EasyJet Fearless Flyer Course Review – Does It Really Work?

Before starting writing this article, I want to mention that this is my own experience with the EasyJet Fearless Flyer Course, for which I paid the full price. I took the course because I was at a point in my life where my fear became so strong that my health was suffering. I understand that people have different fears that manifest in different ways. I found this course to be genuinely helpful and this is why I decided to write this EasyJet Fearless Flyer course review. I know how it feels to be paralysed with fear and have no escape from it, when you are inside a metal tube, up in the air.  

A travel writer who is afraid of flying? How is that even possible, people asked me, when I confessed that I am terrified of flying. It has been my most embarrassing secret for over 15 years. I would never board a plane without taking my anti-anxiety medication first, which was introduced to me by my doctor, a very long time ago. Can you believe though that when I first started flying I used to love it? Until that faithful moment, when heavy turbulence combined with a fragile state of mind due to grief after losing one of the most important people in my life, created this petrifying fear of losing control the moment I stepped on a plane. I lived with it for over 15 years and I thought it would be with me for life. I would get anxious days before the flight, getting hot flushes just thinking about the plane. I had my own ritual that I followed to the smallest details, before boarding. Every single bump would make my heart race and send my mind into panic mode. The medication was there to prevent a potential panic attack – I had two of them onboard and they were scary, especially at 36,000 feet. 

The pandemic made my fear even worse. Getting back on the plane after a year and a half of no flying, was very hard. Whilst before it was just the take-off that scared me, now it was the entire flight, including the landing and the lightest turbulence. Every movement triggered anxiety. 

This summer, after I put in my regular prescription, I received a text from my GP informing me that they decided not to continue my medication, because the regulations have changed. Reading it, I felt the world crumbling underneath my feet. I couldn’t get on a plane without it! I had four flights coming up, out of which two were transatlantic. I tried complaining, especially because the decision was sent by text, and no alternatives were offered. I had no choice but to go to a different country, pay to see a private specialist, and refill my prescription. I realised though that this is not a sustainable option, and I needed to find a more permanent solution. 

I heard about the EasyJet Fear of Flyer course before, but it was always out of reach due to the price. But this year I decided to bite the bullet and buy it. I had no hope that it would work. My fear was too strong, my fear was different than anybody else’s. Looking back now, it’s exactly these words the course starts with.

Who Runs the Course?

The course is run by Lawrence Leyton, a qualified psychologist who specialises in anxiety, phobias and panic attacks, and Mark Wein, a former phobic who founded this program. They work with several EasyJet captains who dedicate their time to helping people who are afraid of flying to overcome their fear. 

The Online Course 

I bought the course at the beginning of January and started it about two weeks later. I had a flight to Georgia at the end of the month, with a layover in Istanbul, to which I wasn’t looking forward to. I always preferred direct flights, but there are no direct flights to Georgia. 

The course is split into several modules, no more than 20 minutes long. It starts with the psychological part, followed by the technical one and the coping mechanisms. I didn’t think that an online course, without real face-to-face interaction would do anything for me, but I was so wrong. I felt that the first couple of modules explained the concept of fear and beliefs so well, applied not just to flying, but to other anxiety-inducing situations. It was so well explained that I found myself giggling and feeling silly about my fear several times during these modules.  

The second part of the course is run by an EasyJet captain who explains how a plane flies, what are the noises during a flight, as well as answers most of the common questions related to flying. 

The last modules of the Fearless Flyer course focus on coping mechanisms that can be applied when anxiety is about to take over. Whilst I personally found very hard a couple of these techniques, the others worked fine for me. I guess everyone picks the one that works best for them. 

I flew to Georgia before finishing the online course. I had smooth flights both ways and the information in the course helped me rationalise every part of the experience. Whilst there was still a lot of anxiety, I managed to control it much better than before. This was the last flight I used my medication on.  

The Experience Flight 

The course has many add-ons, and I knew that the only way this was going to work for me was if I booked it together with the experience flight. I have read endless blogs and books about fear of flying, I watched pilot TikToks, and nothing has worked for me before. 

Two days before the flight, we met Maria Pernia-Digings, the captain who was going to accompany us on board, Lawrence and Mark, in a Zoom call. A lot of questions were asked and answered. Seeing some of the questions made me feel a bit better about my fear. I just listened to the conversation, without joining in. 

Finally, the 2nd of March arrived and I headed to Gatwick Airport an hour before the meeting time. When I arrived at the airport I noticed a large amount of people without luggage, waiting at the EasyJet bag drop. I didn’t realise how many people took the course! We had a full flight! 

I befriended Livvie who was alone as well, and we stuck together for the rest of the day. After receiving our boarding passes, we had to go through security, same as for any flight. We passed through the duty-free and were told to be at the gate by 2:30 pm. I glanced at the departure board and I’ve seen our flight listed. Destination? Gatwick Airport. I smiled.

I haven’t done any of my usual routines nor taken my medicine. I just headed towards the gate and waited for the plane to arrive. From Lyon, of all places, one of my already booked destinations for March. Whilst waiting for the plane, Maria walked among everyone, asking how we felt and answering questions. She is a real people person, very friendly, with an amazing skill of taking the worry away. “Take off? But that is the most fun part of a flight!”, she told me when I confessed what I was most afraid of. 

Then, boarding started. I chose a seat in the back of the plane, on purpose. I always dread a randomly allocated seat in the back because that’s where the turbulence feels worse. Before we left the gate, Mark led us through a mind relaxation exercise, imagining we were in our safe space. Then, the flight attendants did the safety demonstration, and off we went. Maria explained every step of the take-off, what speed we were at when the plane left the ground, and what the pilots were doing at each moment in time. It was fantastic! For the first time that fear of the unknown changed into ration and the anxiety just disappeared. Once we reached the cruising altitude, there was a huge sigh of relief inside the plane. People were smiling, crying happy tears, hugging each other. It was amazing! Mark encouraged us to walk around the plane and not be afraid to get up and move. 

Maria walked around the cabin, taking photos with everyone. Mark took photos from the front. The atmosphere was so joyful – you couldn’t have told that an hour ago all these people were scared of boarding the plane! 

The flight was relatively smooth. We flew along the coast for a bit, enough to spot the Seven Sisters from the window. Then we turned around and landed back at Gatwick. The plane had to go to its next destination, Faro. 

Everyone received a diploma for taking the course, and we posed with Mark and Maria at the door of the plane, for our courage to be immortalised forever. 

The Extras 

During the flight, we could take advantage of a special discount to buy the audio files which include the captain’s commentary, a turbulence relief track, and several relaxation tunes. I signed up to buy them and I have been using them on each flight I’ve taken since the course. 

There are other extras that you can buy after the course, but for me, these were enough. 

Does the EasyJet Fearless Flyer Course Really Work? 

I am not going to tell you that once I finished the course and I stepped out of the plane, after the experience flight, the fear was gone. That would be lying. I will tell you however that the course helped me enormously and it changed the roles: I am now in charge of my fear, and not the other way around. 

My first flight alone, after the course, was just two days later. It was a short one, to Venice. I practised the safe space exercise before departing and did the breathing exercises at take off. For me, take-off was always the scariest moment of a flight, especially since my brain always told me that most accidents happen at take-off and landing. I was so surprised at how in control I was for the entire flight. Whilst usually people around me can tell I am afraid, this time nobody could. I was so calm and… normal I guess. 

Later that month, I flew to Napoli. Coming back, the captain said the dreadful words: “Cabin crew, please sit down”, as we were flying over Switzerland. That only meant that it was going to get quite bumpy. I didn’t panic, I just told myself that it was only lift, it was just the air density and temperature changing around the plane. I also looked at the bottle of water in front of me, noticing how the liquid inside barely moved. I was so proud of how I handled that. Before the course, I would have probably gone into full panic mode. 

At the end of the same month, I went to Lyon. My return flight was on one of the stormy days that we had in the UK. Looking on the radar that morning, the entire flight was showing moderate turbulence. It was a very bumpy flight, but I used the turbulence relief and the mind relaxation tracks to keep my fear under control.

A week ago I flew to Canada, on small planes, with a layover in Iceland. 10 hours, in total, each way. By this time, the only thing I use on the flight is the captain’s comment for take off. I am not bothered by turbulence anymore, and I barely noticed the landing. Can you believe that on the last flight, from Iceland to London, I slept from take off until touchdown? 

So, does the EasyJet Fearless Flyer course really work? It worked for me. I would have never believed that I would see the day when I would board a plane without medication, or anxiety. The day when I wouldn’t put my arms above my head and feel that my heart is racing out of my chest, at take off. The day when turbulence wouldn’t bother me. 

And guess what? Last week I even had my first-ever helicopter ride, which was so awesome! 

I don’t like writing reviews in general, but I felt that I needed to tell my story because it could help others with the same phobia. Turns out, my fear wasn’t that special or unique. And Lawrence, Mark and Maria, fixed it! 

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