus, bicycle, walking, train and yes OCCASIONALLY plane.

I'd venture to say you have a better, safer chance of making your destination by plane rather than by car.

You can get something from the doctor to help with the "anxiety" or get to the airport early and have a couple

I absolutely LOVE flying.

[caryrae]

It's hard to understand how someone feels if they are afraid to fly. From where I live it's about a 3 to 3 1/2 hour flight (twin cities) how long for you maybe a couple hours. I can't imagine driving 14 hours when it could take a couple hours flying. Then you have potty breaks, food breaks, stretch your leg breaks. Then what happens if the car breaks down.

Of course if she really doesn't want to fly I guess she would have the final decison.

[Jasper]

If reading these posts doesn't help to bring her around to flying then you are really only left with the option of driving or getting a little pharmaceutical help from the doctor. My wife always has to take something before she flies because she is so nervous. Our doctor is very conservative when it comes to writing prescriptions but he didn't hesitate when she told him what it was for.

One word of warning though if you go that route is to make sure she understands exactly how long in advance of boarding the plane that she can take the medication. On the return leg of our first trip my wife didn't take into account how long it would take to get from our hotel and the airport and so she took the medicine way to early and was basically back to normal by the time we got in the air.

Believe me I still have the scars on the back of my hand to prove why you don't want to take it too early!

[Aggie97]

In addition to the fatality odds of driving already being so much worse than flying... according to the NTSB, the number of fatal plane crashes decreased 65 percent from 1997 to 2007, down to one fatal accident in about 4.5 million departures. I am confident that no U.S. interstate has seen improvements like that.

Best wishes to your family for a great trip.

[AllDisney]

A plane crashes. What gets all of our attention is the fact that so many people died. All at once. All in one place. This can freak out the most frequent flyer. It's only natural, but life happens (accidents included) and you can't let that run or ruin your life.
The choice IS REALLY YOURS.

I think, that on average, about 115 people die each day in automobile accidents, just in the USA alone. There are accidents every day, by all sorts of means (car, buses, guns and yes, planes).

Hopefully, your wife can seek the advice of a doctor & she can be given something to relax and enjoy your fantastic vacation that you have planned.

Hope all goes well

[dmosher]

Let me assure you that if she really doesn't want to, or is truly afraid to fly, no drugs or statistics will get her on that plane and if it does, it will still be a very hard flight.

I know people who are truly afraid to fly, like pass-out, have an adult freak out tantrum afraid and there isn't any advise, hypnotherapy or sleep inducing drugs in the world that will get them on a plane.

Looks to me like your going to have to bite the bullet, lose the cash and drive. It stinks, but it will make for a much happier wife and a much better holiday.

D

[mrsgaribaldi]

I hate to fly too so I know how she feels. I do it though to get to my favorite place quickly. A half hour before we board I take a Xanax (which your doctor can prescribe) and I take some OTC sleeping pills. I have one of those squishy balls that you hold to relieve tension/stress. If the pills have not knocked me out completely for takeoff, then I am the one sitting with my hands clenched around the squishy ball reciting to myself "thousands of planes fly everyday and none of them ever crash", I might say it out loud too. I don't think I make the person sitting next to me feel comfortable. The only consolation for the passenger next to me is that once I fall asleep I never wake up until we land. The bad thing I think is not knowing the odds for safety but knowing that I could be in 100 car accidents and survive them all but one plane crash will probably kill me. That's where it hurts. DH used to be afraid but he loves flying now.
Maybe after thinking about it she will change her mind. on the way and good luck

[TheRustyScupper]

Honestly though I can never understand that, she's going to switch from one extremely safe mode of transportation to another that's statistically FAR more dangerous.

1) Tell that to us crash survivors.
2) If she is too afraid, then just drive.
3) You will lose the ticket price.
4) But, shew will be happier on the vacation.

[PetefromRI]

We love flying because it's so quick and not that much more than driving when you add in tolls,food and overnite stays,but 14 hours isn't that bad to drive,infact I hate driving but if I lived within 14 hours,I'd probably drive if the cost of flying continues to rise.I hope that you can convince her to fly,but don't be to rough on her if she doesn't.It's just to bad that you had already bought the tickets.

[Tinks my favorite]

I have panic attacks before I have to fly. I take an ativan, and then I am much better. I can fly with no problems. I would hate for your wife to miss a trip when there is stuff out there to help her.

[Ed]

Have you tried diplomatically (verrrrrry diplomatically ~~ unless you have a very comfortable sofa to sleep on) pointing out to your DW that the $$$ you are basically wasting on unused airline tickets could go a long way toward a very memorable WDW vacation?