8 superstitious things people do before they fly

June 23, 2023

A fear of flying is not uncommon. For many, it seems unnatural to speed thousands of miles off the ground at upward of 500 mph. Stepping outside your comfort zone and relinquishing control of your fate to the pilot and crew is difficult for some.

Travelers use many coping mechanisms to help calm their fear of flying. One way passengers add an element of control to the experience is through certain flying superstitions.

“Both passengers and pilots alike report having flying superstitions,” psychologist and author Dr. Barbara Greenberg said. “Passengers often feel lots of anxiety because they feel out of control in the air. The superstitions give them a feeling of control and relieve some anxiety, at least enough to make flying tolerable,” Greenberg added.

To better understand flying superstitions, I spoke with TPG staffers, readers and members of the TPG Lounge on Facebook, who shared their personal superstitions. Here are eight flying superstitions, from the common to the peculiar and everything in between.

Touching the outside of the plane

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Touching the outside of the plane is one of the most commonly performed and well-known flying superstitions. You’ve probably seen people do it without even realizing it, and everyone has their preferred method for this particular superstition.

TPG reader Walt Claude prefers three knocks on the outside of the plane before boarding. Others, like TPG’s director of social media and brand Caroline English, think “patting the outside of the plane like it’s a horse” will do.

I’ve heard of other flyers kissing the outside of the plane before boarding, but I cannot condone this method for sanitary reasons.

Carrying a good luck charm

Carrying a good luck charm while flying was the second most common superstition. In addition to “patting” the outside of the plane, Caroline carries one of her child’s hair bows in her pocket. “She pulls her hair bows out all the time, so they are always all over the house or in my pockets,” English shared. “Before I left for a flight, I realized I had one in my pocket, and I decided to keep it in there because it was so sweet. Now I do it all the time.”

“I wear an evil eye bracelet that I bought on a trip to Istanbul every time I fly,” Chelsea Roy, a member of the TPG Lounge on Facebook, said. Also known as a “Nazar,” evil eye-shaped amulets are commonly worn to protect against bad energy, so it’s no surprise that it doubles as a good luck charm for flying.

Others also wear specific jewelry pieces when they fly but for different reasons. TPG Lounge member Sandy Covall-Alves wears a necklace that belonged to her late mother and always touches the pendant during takeoff and landing.

Jamie Page Deaton, TPG’s senior vice president of content, wears any piece of jewelry that she can use to “fidget out nervous energy.” She also carries a pen that belonged to her father as a good luck charm. “My dad flew a lot, always carried the pen, and never had a major safety incident on a plane,” she said. “Clearly, the pen is what kept him safe, so I figure it’ll do the same for me.”

Erica Silverstein, TPG’s senior cruise editor – an admittedly nervous flyer – used to carry a stuffed moose that belonged to her husband. Now that they have children, they keep her distracted enough while in flight that she no longer needs it.

Blessing yourself

It’s commonplace in some branches of Christianity to make the sign of the cross at the beginning and end of prayers. This simple act often carries over to other parts of life as a means to say a prayer over oneself or as a blessing. For many, blessing oneself remains a habit, even for those who no longer regularly attend church.

You may have seen someone blessing themself before a plane takes off and when it safely lands. TPG Lounge member Anne Pereira blesses herself at takeoff and landing, as does TPG senior cruise writer Ashley Kosciolek.

Clapping when the plane lands

KEES SMANS/GETTY IMAGES

I like to imagine that people who roll their eyes at those who clap when the plane lands are unaware of this superstition’s origins. Clapping when the plane lands is not well-known among American travelers, but it is quite common in some cultures.

“I’ve been clapping when the plane lands since I was a kid. Every time we would go to Santo Domingo to visit family, everybody clapped when the plane landed,” TPG associate web publisher Kevin Martinez, a Dominican American whose family immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, said. “It wasn’t until my family and I came to the U.S. that I learned this isn’t the norm.”

When asked if he was clapping to applaud the pilots or out of excitement, he remembers it being the former. “It’s more of a praise to the pilot and co-pilot for landing the plane safely and getting us to our destination in one piece,” Kevin said.

Whether you choose to say a quick “thank you” to the pilot and copilot as you exit the plane or you choose to clap, I think we can all agree they deserve our praise for a job well done.

Placing dirt in your shoe

This superstition was new to me, and I am already looking deeper into its origins for a future story. TPG Lounge member Pamela Newberry shared that her grandmother kept a small amount of dirt encased in masking tape and would put it inside her shoe anytime she flew. Why? So she always had one foot on the ground.

Holding hands

Many families who fly together like to hold hands until the plane is safely in the air. It’s an easy way to support a nervous flying companion or reassure yourself that everything will be OK.

TPG’s Summer Hull holds hands with her kids through the first 30 to 45 seconds of every flight. “If something goes down, we’ve got each other,” she shared.

“My husband and I hold hands and say ‘Run, run, run, as fast as you can; you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man,’ over and over until the plane is in the air,” TPG Lounge member Sally Wright Simmons told me. “We started that when our kids were little. Since the planes never crashed, we kept it up. And we have flown a lot!”

Texting yourself the flight information

SIMON2579/GETTY IMAGES

TPG managing editor Clint Henderson has made it a habit to always text himself his flight number, destination, seat number, aircraft type and aircraft model before every flight. “Somehow, in my brain, it keeps the flight from being delayed or canceled,” he said.

You know what they say — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Reading the SkyMall

Unfortunately for TPG Lounge member Ana Carlson-King, her flying superstition has become obsolete.

“I used to have to read every single word of the SkyMall catalog,” she recalled. “I was a very anxious flyer as a kid and young adult, but one day I managed to read the whole SkyMall instead of crying or panicking during my flight. In my brain, that was what kept the plane safe … I had the power to keep us all safe by reading the SkyMall.”

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2015, and you can no longer find physical copies of the catalog in seatback pockets (an online version still exists). So, Carlson-King had to resort to alternate measures. “Now I have to tap the lane twice with the ring on the middle finger of my right hand, and I only sit on the right side of the aircraft. Perfectly reasonable and normal,” she laughed.

Bottom line

You’ve probably witnessed a fellow passenger performing some of these superstitious acts without even realizing they were doing so. Or maybe you are a superstitious flyer and have done some of them yourself.

Regardless of where you fall on the flying superstition spectrum, if it makes someone feel safer and more comfortable, there’s no harm in being a little superstitious. However, I’d still think twice about kissing the outside of the plane.

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