Have flight anxiety? ANA's new app can help travellers relax

Have flight anxiety? ANA's new app can help travellers relax

SINGAPORE - Flying is one of the common modes of transportation today but a recent study revealed that some travellers still feel anxious about their flight journeys.

To curb this anxiety, All Nippon Airlines (ANA) has developed an app to help passengers relax during take-off.

The ANA Takeoff Mode app is specifically designed to distract passengers and keep them busy and take their minds during departure, said the Japanese carrier, and is available for free in the Apple store.

Simple but absorbing, the app uses a puzzle to occupy the user by having them manoeuvre a ball on screen to collect points while relaxing music plays in the background.

The app also measures the amplitude and frequency response of the ambient noise inside the aircraft cabin.

When the aircraft's engines are at full throttle during take-off, the audio profile triggers a special animation and message for the user, said ANA.

ANA quizzed 1,000 air travellers from the US and found that 72 per cent of their respondents felt apprehensive about flying, with female passengers being about twice as likely to be concerned about their flight journey.

Surprisingly, the survey said people aged 18 to 44 years old are more apprehensive about flying than those aged 45 years old and above.

To help de-stress before a flight, 80 per cent of respondents said they played puzzle games as they find them to be relaxing.

According to the results, Thanksgiving and Christmas periods have been ranked as the most stressful time to fly.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg

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