What’s the story of Gracie Mae, the cat who recently flew round-trip from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas, have to do with fear of flying?  Well, I love cats and I work with fearful flyers, so let’s see if I can make a connection.

In case you haven’t heard the kitty story here’s what happened:  Gracie Mae, the shy 10-month-old Florida kitten who'd just been spayed, made the mistake of hiding in her owner’s large black suitcase as he packed, instead of in her usual hiding place in the crawlspace where she escapes from the loud noises she hates.  The luggage was thrown into the trunk, checked at the airport, and flown to Dallas along with its owner. 

Now comes a twist that might have made this a cat-astrophe (sorry, couldn’t resist).  The wrong guy picked up the luggage and took it home, opening it as he heard the meowing inside.  Kind of gives new meaning to the old saying letting the cat out of the bag, doesn’t it?  Fortunately Gracie Mae was wearing a tag, the man who found her had a heart, and she was returned to Fort Lauderdale on an 80-dollar ticket, this time in a cat carrier the man purchased. 

So what’s this story have to do with fearful flyers? No doubt the loud noises she heard in the cargo hold during her four-hour flight scared Gracie Mae out of at least a few of her nine lives.  Fearful flyers can identify with Gracie Mae’s ride of terror. It’s often those unfamiliar sounds of flight that drive their fear into high gear.  

But it wasn’t the noise connection that made me think of fear of flying. Gracie Mae’s story reminded me of another story I’d read earlier in the week, about Howard Wolfson, Hillary Clinton’s communications director who’s afraid to fly.  The cat got let out of the bag, so to speak, about Wolfson’s fear of flying when it appeared in a couple of New York newspapers and subsequent blogs.  Prior to this media “outing,” Wolfson’s flying fear had been known only to campaign reporters and workers. 

Now that the story’s out, I feel worse for Wolfson than I do for Gracie Mae.  She’s likely not to have to fly again.  Wolfson, however, could be flying instead of making 17-hour car trips trailing Hillary around the country.  He hasn’t flown since 1999 when Hillary was in the Senate Race.  Then he flew on Air Force One, taking comfort in its safety compared to commercial airline travel, although admitting that this belief is totally irrational along with his fear of flying in general.

So once fear of flying is let out of the bag, what to do about it?  Keep driving all over the country like Howard Wolfson?  I’d call that a vote for the status quo.  Or is this finally the year for change?  Change is never easy, but fear of flying can be overcome with information and in some cases therapy. 

Andy Warhold commented, “They say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”  If change is your vote, then resources like FearlessFlight.com are available to help.  Unless you’re a cat, of course.  Then I’d say to stay out of large black bags.