Hi all--I tried posting a report about my Feb 27 flight, JFK to SFO, last week, but being rushed and unfamiliar with the new forum design, I seemed to have
done something wrong and the post never appeared. So I'll try again!
The flight was great: we took off on time and landed on time, and there was no turbulence! But what I really want to report on was the wonderful treatment I received from American Airlines.
The gate agent immediately said yes to my request to board early when I identified myself as a fearful flyer. But what was exceptionally nice was that he offered to reassign my husband and me to better seats. We got moved up 13 rows to the coveted "row 17" on a 767-300 inbetween two bulkheads: the space is very private, there is plenty of legroom, and the chairs even have legrests. Plus two flight attendants were seated right next to me in the aisle during takeoff and landing, which was reassuring. Admittedly, probably the reason we were able to get these seats was that the flight was exceptionally uncrowded.
The captain was great: he accurately predicted a very smooth flight, and spoke very highly of the plane and the improvements in air travel technology since he first began flying. Interestingly, there was another fearful flyer on board who also requested to speak with the captain. She didn't seem to be a SOAR person though, but mentioned having been through a program given by US Air, although I don't know when.
But I am not done yet! Once I was seated the lead flight attendent came by and introduced himself and offered to answer any questions at any time during the flight. He then gave me a bit of a peptalk during which he explained various noises I could expect to hear, such as the landing gear and the flaps. I tactfully didn't tell him that I already knew about these from the SOAR course! He also came by a few times during the flight and asked how I was doing.
I almost felt like a bit of a faker, because whenever he asked I was doing very well. I did feel some tenseness throughout the flight, but did not feel scared or anything like my pre-SOAR state of terrified catatonia. One sign of improvement was that pre-SOAR I would always experience a spike of fear at any unusual noise or subtle change in the aircraft, but this time I really didn't notice any strange noises or subtle changes. Or if I did hear a noise I just assumed it was some child's computer game! (Cars honking on an airplane?)
So thank you Captain Tom, Lisa, and SOAR! And everyone on the message board, because reading about your trails and achievements does help!
The flight was great: we took off on time and landed on time, and there was no turbulence! But what I really want to report on was the wonderful treatment I received from American Airlines.
The gate agent immediately said yes to my request to board early when I identified myself as a fearful flyer. But what was exceptionally nice was that he offered to reassign my husband and me to better seats. We got moved up 13 rows to the coveted "row 17" on a 767-300 inbetween two bulkheads: the space is very private, there is plenty of legroom, and the chairs even have legrests. Plus two flight attendants were seated right next to me in the aisle during takeoff and landing, which was reassuring. Admittedly, probably the reason we were able to get these seats was that the flight was exceptionally uncrowded.
The captain was great: he accurately predicted a very smooth flight, and spoke very highly of the plane and the improvements in air travel technology since he first began flying. Interestingly, there was another fearful flyer on board who also requested to speak with the captain. She didn't seem to be a SOAR person though, but mentioned having been through a program given by US Air, although I don't know when.
But I am not done yet! Once I was seated the lead flight attendent came by and introduced himself and offered to answer any questions at any time during the flight. He then gave me a bit of a peptalk during which he explained various noises I could expect to hear, such as the landing gear and the flaps. I tactfully didn't tell him that I already knew about these from the SOAR course! He also came by a few times during the flight and asked how I was doing.
I almost felt like a bit of a faker, because whenever he asked I was doing very well. I did feel some tenseness throughout the flight, but did not feel scared or anything like my pre-SOAR state of terrified catatonia. One sign of improvement was that pre-SOAR I would always experience a spike of fear at any unusual noise or subtle change in the aircraft, but this time I really didn't notice any strange noises or subtle changes. Or if I did hear a noise I just assumed it was some child's computer game! (Cars honking on an airplane?)
So thank you Captain Tom, Lisa, and SOAR! And everyone on the message board, because reading about your trails and achievements does help!
