As part of a flying family, it’s the last thing you’d expect.
But Kelsey Williams admits she used to be “terrified” of flying.
The Qantas international cabin crew member recalled she was so scared of getting on a plane as a child, she once ran away back up the airbridge to her father, who had just seen her off with her mother.
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Kelsey says she has a number of methods to help passengers scared about flying. (Getty)
“I realised I couldn’t see out of the front of it, I couldn’t see who was driving, it terrorised me,” she tells 9Travel.
A young Kelsey later agreed to start going on flights, though the fear remained.
But when she was debating what her career should be – her mother was international cabin crew and her father was a first officer – she had a revelation.
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“I thought ‘why don’t I join Qantas- I can get over this fear for doing it every day,” she says.
She did, and she’s now the go-to for passengers who are scared of flying. She says the fact that she’s been there makes her the perfect crew member to help.
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Kelsey Williams was once terrified to fly- but now works for Qantas. (Supplied)
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“Anytime I hear anyone is terrified on board, I’m the first person to answer because I know exactly how they feel,” she says. “They don’t realise it’s a control fear.”
Kelsey says she has a number of methods to help.
“The first thing I tell them is I know the feeling all too well because I’ve had that feeling,” she says.
“Their first reaction is like, what the hell are you here for.”
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Close-up view of passenger on a plane (Getty)
“I often say, look, I ended up doing this job to get over my fear, because it’s the safest form of travel.”
Then she helps them with their breathing, and tells them about her family.
“I tell them that combined, my mum and dad have about 65 or 70 years of flying and they are both alive today and Qantas has never had any incident that has cost a human life,” she says.
“We just talk about the anxiety around control, like we often talk about how we’re worried to get in a car if we can’t see the person driving, and they sort of go, ‘oh my gosh, yes, I have that too’.”
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Kelsey Williamas with mother Lauren who was also Qantas cabin crew. (Supplied)
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“Just acknowledging that fear it tends to allow people to come to a realisation of it, and that settles them down.”
According to Australian Aviation, one in three Aussies have aviophobia, also known as a fear of flying.
Recently, a user asked the Reddit Travel Hacks community to share their best tips for nervous flyers, ahead of his wife’s first plane trip.
The number one comment, which many agreed with, said his wife should prepare herself before the trip in great detail.
There’s even a business dedicated to this type of exposure therapy for nervous flyers. Dial-a-Pilot gives travellers the chance to have a phone call with a real-life pilot before their trip, where they can ask questions and have their “what if” fears quelled.
Qantas has been flying internationally for 90 years
Kelsey’s travel tips
Meanwhile, seven years of flying has also given Kelsey a lot of experience with jet lag. And her tips to cope are simple.
“Sleep when you’re tired. Do not battle it. On landing, on the day you’re going to land, never book anything in,” she says.
“Give yourself three to four hours of a really good sleep, and you will be back on track in no time.”
As for her luggage of choice – it is a hard shell case. But Kelsey says she can’t help with packing tips.
“In all honesty I say the more the merrier. I like to be prepared,” she admits.