Flight anxiety - please convince me I don't have to ride on a "big" plane!

[lizzywednesday]

We've flown cross-country (or near to) on United (formerly Continental) with DD and have had no issues. I also have a bit of airplane anxiety - I'm most anxious while taxiing to the runway or jetway - and have flown on larger planes as well as smaller planes (think EWR to Toronto)

I prefer larger planes, but the ones in United's fleet are fine. If you select United, I do recommend trying to get into the "Economy Plus" seating if available - the seats have more legroom than the standard coach seats, which helps if your DD gets antsy like mine does. It does cost a bit more than regular Economy (Coach) seating, but it's worth the spend.

[egoldber]

What kind of plane is it? If you're flying transcontinental, it won't be a small plane. Seats can be configured a bunch if different ways in the same type of aircraft.

What is the aircraft? It would be very unusual for a cross country flight to be on a small aircraft.

[crayonblue]

We fly a commuter plane from our little local airport to LAX and that plane is tiny but surprisingly smooth. I love Southwest but would be fine flying United or another on a plane as you described.

[daisysmom]

The worst turbulence I think I ever had was on a Frontier flight, honestly

I was once a fine flyer, then had a really bad takeoff one time (think we hit a wind-shear) and since then was pretty much a terrified flier. And I had to fly a lot for work. For years I would either drink or medicate, depending on what I had to do when I got there. Most of my flights were just 1-2 hours then. But over the last few years, I have had to do a lot of VA-NM or VA-CO flights, so almost across the country. I am now a pretty confident, fine flyer. I don't say that to brag -- but really to you - you may be able to change your perception.

Honestly, the best times I fly are with my child. She is a great flyer (her first time was at 4 too), and has no fear. I immediately realized that I need to have no fear for her to feel confident too, so I just put it out of my mind. I am truly not scared when I have turbulence with her in the seat next to me. Kids take your mind off your own fears.

I still can get shaky during takeoff/turbulence when I fly without her though, tho not every time. I fly a lot in a tiny private corporate jet now, so my fears are not really dependent on the bigger/smaller plane. Smaller planes can feel a storm differently (or wind diffferently) than bigger planes, but they are all safe. I won't fly a prop-plane, but I fly in a 10 seater corporate plane regularly.

Last summer a plane I was flying in got struck by lightening in the Charlotte-VA leg. It was turbulent the whole way - like wildly shaking- after almost an hour delay taking off b/c of the storms. Then to be struck while in the air turned our flight (supposed to be 35 min) into almost a 2 hour flight b/c 2 other planes had to take off to come up to us to make sure we had our landing gear down, apparently when the lighttening struck, something was knocked out in the landing gear monitor (it came down fine, but someone had to check it from another plane). People on the flight had a stunned fear that was palatable. But not me and my kid. You will be fine.

[AnnieW625]

For me a small airplane is a turbo prop. commuter plane or smaller private prop. plane so I have the opposite problem. I have never flown on anything larger than a 777/A300 wide body jet liner and 747s while amazing to look at they scare me. I can't imagine being on something soo large. The farthest I have flown non stop is Maui (I think that is farther than Boston from LA).

I have been flying Southwest for over 25 yrs. and by far I think if I had to pick a favorite airline it would be them. My only gripe is that they don't fly out of the airport 3 miles from my house, it is too small. I do think that an Airbus A320 is slightly wider and it feels like they have slightly more width in the seats, but over all if am very content on small to large planes.

eta: I fly well by myself with my kids and the second worst turbulence was on a non stop flight from Boston to LA and I had taken DD1 to the bathroom to change her diaper and in the middle if that we hit a bad batch of turbulence so I was stuck in the bathroom sitting with DD1 on my lap until it was over. The first batch of bad turbulence ever was on a flight in college (1998) from Minneapolis to Rochester. The flight was 20 minutes late leaving, and arrived 5 minutes late (it is a 45 minute flight iirc). It was seriously the scariest flight ever. This flight is my main reason for not liking turbo prop planes.