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To reduce fear of flying, airlines are partnering with meditation, relaxation and yoga app makers

  • Flying is stressful at the best of times, and the coronavirus is only adding to fliers’ anxiety
  • Airlines have been teaming up with meditation app makers to offer relaxation tracks

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Airlines are partnering with makers of meditation and yoga apps to reduce in-flight anxiety. Photo: Getty Images
Sarah Gillespie

Coronavirus, the Boeing 737 MAX crisis: air travel has never been more stressful. And that is before you take into account the claims made in 2019 documentary Everybody Flies, in which former airline captain Tristan Loraine says that even the air we breathe on planes is laced with toxic chemicals.

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Add to this the gradual attrition of economy class perks, and it is no wonder that meditation apps are infiltrating the cabin. Industry leader Headspace was the first to do this, with its Virgin Atlantic partnership in 2011. It has now partnered with a further 11 airlines, and last year rolled out new meditations and sleep tracks.

“Travelling, whether for work or for play, can often take you out of your element, so it’s important to take time to take care of your mind,” says Angelica Kelly, senior manager of communications at Headspace.

Headspace’s main rival, Calm, announced a partnership with American Airlines in 2018, bringing flight-specific meditations and bedtime stories, called “Sleep Stories,” to millions of passengers. In November 2019, InScape brought its cheekily titled tracks, such as Relaxed Red Eye Sleep and Tranquil not Turbulent, to JetBlue flights. More recent airline partnerships include Smiling Mind’s collaboration with Virgin Australia and Breethe’s collaboration with Delta Air Lines.
Headspace’s meditation app.
Headspace’s meditation app.
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Though the exact method of delivery differs, these apps all rely on the same premise: the awareness and allowance of difficult thoughts.

“Meditation can enable you to stop the downward spiral of panic,” says psychotherapist Tim Hoffman, who runs a counselling service in Hong Kong. “You allow an anxious thought to come into your mind … and you just notice that thought. You do not judge it, you do not say, ‘I’m stupid’ – you just notice it and let it go.”
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