Advice on avoiding airport stress: Leave time

Long security lines and flight delays have boosted flier angst.

from the October 17, 2007 edition

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"You have to get in line, do what you're told, and you can't crack a joke because somebody in authority in a uniform may not like that joke and pull you aside," he says. "And you have to take off your shoes, your belt: All of these things are adding to the sense that you are no longer empowered."

And so what to do to reduce stress? Wener says his best advice could have been given by his grandmother: Just leave lots and lots of extra time.

But for some passengers that's not enough – particularly people who react badly to stressful situations, those with extreme fear of flying, and individuals who experience panic attacks.

"I have clients who are afraid they'll be on a plane and feel like they have to get off and try to bolt and end up in handcuffs," says Capt. Tom Bunn of Seminars on Air Anxiety Relief (SOAR) in Easton, Conn. "In this environment where there's concern that anyone who doesn't follow the rules could be a terrorist, sometimes it does end up tragically." He says his clients' greatest concern is that nobody will understand them and help them. At a memorial service for Ms. Gotbaum last week, her husband said that if only "one person had helped her, she would be alive today," according to reports.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says each officer is given hundreds of hours of training, which includes instruction aimed at ensuring situations don't get out of hand. If an officer thinks a situation might, he or she is instructed to call a supervisor, who may then call local airport police.

"Once law enforcement arrives on the scene, if an incident has escalated to that level, they take control of the situation," says TSA spokeswoman Lara Uselding.

The Air Transport Association, which represents the nation's major airlines, says it does not have data "to support the hypothesis that there's an increase in stress" at the nation's airports. The American Association of Airport Executives, which represents airport officials, did not return several calls asking for comment on airport stress.

But aviation experts like Mitchell say the system is at a breaking point.

"We have a system that's become unreliable. It's worse than it's ever been," he says. "We're going to be going from aviation brownouts to blackouts: We're at 750 million passengers, and that number's expected to go up to a billion. Something's got to be done."

Most experts agree it will take years of investment to expand airports and their runways and to upgrade the antiquated air traffic control system – all physical improvements needed to reduce stress-causing delays. In the meantime, Captain Bunn offers some solutions for handling the current airport environment.

"To deal with these anxieties, we tell people there are things that trigger profound calming: Think about a baby being born and when the mother and baby connect," he says. "What we do is ask people to find a memory where they have a profound connection with another person and to associate each aspect of the flight experience with that memory."

In other words, draw on inner resources to take back control and release stress.

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