Ever felt terrified while traveling alone on a plane and wanted someone to just hold your hand? One passenger lent his hand to a complete stranger who was "very scared" and "shaking uncontrollably" on a recent flight.
Presten Alan, who is based out of Monument, Colorado but currently lives in Western Australia, captured the moment in a viral video on TikTok shared on September 26.
Alan told Newsweek that the woman seated next to him on the September 1 flight from Los Angeles to the Philippines appeared "very scared." He recalled: "I could see fear in her eyes," so he held his hand out and "she grabbed it."
He noted: "I have never held a stranger's hand on a flight before, but I would do it again just to make anyone feel better."
If you suffer from a fear of flying, you're not alone. Fear of flying is prevalent among around 10 to 40 percent of people in the industrialized world, according to a June 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology.
An April 2019 study published in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance noted that the "fear of flying is one of the most common phobias" and "even though flight traffic has increased, there are new fears."
The study, which examined flight anxiety reported from 1986 to 2015, found that "turbulence, unknown sounds and fear of terror attacks caused the most anxiety."
More women reported being afraid of both flying and other situations compared to men, according to the study.
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The footage in the latest viral post shows a masked woman in a middle seat next to Alan, whose hand is seen stretched towards her. The woman is seen clutching his hand with both of her hands, while her head is pressed up against the headrest.
Alan told Newsweek: "At first, I didn't know but I could see fear in her eyes as she was in tears. So, I put my hand out and she grabbed it and closed her eyes, shaking uncontrollably."
A message overlaid on the clip says: "She was soo scared...if I was her, I would want a hand too..."
The woman was traveling alone and "she tried to describe to me what she was doing in America and I noted she saw her son," Alan told Newsweek.
According to a message overlaid on the clip, "[she] also spoke Portuguese, so I had to guess her intentions...bless her sweet heart."
A caption shared with the video says: "I hope [on] the next flight, she has someone to hold again..."
A stock image of a man on a plane holding the hand of a woman seated next to him. A video of a passenger on a plane offering his hand to a stranger who was...A stock image of a man on a plane holding the hand of a woman seated next to him. A video of a passenger on a plane offering his hand to a stranger who was "very scared" on a recent flight has gone viral on TikTok. iStock / Getty Images PlusSeveral TikTok users were moved by the moment captured in the latest video.
User nyla wrote: "As someone with a fear of flying this means the world."
User nicotinedietcoke noted: "human connection & comfort is such a universal language..."
User robdawg said: "...it doesn't cost anything to be kind."
Milena said: "I'm losing my mind, this is so beautiful, I love humans."
Alondra said: "this is so cute, I'm crying."
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