1. Fly on Nonstop Routings: Most accidents occur during the takeoff, climb, descent, and landing phase of flight so flying nonstop would reduce exposure to these most accident prone phases of flight.

2. Choose Larger Aircraft: Currently, aircraft with more than 30 passenger seats were all designed and certified under the strictest regulations. Also, in the unlikely event of a serious accident, larger aircraft provide a better opportunity for passenger survival.

3. Pay Attention to the Preflight Briefing:
Although the information seems repetitious, the locations of the closest emergency exits may be different depending on the aircraft that you fly on and seat you are in.

4. Keep the Overhead Storage Bin Free of Heavy Articles: Overhead storage bins may not be able to hold very heavy objects during turbulence, so if you or another passenger have trouble lifting an article into the bin, have it stored elsewhere.

5. Keep Your Seat Belt Fastened While You are Seated: Keeping the belt on when you are seated provides that extra protection you might need if the plane hits unexpected turbulence.

6. Listen to the Flight Attendants: The primary reason flight attendants are on an aircraft is for safety, so if one of them asks you to do something like fasten your seat belts, do it first and ask questions later.

7. Don’t Bring Any Hazardous Material: There are rather long lists of hazardous materials that are not allowed, but common sense should tell you that you shouldn’t bring gasoline, corrosives, poisonous gases, and other such items on the aircraft unless they were allowed by the airline and shipped in a proper container.

8. Let the Flight Attendant Pour Your Hot Drinks: Flight attendants are trained to handle hot drinks like coffee or tea in a crowded aisle on a moving aircraft, so allow them to pour the drink and hand it too you.

9. Don’t Drink Too Much Alcohol: The atmosphere in an airliner cabin is pressurized to about the same altitude as Denver, so any alcohol you consume will affect you more strongly than at sea level. Moderation is a good policy at any altitude.

10. Keep Your Wits About You: In the unlikely event that you are involved in an emergency situation such as a precautionary emergency evacuation, follow the directions of the flight attendants and flight crew and exit the aircraft as quickly as possible.

For many passengers, even following these ten tips is not enough to keep them from being afraid of flying. If that is the case for you, then it may help to check out AirSafe.com’s fear of flying resources at http://www.airsafe.com/issues/fear.htm.

If you have questions about airline safety, you may already find an answer in the Top 10 Safety Questions at http://www.airsafe.com/ten_faq.htm.

About the Author: Dr. Todd Curtis holds a PhD in aviation risk assessment from the Union Institute, as well as engineering degrees from MIT, the University of Texas, and Princeton. He is the director of the AirSafe.com Foundation and the creator of AirSafe.com. His aviation safety work has been featured by numerous news organizations, including the New York Times, and he has appeared on CNN, CBS, Fox News, Discovery Channel, the BBC, and National Public Radio. In 2000, he authored the book Understanding Aviation Safety Data.