Travel: Fear of flying

WHERE can you go for help if you have a fear of flying, asked Mr Hawkins of Bristol (20 February). Several people recommend Aviatours (0252 793250/ 711477) which runs Fear of Flying courses at Heathrow and Manchester airports every six to eight weeks. The next courses at Heathrow are on 18 April and 13 June and at Manchester on 17 April and 12 June. The price at Heathrow is pounds 129 for the full course and flight and pounds 65 for the flight only; at Manchester the price for the full course is pounds 99 and pounds 55 for the flight only.

'We have conducted more than 100 of these flights and they have proved very successful,' says Douglas Ord of Aviatours who is also a British Airways captain. 'We were the first people to conduct courses on such a scale and have carried more than 8,000 passengers.'

In her fear of flying therapy, Emily Jacob (081-878 5835) uses the aircraft cabin simulator devised by the late Maurice Yaffe at Guy's Hospital. She also offers special sessions linked with the Aviatours courses.

Britannia Airways (0582 424155) is running a Flying with Confidence course at its Training Centre at East Midlands airport on 24 April. The all-day course costs pounds 95 including a 90 minute flight.

Clodagh Wilkinson of London W11 recommends the British Society for Medical and Dental Hypnosis (0372 273522 for London and the South or 0709 554558 for the rest of the country), which can give the names of suitable doctors in their area to whom a referral from their GP can be made. 'This is preferable to conquering a fear of flying, as I did, on gin and valium]'