Flight attendant goes viral on TikTok for trying to ease widespread fear of flying

A flight attendant has become famous after sharing her advice for people with fear of flying.

Rhia Kerr, 23, has been working for the Irish airline Ryanair for five months.

She recently posted a TikTok video that has been viewed more than 2.5 million times, offering tips on how to calm yourself down when experiencing turbulence on an airplane.

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The footage shows Kerr sitting in an airplane and explaining the definition of turbulence.

“Turbulence is a sudden change in air flow and can be perceived as shocks or vibrations inside the aircraft,” says the text accompanying the video.

“Of course, when we experience turbulence, our brain cannot comprehend that we have lost control, and the feeling of falling can cause our brain's fear response center to send a distress signal to our brain.”

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She said planes are designed to withstand strong turbulence and there is no need to panic.

Rhia Kerr (pictured) has been working as a flight attendant for Ryanair for about five months and said she had “undergone extensive and lengthy training to gain the qualification”. (Rhia Kerr)

She gave Fox News Digital some tips to combat those turbulence fears. One of them is to get noise-canceling headphones for distraction.

“If you suffer from anxiety about turbulence, I would recommend noise-cancelling headphones as certain aircraft noises can be unsettling,” she said.

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Kerr also recommends nervous passengers write a list of things they want to do or exciting moments that will happen when they get off the plane. This would serve as a distraction from the turbulence, she added.

Tips included using noise-cancelling headphones and writing a to-do list. (iStock)

She also said: “Try to find breathing exercises on YouTube or TikTok beforehand [and] put these into practice in times of turbulence.”

According to Kerr, it is not uncommon for a nervous passenger to alert the flight crew of their nervousness so that they can keep an eye on the passenger during turbulence.

“Turbulence can be predicted using forecasts. It is worth asking the crew before departure if turbulence is to be expected, as they will most likely have been informed about it before take-off,” said Kerr.

Kerr told Fox News Digital that the safety of passengers on board is the top priority for flight attendants. (Rhia Kerr)

Kerr said her top priority in her role was “ensuring the safety of passengers and aircraft” and that she had “undergone extensive and lengthy training to be qualified to do so.”

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In her video, Kerr said: “Airplanes can't fall out of the sky because of turbulence – the laws of physics keep them in the air.”

“You are in very safe hands,” she said.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that 20 people were seriously injured by turbulence in 2023, including passengers and crew.

In a viral TikTok video, a flight attendant shared some tips on how to combat nervousness while flying. (Rhia Kerr;iStock)

The FAA also reported that approximately 2,900,000 passengers fly into and out of the United States on approximately 45,000 flights each day.

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The FAA recommends that you always wear your seatbelt and listen to pilots and flight attendants in the event of unexpected turbulence.

Fox News Digital has contacted Ryanair for comment.