Jana Armitage, a travel nurse from New Brunswick working in Regina, admits air travel makes her nervous even though she understands the statistical safety of flying.

“It does scare me; however, I know the stats say it’s safer to fly than drive,” Armitage said. “I think most of my fear comes from seeing major incidents in the news. When a plane crash happens, it’s a huge event that sticks with people, but we don’t talk about the thousands of flights that land safely every day.”

Armitage, who has spent years travelling for work, often finds herself pushing past her fears. She sighs, knowing that despite the anxiety, she will fasten her seatbelt, take a deep breath, and do what she must.

“I have to fly for my job, so I try not to dwell on the fear. It’s just something I live with,” said Armitage.

On Jan. 29, an American Airlines regional jet collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people on board both aircraft. Just days later, on Feb. 2, a medical transport Learjet 55 crashed shortly after takeoff in northeast Philadelphia, killing all six people on board and one person on the ground.

Adding to the uncertainty, just a week before these incidents, former U.S. President Donald Trump fired the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard and disbanded the Aviation Security Advisory Committee.

For University of Regina student Dalyn Chuckry, flying has become second nature. He is set to travel to Orlando, Fla., from Feb. 12-20 and has no hesitation about boarding his flight.

“I have taken roughly 50 flights in my lifetime, so being on a plane is nothing I am not used to, “Chuckry said. “I frankly am not worried about my flights,” As has been said over and over again, you are more likely to die on the way to the airport than on the plane.”

Chuckry, eager for his getaway, envisions himself basking in the Florida sun far removed from the cold Regina winter. The thought of a thrilling ride at Universal Studios excites him more than any concern about his flight.

“Flying has always felt routine to me. I trust the systems to keep us safe,” he added.

Chris Belanger shrugs when asked about his upcoming flight to Toronto.

“Flying? It’s just another part of the routine,” he said.

He believes media coverage amplifies fear but does not see a significant risk.

“I think people tend to overreact to these things,”  Belanger said. “Planes are safer than cars, but it makes headlines everywhere when something happens. Only America is having these issues, and I’m not flying to America.”

While aviation experts confirm that flying remains one of the safest forms of transportation, fear is not always rational.

According to a 2024 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study, the risk of a fatality from commercial air travel was one per every 13.7 million passenger boardings globally between 2018 and 2022. The Independent reported, compared with the MIT figures about flying, the figures suggest a person is 1,753 times more likely to die on the roads than in plane crashes.