British Airways is reacting to the current times by moving its popular Flying With Confidence course online. The move will make the course more accessible, as customers were previously required to attend a classroom-based course on a selection of preset days.

Many people have a fear of flying. Indeed, British Airways estimates that as many as one in four people will have at least some apprehension about traveling by plane. However, most will either suck up this fear or refrain from air travel when it gets too great. For the last 35 years, British Airways has been offering a solution to combat this fear in the form of its Flying With Confidence course.

Moving online

To adapt to the current situation, British Airways will begin offering its popular fear of flying courses in an online format. Taking place as a Zoom webinar, the same class will be delivered, albeit without the signature flight at the end.

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It seems as though the webinar will be a live recording of an actual session. The first webinar being hosted by the airline takes place on October 10th. On the same day, the airline is running its full, in-person course at London Heathrow.

Those taking the webinar will still get all the opportunities to ask questions that those in-person attendees will get. However, there are cost savings to be had. The full course would set passengers back £335. This includes a lecture at Heathrow, followed by a flight on a British Airways jet. The webinar costs just £125. However, it is possible to add a flight for a total of £300.

What does the course entail?

So what does the British Airways flying with confidence course entail? It is split into three main sections. On the morning of the course, British Airways pilots cover the technical aspects of flight in detail. This includes explaining things such as why turbulence happens and how an aircraft flies.

In the afternoon, the course switches to a psychological focus. This looks at aspects such as the causes of fear of flying and how to cope. Such examples could include breathing techniques to deal with the anxiety caused by the phobia.

Afterward, all of the parts are put together as attendees board a British Airways aircraft. This allows them to put all of the knowledge that they have gained from the course into practice. However, it isn't a standard British Airways flight. The unique charter service to nowhere will have an additional pilot in the cockpit. They will explain every step of the flight over the intercom, so passengers know exactly what is happening.

British Airways Captain Steve Allright, who runs the course, said,

"Safety is at the heart of everything we do at British Airways. There will inevitably be some further worries and questions around the pandemic, so it’s more important than ever that we share with attendees not just the technical aspects of flying, but also the range of safety precautions we are taking."

Do you have a fear of flying? Would you take the course? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!