DCA has such a short runway compared to other airports. After the plane crashed into the river I decided not to fly out of that airport but I’ll still fly out of Dulles or BWI.

I’m not extremely anxious but getting more so due to all the incidents, and the fact that the FAA is not fully funded/staffed to prevent these incidents. My far is not irrational, but rational.

That said, I’m going to go to Europe over Christmas break with my family. This time, I bought good travel insurance, which I never did before.

If I were OP, I’d cancel since a vacation is meant to be enjoyed, not stressful and save the money too. We’re all going to be in the hole come new years, so you’ll be better off (if refundable).

I hate flying so much it upsets me for months beforehand. I have to fly this week and I'm dreading it and sort of hoping our flight gets canceled and we don't go.

Maybe read about how many thousands of flights land safely everyday?

You do so many riskier things (like driving anywhere) on a regular basis.

Anonymous wrote:Being afraid of a 737 max is silly. They fixed the issue. I flew on one recently and it was absolutely fine.

+1. I used to be worried about them but they are great planes and now I like them. More overhead space, updated screens on each seat back, quiet engines.

Ask for anti-anxiety meds. They have enormously helped a family member who really struggled with fear of flying but still wanted to go on trips.

I would get a prescription for a beta blocker or Xanax. They are meant for temporary anxiety episodes exactly like this.

Being afraid of a 737 max is silly. They fixed the issue. I flew on one recently and it was absolutely fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You probably don’t want to read about the near collision in Curaçao then.

Yes, I just saw this and the wedding is in South America. Think I’m going to cancel.

Just drive. The only issue is the Darien Gap near Panama. There are guerillas (not gorillas) there, but you can take a ferry to get around it.

Then you won't have to worry about a 737 Max. Were you booked on Copa Airlines? They swap their planes all the time and use only 737s but many variants, so even if it say it's a 737 Max, it may not be the day you get on the plane.

OP, I felt like you for a long time- crying during takeoff, hypervigilant and cranky the whole flight, crying again during landing- and eventually i just got a scrip for xanax for flights and it is like night and day. I fly with virtually no anxiety, including very turbulent flights and one flight that aborted its landing during a downpour at night. The mere idea that I could survive an aborted landing in those conditions without having a stroke or a heart attack, before I started taking xanax for flying, would have been laughable. I can't recommend it enough, because you and I both know logically that flying is statistically very safe, and its the anxiety that is the problem.

It's irrational on your part. Do you want us to talk you out of it? I'd just cancel if I were that anxious.