To reduce fear of flying, airlines are partnering with meditation, relaxation and yoga app makers
- Flying is stressful at the best of times, and the coronavirus is only adding to fliers’ anxiety
- Airlines have been teaming up with meditation app makers to offer relaxation tracks
Coronavirus, the Boeing 737 MAX crisis: air travel has never been more stressful. And that is before you take into account the claims made in 2019 documentary Everybody Flies, in which former airline captain Tristan Loraine says that even the air we breathe on planes is laced with toxic chemicals.
Add to this the gradual attrition of economy class perks, and it is no wonder that meditation apps are infiltrating the cabin. Industry leader Headspace was the first to do this, with its Virgin Atlantic partnership in 2011. It has now partnered with a further 11 airlines, and last year rolled out new meditations and sleep tracks.
“Travelling, whether for work or for play, can often take you out of your element, so it’s important to take time to take care of your mind,” says Angelica Kelly, senior manager of communications at Headspace.
Though the exact method of delivery differs, these apps all rely on the same premise: the awareness and allowance of difficult thoughts.
Although studies show that driving a car is statistically more dangerous than flying, it is the lack of control that makes flying so stressful.
“With flying, you’re in this aluminium tube and you’re a captive to the fates,” says Hoffman. “The truth is, we all have limited control over our lives. We do not know when we’re going to die, or what illnesses are going to strike us. We manage to keep that feeling at bay for much of the time, but when you’re sitting on a plane … for some people, that sense of loss of control comes up again and causes terrible anxiety.”
“My guess is that they’re not going to say, ‘Oh, my anxiety’s unreasonable, I’m going to listen to an app,’” Hoffman says. “What they are going to do is load up on hand sanitiser and masks and wipe down everything in sight. That is how they control their anxiety.”
How will in-flight wellness offerings evolve in the coming years? Endel, a soundscape app that partnered with All Nippon Airways in June 2019, has released a mobile app version that generates custom relaxation soundscapes based on time, location and (in the case of Apple Watch users) heart rate.
Endel’s CEO, Oleg Stavitsky, imagines that a completely bespoke in-flight wellness service will soon be available. “In an ideal world, we see you taking a flight, connecting your Endel account and with just one click of a button it will immediately recognise you and will tailor the experience based on what it knows about you, where you took off and how long the flight is going to be – and it will help you prepare for the landing.”
For now, however, passengers must make do with the pre-recorded offerings of Headspace, Calm and its peers.
