‘I wait at the edge of seat…’: Karan Johar shares his battle with travel anxiety—Here are tips to stay calm on flights

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar opened up near his combat with move around anxiousness — including wanting to extend to the airport hours ahead of schedule, checking and re-checking the passport and boarding pass multiple times, the constant “on the edge” feeling once inside the plane, and much more.

In a vulnerable Instagram post, Johar said, “I have a desperate need to reach the airport early, sometimes even before the ground staff have arrived, then in the lounge I check my passport and my boarding card 50 times.”

“And once I am seated … I wait for the pilot to announce the duration of the flight…. As if my life depends on it… then I wait for him or her to tell us about the weather en route… if we are told it’s ‘a smooth ride’ I can breathe…” he added.

However, the filmmaker said when some pilots say “ few bumps on the way,” then right through the flight duration, “I wait at the edge of the seat for those expected bumps… then I check the map every 10 minutes on a short haul flight…. On a long haul flight I pop a pill and pray for sleep ( subconscious mind is always turbulence aware).”

Karan Johar also shared that he feels a “desperate urge to be hugely polite to the cabin crew,” hoping that in case of an emergency, they will be kind to him. “So I smile like a Colgate ad! And say thank you at every given point of time.”

The national award winner shared that an hour before the flight lands, “I am all ready (not at all ready for any circling or air traffic ), then I rush out and want to overtake every passenger like it’s a limboo race….( no particular reason at all).”

He also shared that he has some “packing idiosyncrasies,” but decided to share them in a separate post later.

Johar acknowledged that some trolls may dismiss it as a “champagne problem,” but he also believed that many people would resonate with the issue — and he is right.

Ever since the deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad, there has been an uptick in flight cancellations, delays, and mid-air returns. These incidents, combined with rising chatter on social media, have fuelled a fresh wave of flight anxiety in travellers.

According to a Hindustan Times (HT) report, travellers are now paying close attention to flight numbers, aircraft models, and weather alerts. The top searches for the year included “safest airline 2025” and “how to calm flying fear”.

The fear of flying can make people feel sick, sweaty, or panicked. It often includes intrusive thoughts and a feeling of being out of control, HT reported, citing experts.

Dr Sneha Sharma, a psychiatrist, told HT that psychologically and neurologically, the brain responds to flight incidents even from a distance. “Hearing about a crash can trigger vicarious trauma. The brain stores it like a real memory,” she said.

Dr Sharma said ordinary in-flight sounds, turbulence, or airport announcements can act as triggers for those with travel anxiety. However, she noted that the added social pressure exacerbates the issue. “People fear losing control on a flight, but they also fear being judged for it,” she said.

Travel anxiety does not have a single solution for all, but an HT report, citing experts, said, “small, intentional habits” can help:

---

---