Market Intelligence: -General Aviation

Germany headquartered Lufthansa Aviation Training, the aviation training subsidiary of Lufthansa Group, now offers group seminars to overcome fear of flying in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich. The offer to cope with fear of flying includes a one-day intensive seminar and a two-day weekend seminar. All fear of flying seminars are supplemented by an accompanied practice flight.

About a third of all people feel uncomfortable on board an aircraft, around 15 percent even suffer from severe fear of flying. Instead of combating the fear of flying only temporarily with medication, it is recommended for those affected to overcome the fear of flying sustainably through a seminar. Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) offers two types of group seminars to respond to the different wishes and preferences of those affected: a weekend seminar in the small group and an intensive seminar in the large group. Since situational fears such as fear of flying can be proven to be treated quickly and effectively by exposure exercises, all LAT offers include an accompanied practice flight.

Sebastian Wilker, Head of Beyond Aviation Training, Lufthansa Aviation Training GmbH: “For us as the Lufthansa Group, it is a very special concern to discover the joy of flying together with those affected by fear of flying. For this, we draw on the know-how of our crews and enable anxiety-relieving experiences on a joint final flight. We are very pleased that since this year we have been able to offer seminars for a more relaxed flight experience both in Germany and in Switzerland from our own hands.”

In cooperation with scientists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, LAT offers a one-day intensive seminar to overcome fear of flying in large groups with up to 125 participants. The innovative and effective format in the large group was developed and evaluated as part of large-scale studies of the Research and Treatment Center for Mental Health of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. With the successful completion of the studies, the intensive seminar is now available on the market as a cooperation of the LAT and Society for Psychological Health Services – Bochum mbH (GPG Bochum).

Dr. Andre Wannemüller, shareholder and managing director, GPG Bochum: “We are very pleased about the partnership with LAT. The Lufthansa Group has stood for quality, innovation and customer orientation in aviation for decades. Therefore, we see her as the ideal partner for the implementation of our intensive training against fear of flying. In these trainings, we would like to provide participants with the latest, scientifically based content on anxiety reduction in an atmosphere of support and commonality that should lead to a rapid and sustainable reduction in their fear of flying.”

In the morning of the intensive seminar, information on the emergence of fears and the technique of aircraft will be conveyed by a psychotherapist and a pilot on site and questions will be answered that often occupy people affected by fear of flying, e.g. turbulence, noise or weather influences. In the afternoon, there is an offer to participate in a sightseeing flight, which is accompanied by specially trained psychologists and psychotherapists. During the security check, boarding and flight, the participants are intensively looked after in small groups of five people. The special character of the charter flight makes it possible to gain new and anxiety-relieving experiences during the 90-minute flight and to exchange ideas with like-minded people.

The weekend seminar is designed for small groups with six to twelve participants. In two days, the participants will be made familiar with the world of flying by psychologists, a flight attendant and a pilot. On the one hand, a pilot answers all questions about technology, e.g. why turbulence is not a problem for the aircraft or what the noises from take-off to landing mean and gives insights into everyday flying life during the visit to the shipyard. On the other hand, a psychologist imparts knowledge about anxiety, its triggers and symptoms and teaches the participants various tools, such as relaxation techniques. On the second day, the learned theory is applied directly in practice by the people affected by fear of flying, accompanied by the psychologist and a flight attendant, on a common scheduled flight (round trip). Before the flight takes off, the seminar prepares for it together with thought exercises, a flight discussion and relaxation exercises.

The seminars are currently taking place in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich.

About Lufthansa Aviation Training

With its expertise in the training and further education of cockpit and cabin personnel at ten training and training locations worldwide, Lufthansa Aviation Training GmbH (LAT) is one of the leading companies in the field of aviation training worldwide. The company has its headquarters at Munich Airport and employs around 800 people at all training locations. The customer portfolio includes over 250 nationally and internationally renowned airlines, including the Lufthansa Group airlines. Lufthansa Aviation Training has almost 200 training devices. These include training aircraft for pilot training, flight simulators of all common aircraft types for pilot training as well as emergency and service mock-ups for the training and further education of cabin crews. Under the European Flight Academy (EFA) brand, Lufthansa Aviation Training bundles the flight schools of the Lufthansa Group.

About Society for Psychological Health Services Bochum mbH

The Gesellschaft für psychologische Gesundheitsdienstleistungen Bochum mbH (GPG Bochum) deals with the maintenance, promotion and restoration of mental health and well-being. An essential field of work is the sustainable overcoming of fear of flying. It was founded by scientists of the Research and Treatment Center for Mental Health of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, which also systematically evaluates the seminars of LAT and GPG Bochum.

Source: Lufthansa Aviation Training
Photo Credit: Lufthansa Aviation Training