The effect of pilot mental health on passenger willingness to fly

This study explored how passengers’ willingness to fly is affected by the mental health condition of pilots and their various coping mechanisms. Data were collected from 76 participants at a university in the Southeastern United States via a Qualtrics questionnaire. Participants received four scenarios regarding pilot mental health: no history of mental health issues, history of mental health issues with medication as a coping mechanism, history of mental health issues with therapy as a coping mechanism, and history of mental health issues with no coping mechanism. Participants rated their willingness to fly for each scenario. The data were analyzed through a one-way, repeated measures ANOVA. Results indicated that participants’ most preferred scenario was no history of mental health issues. The least preferred scenario was the pilot with no coping mechanism. A significant difference in passenger willingness to fly was found between all pairs of pilot mental health scenarios except therapy compared to medication. The findings emphasized the impact of pilot mental health condition on passenger preferences and provided insight into public perception of pilot mental health.