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Virgin Atlantic refunds passengers who can't conquer their fear of flying

Europe's first fully wi-fi connected airline is so certain that it's found the remedy to aviophobia, that it's offering full refunds to those who can not be cured.

Europe’s first fully wi-fi connected airline is so certain that it’s found the remedy to aviophobia, that it’s offering full refunds to those who can not be cured.

In a special one-day campaign, Virgin Atlantic offered those with a fear of flying the chance to book a flight and in turn, receive a free spot on its Flying Without Fear course designed to help people of all ages to overcome their inflight terror.

As part of the program, aspiring flyers will learn aviation facts from industry experts, talk to a Captain about the technical aspects of an aircraft and receive tips on managing their anxiety from a field therapist.

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Once they’ve concluded the course, they’ll get to put their new-found to the test and if they’re still terrified of being sky high, they’ll receive a full refund, Express.co.uk reported.

According to Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Commercial Officer , the idea for the campaign came after learning that nearly one in six people in the UK have a fear of flying.

Shai Weiss said the airline wants everyone to be able to enjoy spontaneous and/or planned getaways with their family and friends.

“We want everyone to be able to say ‘screw it, let’s do it’ and try something different, fly somewhere new.”

Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic Chief Commercial Officer

Weiss continued, saying that nothing should hold anyone back from “seizing the day in 2018”.

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“Hopefully by guaranteeing to cure people of one of the main things holding them back, we can inspire Britain to choose something more positive than the cliched ‘Blue January’ nonsense,” he said.

The campaign ran for one day on Tuesday this week and follows on from Virgin Atlantic’s recent aircraft improvements, including its recent fleet-wide wi-fi rollout.

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Do you know anyone with a fear of flying?