A flight attendant has shared some advice for people who are nervous about flying, and it's becoming a hot topic.
Leah Carr, 23, has been working for Irish airline group Ryanair for five months.
She recently Posted a TikTok videois a video with advice on how to stay calm if you encounter turbulence on an airplane, and has been viewed over 2.5 million times.
In the video, Carr can be seen sitting on a plane as he explains the definition of turbulence.
“Turbulence is a sudden change in air currents that can be felt inside the aircraft as a jolt or vibration,” text in the video says.
“When we experience turbulence, our brains naturally don't understand the loss of control, and the sensation of falling can cause the fear response centres in the brain to send distress signals to the brain.”
She said planes are designed to withstand severe turbulence and there is no need to panic.
She shared some tips with Fox News Digital on how to combat the fear of turbulence, one of which is to use noise-canceling headphones for distraction.
“If you are anxious about turbulence, we recommend using noise-cancelling headphones as certain noises made by aircraft can be anxiety-inducing,” she said.
Carr also suggests that people who have flying anxiety write a list of things to do and exciting moments once they get off the plane, which can help take your mind off the turbulence, she adds.
She also said, “Try looking up breathing exercises on YouTube or TikTok beforehand. [and] Practice these tips during turbulence.”
Carr said it was not uncommon for anxious flyers to inform flight attendants of their emotional state so they could monitor passengers in the event of turbulence.
“Turbulence can be determined from the forecast and it's worth asking the flight crew before takeoff whether turbulence is expected as they will likely have been briefed on this before takeoff,” Carr said.
Carr said his top priority in his role was “ensuring the safety of passengers and aircraft” and that he had undergone “long and extensive training to become qualified”.
“Planes don't fall out of the sky because of turbulence; the laws of physics keep them in the air,” Carr said in the video.
“You're in very safe hands,” she said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that 20 people, including passengers and crew members, were seriously injured due to turbulence in 2023.
The FAA also reported that about 2.9 million passengers fly in and out of the United States on roughly 45,000 flights each day.
The FAA recommends keeping your seat belt fastened at all times and following the instructions of the pilot and flight attendants if unexpected turbulence occurs.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Ryanair for comment.
