Pay the extra fee to pick this seat if you’re a nervous flyer.
A frequent flyer shared which special seat will help anxious aviators overcome their fear of flying.
TikToker @aranstravels1 revealed that specifically choosing where you sit on your next plane ride could help ease some of the anxiety you may feel.
He based his seat selection on the safest and smoothest section of the plane.
“You need to select a seat over the wing towards the back end of the plane as statistically, this area has a high survival rate in the unlikely event of a crash,” the TikToker shared.
Statistically, the middle seats in the back of the aircraft are the safest, with just a 28% fatality rate compared to aisle seats in the middle of the cabin, which had a fatality rate of 44%, according to a TIME analysis of 35 years of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data.
A seat over the wing is “also where you feel turbulence less as the wings help keep the plane balanced compared with the back and front of the plane where turbulence is felt a lot more,” the TikToker said.
Travel experts at Kayak.com confirmed that sitting over the wings will give you the smoothest flight experience as the most stable point in the plane, subject to less turbulence than the nose and tail.
“Anxiety about flying can range from mild to severe,” licensed therapist Jenny Matthews and owner of State of Mind Therapy, told Travel + Leisure.
“If someone has mild anxiety symptoms, they may feel on edge about their flight or experience nausea, but they continue to travel by plane anyway. Others with more severe flight anxiety [might experience] significant anxiety symptoms like panic attacks, difficulty breathing, and intense fear, which may lead them to avoid flying completely.”
But while it may come as a shock to some, traveling thousands of feet in the air is actually the safest form of transportation, according to the National Safety Council.
Safety isn’t a concerning reason why travelers should worry about making it to their destination but delays, cancellations and long wait times are.
Airlines across the country and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently shared that they expect record air travel over the Thanksgiving holiday air travel period.
The expected record travel comes despite mounting airline complaints and flight cuts to New York airports due to staffing struggles.