Summarize the following:
Talking to your child about his or her fears will not make them worse, and it is the first step toward empowering your child to overcome the anxiety.  Don’t interrogate your child, but feel free to ask probing questions about the sources and specifics of the fear of flying.  A child's fear of flying often boils down to one of the following:  an inability to conceive of how a heavy airplane can remain in the air; a fear of enclosed spaces and/or being limited in what you can do when you want to do it; bad prior experiences, or tales of bad experiences from others; media reports of plane crashes, air security threats, or bad flight experiences.  Probe into the causes of the fear by validating and empathizing with it:  "The first time I flew, I was terrified that the plane would fall out of the sky.  What do you think about that?"  Make educated guesses based on your observations:  "I've noticed that you get uncomfortable in crowded spaces, like the subway car that one time.  Is that something that bothers you about an airplane?"  Or, simply give them an invitation to talk:  "Tell me what you think about our airplane trip that's coming up." The more specific information you know about the nature of your child’s flying fears, the more specific your approach to dealing with it can be. It is easy to find mountains of data about how safe flying is, such as that the most dangerous part of your trip is the drive to the airport, and so on (see this wikiHow article for some statistics and examples).  Statistics alone, though, won’t make a child’s anxiety about getting onto a plane go away.  Talking about and showing a child how planes fly is more likely to be an effective strategy. Provide your child with books about airplanes and flying, toy replicas of airplanes, and videos about flight.  Look up answers to his or her questions together.  Build and try out small flying machines with your child.  If you have an aviation museum nearby, go look at planes and maybe even sit in the cockpit.  Let your child talk to the flying experts there. Long gone are the days when a family could take  an easy jaunt over to the international airport to watch the planes from around the world take off and arrive.  However, there still exist opportunities to watch airplanes in action, and this type of experience can instill confidence in a fearful child.  Try starting at a small airfield or regional airport.  Find a (permitted) spot where you can watch smaller planes take off and land, and talk about the process of what is happening (and the experience on the inside of the plane).  If you can find a pilot willing to talk a bit about flying, all the better. While modern security restrictions make it much more difficult to get up-close views of departing and arriving jetliners at a big airport, you may still be able to find opportunities for doing so with your child (that won’t cause a security alert). Inform your wary child that there are literally dozens of people whose job it is to make sure the plane is safe and ready to go.  Talk about safety engineers and the pilots, and point out the ground crew and flight attendants. The layers of security present at big airports can be intimidating and worrisome for small children.  Talk to your child about how all the security officers and the machinery and checkpoints they use are there to make flying safer. ”  Information and familiarity are enemies of anxiety, especially when acquired methodically.  Each step along the way to familiarizing your child with how planes fly, the process of flying, and the people behind the flight can help to reduce flight anxiety in kids.  Gradual desensitization is a slow, step-by-step approach to helping someone become more comfortable with a situation or circumstance that causes anxiety.  For instance, someone who is terrified of bees may read books and watch videos; go "flower-watching" and talk about how important bees are to pollination; talk to a beekeeper and watch him or her work from a safe distance; put on a bee suit and get closer to a man-made hive; and, eventually, perhaps be able to approach a hive without gear. Start early, and take your time in helping your child become more comfortable with the concept of flying in a plane.  Don’t wait until the last minute, and move at the child’s pace.  If it takes a few trips to the airfield or museum to establish a comfort level with flying, so be it.  It will be worth the effort when it’s time to fly.
Ask questions about your child’s flight fears. Offer information on how planes fly. Let the child see airplanes in action. Talk about all the people that work to make flying safe. Emphasize “gradual desensitization.