Will flight attendant allow me off the plane first to prevent panic attack?

[xlxo]

Ask where the air marshal is seated.... ask if they have a taser. You might need more than one.

 

[hsmamato2]

OP you should look into relaxing meditation therapies.... and learn some before your trip. Also, try to get as seat as far forward as possible, your wait will be shorter. And then sit/close your eyes with the good headphones till it's your turn,and b-r-e-a-t-h-e......

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Exactly. I was going to "like" your post but decided to do this instead, because there's nothing to *like* in your post. I'm sorry no one let you go. I'm glad you made your plane. I hope your husband is OK?

Yes, he is.

It was pretty scary at the time. He was pretty young and he was very fit. He didn't have any family history of heart problems nor any conditions that would trigger one. A heart attack wasn't on the radar at all. Even the doctor said he was an anomaly.

 

[Vijoge]

People will not wait for you. It doesn't matter why you have to get off of the plane.

I have been on two Southwest flights where the attendant announced that several people needed to make a short connection and asked everyone to remain seated until these people were off the plane. The entire cabin complied-no one moved. Might be rare, but it does happen.

 

[bumbershoot]

The entire cabin complied-no one moved. Might be rare, but it does happen.

Good to know.

I think that one of the issues with people not respecting such a request is just not hearing or understanding it. We've flown often the last couple months and it's astonishing how many planes just don't have working PA systems. They did an announcement while a FA was doing beverage service and we were talking, and even she had NO clue what had just been said.

And one of the recent flights had about 20 Russians all around us, and they didn't seem to understand any English whatsoever (well I think the young teen girl did), so they wouldn't have understood the request, and therefore wouldn't have been able to honor it. On our last flight home there were a whole bunch of Chinese-speaking people around us. Now, DH was with us and he speaks Chinese, so he could have helped them out, but that's not always going to happen on a given flight.

 

[Manda]

Just get the Xanax, for real. I used to have panic attacks both as soon as the doors closed and had that realization that I was "trapped" on the plane no matter what and when it was time to deplane. If they announced we didn't have a gate ready, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It was no fun and I have no idea why I never thought to get medication. Then my doctor gave me Xanax. I take a .25mg (1/2 of a .5 tablet) when it's getting close to boarding time and then maybe the other half after I get my seat (not always). If I take the 2nd, I certainly sleep on the flight. But I don't feel drugged or anything and once it wears off, it's just gone. Like someone else said, it's like it just switches the panic right off. It's a life changer, IMO. I get a yearly prescription for 20 .5mg pills from my dr (I fly maybe 10 RTs a year) and never use them all. And, honestly, after taking them for years when flying, it seems to have retrained my brain to realize that flying is not a panic situation. I find I don't even always need it now. Just don't drink alcohol with it!

 

[KrazeeK120]

I have been on two Southwest flights where the attendant announced that several people needed to make a short connection and asked everyone to remain seated until these people were off the plane. The entire cabin complied-no one moved. Might be rare, but it does happen.

My husband flew home from a business trip last week. We are a small regional airport, but we are the headquarters for one of the largest insurance companies in the country, so we have some decent flight options. Anyway, I went to meet him and the plane was right outside the window. I saw some medical looking people with a stretcher head down the jetway when the plane parked. I texted my husband and he said it was going to be a few minutes. From what he said, everyone complied with the request to remain seated until the ill passenger was removed. Maybe it was different because there was an actual stretcher involved, but everything was orderly. They got the ill passenger removed without incident (he was sitting and talking with the medical people when they wheeled him out), and everyone was on their way quickly thereafter.

 

[supersnoop]

I have been on two Southwest flights where the attendant announced that several people needed to make a short connection and asked everyone to remain seated until these people were off the plane. The entire cabin complied-no one moved. Might be rare, but it does happen.

Everyone except the people with the tight connection, I assume?

I've been on flights where they've made the same announcement. The people with a 45 minute "tight" connection decide they qualify for the early deboarding, the same as the people trying to make a 10 minute connection. When your flight is late, you think you have to hurry, and when 75% of the plane is making a connection, everyone stands up.

 

[Vijoge]

Everyone except the people with the tight connection, I assume?

I've been on flights where they've made the same announcement. The people with a 45 minute "tight" connection decide they qualify for the early deboarding, the same as the people trying to make a 10 minute connection. When your flight is late, you think you have to hurry, and when 75% of the plane is making a connection, everyone stands up.

Yeah, those people exited the plane.

 

[wilkeliza]

If you only need this for flights then discuss with your doctor.

One thing I will say is research Xanax. It is suppose to be a band-aid of sorts. If your trip is soon and you feel like you really need it then discuss it with your doctor but know Xanax is habit forming and can actually lead to with drawl symptoms and seizures if taken too much. Also be 100% clear you only want a prescription for this trip and not every day. I've seen too many doctors prescribe xanax at the 30 or 90 pills because they can and then people take more then prescribed because they stop feeling the effects of the pills like they use to. Doing that can really really mess you up.

You seem to be knocking therapy but if this is something affecting your day to day and not the occasional plane ride then definitely seek out some therapy as that will be better in the long run. Like I said Xanax is suppose to be a sort of band-aid while you work through the under lying issue causing anxiety.

 

[horselover]

I used to be very afraid to fly. I tried Xanax. Meh. Didn't help that much. What did work for me was Valium taken about 30 min. prior to boarding. At first I started at a full pill but over time reduced to half. It didn't make me loopy but it did make me tired which isn't a bad thing on a flight. I just went to sleep & woke when we got there. I was fine for the rest of the day maybe a little tired but certainly functioning. I fly so much now I'm over my fear of flying (except for sudden drops). There's no shame in asking your doctor for some meds if you feel it's needed. As many others have said just be sure to test out the meds before you fly to see how you react. Good luck.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Everyone except the people with the tight connection, I assume?

I've been on flights where they've made the same announcement. The people with a 45 minute "tight" connection decide they qualify for the early deboarding, the same as the people trying to make a 10 minute connection. When your flight is late, you think you have to hurry, and when 75% of the plane is making a connection, everyone stands up.

Get what you're saying but to me a 40-45min connection is tight. You have to consider deboarding the plane and then boarding your next flight.

For SWA they board 30 mins ahead you may very well miss your boarding position if you needed to take more than 10-15 mins to get. For Delta it is 40 mins so a connection time of 45 mins is really really pushing it. Sure if you have the last boarding group may not be as big of a rush but if you need overhead bin space you don't want to be the last person on the plane. And it's not always in the passengers hands...you could have a good connection time turn into what I would consider a tight one if your plane is late or if it's taking a longer time to deplane.

Now an extremely tight connection..one that you may honestly miss regardless of other people deplaning is 20-25mins or under again depending on the airport and the deplaning process of that given flight. If anyone on the plane has that short of a connection the FAs IMHO should be making that announcement (if they actually do make an announcment at all) along with the actual flight numbers..they know how many passengers on the plane have those type of connections. That likely would help (who knows though) in limiting those who might still have a tight connection but one that still has a bit of wiggle room versus someone who literally doesn't have the time period.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Just to give some background on the tight connection. I didn't start out with a tight connection. I had plenty of time.

Then, we waited to take off because another flight had been delayed in arriving and we were waiting for those people. There were about 20 people on the delayed flight that got on our plane.

By waiting so long, compounded by a headwind, we were landing very late. It was 50+ minutes late.

There were 4 of us that had flights that we might miss. From what I knew, the 4 of us were on the same connecting flight. I didn't see them at the plane. I don't know that they made it.

No one's connection was as close as ours. They announced that.

And as I said, our checked bags didn't make it.

 

[xlxo]

Those people with a tight connection might had some time contingency..... if there is a medical emergency (eg heart attack) mid-flight... I imagine that plane is taken down with priority into the terminal for extraction.

 

[rigs32]

Missing your boarding position is not the same as missing a flight altogether, imo.

 

[disneyseniors]

OP, I know what you are going through! I used to have an irrational fear of flying. I would get physically sick 2 or 3 weeks before the flight. I had to take 2 dramamines, and have a drink while on the flight just to get through it. I was very relaxed when we arrived, but was "out of it" for a while too. Didn't like that feeling.
So, one day I got talked into trying to be hypnotized. I reluctantly did this, and it worked!!!! I have not been afraid since then. I can get on a flight like anyone else and have no problems. This is a major change for me and it is wonderful. I don't know how it works, but it works. You must do your homework an get a certified hypnotist, as there are fakers out there. It might be worth checking this out.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Missing your boarding position is not the same as missing a flight altogether, imo.

I wasn't saying it was...nowhere in my statement did I say "oh yeah missing your boarding position is the same thing as missing your flight".

I was pointing out that in reality a 40-45 min connection is tight. The other person didn't think a 40-45 min connection was tight.

 

[supersnoop]

I wasn't saying it was...nowhere in my statement did I say "oh yeah missing your boarding position is the same thing as missing your flight".

I was pointing out that in reality a 40-45 min connection is tight. The other person didn't think a 40-45 min connection was tight.

I think you proved my point. Some people think 45 minutes is tight and some do not. When a flight is late getting in, practically ever connection will be less than 45 minutes, so everybody thinks the "let folks with tight connections get off first" applies to them. Which is why it doesn't work.

So, no, 45 minutes is not a tight connection. Even at large, multi-terminal airports like DFW and ATL, you can from one gate to another in 12 minutes.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think you proved my point. Some people think 45 minutes is tight and some do not. When a flight is late getting in, practically ever connection will be less than 45 minutes, so everybody thinks the "let folks with tight connections get off first" applies to them. Which is why it doesn't work.

So, no, 45 minutes is not a tight connection. Even at large, multi-terminal airports like DFW and ATL, you can from one gate to another in 12 minutes.

Well I don't quite get your statement here. You actually are contradicting yourself.

First you say "Some people think 45 minutes is tight and some do not."

Then you say: "So, no, 45 minutes is not a tight connection."

So are people allowed to think 45 mins is tight or not?????

Also my initial response was due to you using quotations for the word tight in regards to 45 mins.

And where in the world did you get the 12 mins aspect?

 

[supersnoop]

And where in the world did you get the 12 mins aspect?

Experience. I had my million-mile status on American before I was 30.