MORE WOMEN THAN men are afraid of taking to the skies.

According to a poll by AA Travel Insurance, more than 20 per cent of women have a fear of flying compared with just 12 per cent of men.

In the poll, over 9,600 people were asked what they used to tackle their fear and more women than men were likely to resort to medication. However, men were more likely to use alcohol to calm their nerves.

A third of women said they would take a sedative, anti-anxiety medication or a sleeping tablet compared to just 24 per cent of men, while one in four men drink between one and three alcoholic beverages before the flight compared to 22 per cent of women.

Men were also more likely to drink alcohol during the flight to combat their fear of flying.

While actually being in a plane is fear enough for many people, there are other worries such as losing luggage or a passport, flight cancellations or missing a connecting flight.

A lot of people try denying themselves sleep in advance of a flight so they can nod off inflight with almost nine per cent of women preferring this approach compared to 5.5 per cent of men.

Women are also more likely to try more alternative ways of combating fear with seven per cent taking meditation and three per cent trying hypnotism, while seven per cent of men preferred to read up on the mechanics of flying and two per cent took a flying lesson to keep anxiety at bay.

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