I flew solo across the Atlantic on JetBlue and the free Wi-Fi helped me overcome my worst flying fear

03.08.2023 - 14:37 / insider.com

There were so many things I was looking forward to about my trip to Boston from London in early April. 

The one thing standing in my way was the flight itself.

As someone who watched a few too many plane crash documentaries in her youth, the prospect of spending seven and half hours by myself on a flight across the Atlantic Ocean was terrifying. I've always been a nervous flyer — so much so that even the slightest bout of turbulence is enough to make me cry and nervously reach out to hold the hands of complete strangers seated next to me.

I didn't know it before boarding, but the roundtrip journey from London Heathrow to Boston Logan I booked with JetBlue would be a totally different experience, thanks to the biggest perk everyone onboard had access to: free in-flight Wi-Fi.

Before flying with JetBlue in April, I'd never been on a flight where every passenger was given access to free Wi-Fi.

Most flights I'd been on only gave Wi-Fi to those willing to pay and the skeptic in me has always been doubtful about how high-speed the service actually is. 

But JetBlue's FlyFi Wi-Fi was easy to join while the plane was grounded, although I told myself the real test would be whether I'd have access once we were thousands of miles in the air. 

Before taking off, I sent my family and friends the typical goodbye text I send every time I fly solo. But as the plane lurched forward on the runway and began to ascend, I was surprised to see that I was still able to scroll through Instagram, flick through TikTok, watch shows I hadn't downloaded on Netflix, and, importantly, send and receive texts from my loved ones. 

Having that access on my phone did wonders for my flight anxiety, which I've come to realize is rooted in being disconnected from my friends and family for extended periods of time.

Like many other nervous flyers, I'm well aware that turbulence is a perfectly normal part of flying. But my logical understanding tends to go out the window when I'm actually experiencing turbulence.

However, on this particular flight, whenever turbulence struck, I simply sent a text or FaceTimed a loved one who was able to keep me calm throughout.

During a particularly bumpy moment, I sent a text to my best friend Elise, who instantly responded with a recommendation to watch a popular TikTok where content creator Anna Paul compares turbulence to an object suspended in jello. 

Using the plane's Wi-fi I was able to quickly find the TikTok while going through turbulence in real-time. As the plane jerked up and down, I remained calm as I sat transfixed by Paul explaining the science behind turbulence using jello, which she said she was taught by a real pilot. 

It worked wonders for my anxiety.

JetBlue isn't the only airline to start