Flight to Girona- With Ryanair

[matt1804]

Hi

Im new on here, came across the site while trying to find answers to how I can relax myself for my yearly 2 hour flight to Girona.

I have flown since I was 11 , im now 31 , I used to enjoy flying when I was young but since the age of 18ish I have become worse and worse each year.

I am due to fly to Girona (spain) in July and already I have started with the fear that the plane is going to crash. Its only a 1.30 - 2hr flight and is over in no time at all. We have started to fly budget for the last 3 years so we can spend more on the holiday itself but I am so nervous with all the things you hear about Ryanair cutting corners. I know that they use new boeing 737-800 series planes and that they are state of the art, but what about the pilots themselves that are flying them?? I heard on the news recently that a pilot as young as 19 was at the controls of the aircraft !!! Are Ryanair really that safe?

My Biggest fear of the flight is the takeoff, I am so nervous that the plane will have a fault somewhere and will bring it down whilst taking off. I can not think of what it will be like in that situation, I have tried everything to beat it. I shake with fear on takeoff and I want to be able to get past this as I dont want my son (3 years old) to see his dad in this state and it have a knock on effect on him. We all go as a family every year to Spain and he has to sit with his Grandparents because of it. Every year I am the same and although nothing ever happens a year later I am having the same thoughts!!! I think I just need to man up:lol:............... Any help is greatly thanked in advance.

Matt 1804

[MathFox]

Matt, :welcome2:
Am I correct to assume that flying is your issue and not the airline in particular, then you'll fit nicely in the club! It is not that hard to find someone badmouthing an airline (and if you mention another one they change topic without skipping a beat.)

The good news for you is that you have two months and it is very well possible to overcome your fear before you have your flight to Spain. We recommend people to go to http://www.anxieties.com/ and read up on the "Fear of flying" track. That should give you some understanding on how fear works and give you some tricks to control the fear.

[Falcon]

At the controls and in command are different things. There are things that low cost operators cannot short change by law. That is crew recruitment and training. Low cost operators cut unecessary costs not cut corners.
Dont forget to check the the other forums, you are not alone and any questions we can answer, we will.

[matt1804]

Thankyou for the replies its good to know that there is someone there for you to talk to if you need to get it off your chest. I think its down to the fear of flying and not the Airline as I have flown Ryanair and Easy a few times now. And yes people do bad mouth them when they dont even know what happens behind the scenes. I need to try something to get thehelp I need not just for my sake but for others around me being subjected to me shaking and making people nervous also.

many thanks

Matt:tiphat:

[Falcon]

Your welcome

[MathFox]

I need to try something to get thehelp I need not just for my sake but for others around me being subjected to me shaking and making people nervous also.

Step 2 of the program is making a plan for yourself (You already took step 1, deciding to do something about your fear. :cool:) How do you think you're going to attack the fear most effectively?
There are several roads on the way to recovery; some did it with self-study only (using books or internet resources to guide them), others worked one-on-one with a therapist, yet others got group therapy (Virgin Airlines offers a fear of flying course in the UK). I suggest that you spend a few days investigating your options and than select your road to recovery. Feel free to combine approaches, working through a book with help of a therapist can be very effective!

[matt1804]

Thankyou again, I have looked through sucsessful stories on this site and it pleases me that it can be done and I am taking note of what people are saying on how they have dealt with flights. My goal is to be able to board the aircraft and enjoy the flight and actually be able to look out the window with my son. I went to Manchester Airport today whilst on my travels with work and not one aircraft left with a fault or incident. I spoke to some "spotters" whilst there and they were talking about various aircraft they had been on and dreams of flying them again, this was all over my head but I was facinated that they actually dreamt of being on the aircraft!!! My starting point is here and I am just glad that I found this site

Matt:eek:

[MathFox]

Plane spotters certainly are good people to hang around with (speaking of beating FoF) and going out plane-spotting will help you desensitize. So that's the good of it. There are quite a few more items that have to be covered to get rid of the fear, that's where I say "make a plan". Pick some program that will guide you through all the points that should be covered, so that you'll be really prepared in two months.
BTW, what would your son think of spending an afternoon plane spotting with daddy? ;)

[Falcon]

Exactly, the prefered term is low cost airline. There are corners that will not be cut.

[matt1804]

Thankyou all for your very kind replies, I have tried to keep a level head and trying also to talk myself into enjoying it and so far I have had no nerves or horrible thoughts run through my head. I will run a report on here as to how I got on with the flights when I return. Can I ask one last question to all you UK pilots and that is , What is the eexact flight time to Girona? I fly out of Liverpool. :)

[Falcon]

Two hours give or take.

[matt1804]

Hi All. Well its now only 6 days now till I make my flight to Girona, I have tried to keep myself focused on what has been said on this web site and it has been working, However..... as the time nears I am becoming more and more anxious and feel myself slipping back into my same old ways and thoughts, (what if there is a problem with the plane, what if im on a plane that is going to crash etc..). I have jumped back on this site to read up on other peoples ways of getting themselves ready for flights. I do hope that the flight goes well and that I can report back on here on how it went. In the mean time anymore tips that people can let me know of then please feel free to shout up. :thumbsup:

Matt

[Falcon]

Girona sounds lovely. Hope all goes well.

[Aurora]

Exactly, the preferred term is low cost airline. There are corners that will not be cut.

Well... they won't be cut, but they're certainly bent, mended and avoided as far as possible.... A friend of me just got a job in Ryanair. While working for a couple of years he has taken his CPL and ATPL theory on the side, and through instructor work he's gathered 300 hours. 300 flight hours. Nuff said. I can see why he took the job, but I don't particularly fancy it. My boyfriend with 3000 hours is struggling to get a job in a proper airline, just to compare it.

But I won't distress the thread starter. There's so many things to take into consideration when taking a stand against airlines such as Ryanair. You will get home safe, no problem. Mostly it's about the work ethics and the way Ryanairs policies affect the rest of the airline industry. Some times I compare it to buying a rug from Indian working children. You won't die from buying that rug, and it might very well be top quality. But it doesn't taste very good in the terms of ethics and marked-trends. The same thing goes about Ryanair and their equals. Might be quality, but the taste in your mouth after buying and supporting that kind of businesses.... That's up to each and every consumer to decide. But of course it's hard to think about every side of a purchase - when the prospect of a holiday for the price of a nice friday beef dinner lies ahead of you.

I promised myself I'd never fly Ryanair, but with a friend flying for them I might consider joining him on one of his flights. Will definitely be a challenge.

[Falcon]

Easyjet are about to recruit. They are looking for experience. Tell your 3000 hour friend to check the website.

[matt1804]

Hi All.

Well what can I say - I made it!!! And to add to it I thought of things off of this site that I had read to help me through it so a big thankyou to everyone that has posted on here.

The Flight- Liverpool to Girona- Was a 3am start for the hour long drive to the Airport from where I live. Woke up feeling okay with not the thoughts of the flight but to the fact that in around 6 hours time I would be laid on a sun lounger with an Ice cold beer in my hand in the Red hot sunshine!! Checked in fine and went through to the departure lounge where I do not usually eat or drink but had a nice morning coffee and a bite to eat. Went to the windows with my son and watched from there the Flights going in and out ( all Ryanair and Easyjet). Still feeling fine at this moment and thinking about what people have said on this site. Around 6.15 we were called to the gate where we were about to start boarding - we were Priority boarding so were right at the front of the line. Got on the Plane took note of the Plane Reg number walking up the steps to the plane EI-DHO one of the earlier 738 that was delivered to Ryanair. Sat right at the front of the plane with Extra leg room. As I took my seat I saw a First Officer stood with the Stewardess greeting people on the flight and at this moment I thought to myself that surley he should be doing his pre flight checks at this point. The Stewardess was telling people that it was a full flight but to keep row 3 free. As it turns out the first officer was to have this whole row of seats to himself as he was just catching a lift to Girona for reasons I never found out and that there was another First Officer in the flight deck ( Thank God ). Anyway we were early and got pushed back 15 mins earlier than we should and we rolling out down to the runway. At this point still feeling okay - however , as we turned to line up thats when it hit me, I looked over my Farther in laws side who was sat at the window and me in the middle and saw the runway as we turned and straight into takeoff power. The fear of flying went straight through me and I started to shake with fear. The stewardess asked if I was okay as she was sat in front facing me to which I could only reply - "I HATE FLYING" She smiled and then she was like my "hero". She leaned forward and started to ask me where I was heading to , I said Girona and she laughed and said I think we all are unless I have got on the wrong plane , so I laughed and said Costa Brava and at this point ended up chatting about places in Costa Brava that are nice and things I should do while I am there. She was originally from Barcelona and said I should take a trip there too. Now at this point she said she will be back to check on me when she could and I looked out the window and I couldnt believe it we were up in the air, flying , and I had not even noticed we had left the ground! The Stewardess had taken my mind off the bit I hate the most- Take off. I turned around to my Partner (who refuses to let my Son sit next to me as he is only 3 years old now and doesnt want him to be afraid of flying either so best to keep him away from Dad) and they both were asleep!! Anyway from this point on I thought to myself that I was letting myself down and that I should "Man up" and talked to my Farther in law who loves flying and ask him what he is seeing out the window. He said that I should try sitting next to the window and I plucked up the courage to swap seats with him. I sat down and turned to look out the window and what a view that greeted me. Things that I have missed out of over the past 20 years of flying , seeing the English channel as we flew over it , The cloud formations how Beautifull they look from 37000 feet , other Planes flying at the side of us and under us, when landing flying over the Pyrennes mountains -what an amazing Job the pilots must have seeing this all the time. For the rest of the flight I can honestly say that I enjoyed it , even Landing in Girona watching the ground getting closer and closer to us before we had the smoothest touch down ever!!! As I left the Plane I thanked the Stewardess for everything that she had done and that I couldnt thank her enough. She said enjoy my Holiday and to not worry about the Flight back as it will all be okay - and guess what , It was , Again Priority boarding Front row same seat apart from this time - Window seat all the way and again the smoothest landing into Liverpool. Plane reg number was a newer Ryanair Plane EI-DYJ.

Sorry if it is long but I said I would report back. I wouldnt say that I have conquered my fear of flying but I can say that thanks to Staff at Ryanair and people on this site I have taken a huge step forward into getting better , and I can honestly say that I am looking forward to my next flight to Lanzarote in October (Again with Ryanair). One last comment I will make is about Ryanair, this is the 2nd year that we have travelled with them and apart from the luggage issue , we have never had a problem with the, always on time , always friendly staff, never ever been late or delayed with them and there Planes are relitivly brand new. I would strongly recommend anyone flys with them.

[MathFox]

Hi Matt, congratulations and :cheers:

Well, sometimes pilots take a plane for transportation too; it could be for their job (either a deadhead or a commute) or not work related. Pilots generally can fly for free, so they tend to make more miles as passenger than the average person.

[Aurora]

One last comment I will make is about Ryanair, this is the 2nd year that we have travelled with them and apart from the luggage issue , we have never had a problem with the, always on time , always friendly staff, never ever been late or delayed with them and there Planes are relitivly brand new. I would strongly recommend anyone flys with them.

Yes, but I can't help but again comment about how Ryanair messes up the entire industry. I boycot Ryanair because I don't like the way they form the industry, not because of safety reasons. A shiny glossy surface can in more ways than one look dirty on in inside.... Just to have that in mind, when buying a plane ticket the next time.

[Sally77]

Girona was a good and cheap route from the uk, ive flew many times for almost free, but it seems it will be my last in Feb. 2011, this route was ideal for the costa brava weekend always.. Wow every time I’ve landed there Ryanair dominated in traffic percentages, a few more spare gates for other carriers.
Reshuffling I’m sure will take place in other areas too business is business I guess.