Playboy Model Tiffany Livingston's Mid-Flight Anxiety May Land Charges

Playboy model Tiffany Livingston is facing possible Federal charges when she attempted to open the door of a JetBlue flight while the plane was in midair. Livingston, age 21, allegedly said she forgot her medication according to a fellow passenger. CBS News reports that JetBlue flight 522 from Orlando to Newark had an anxious moment when the model suddenly got out of her seat and tried to open the door. The plane landed safely and no one was hurt. Livingston was featured in Playboy's Singapore version in 2009 as a centerfold. The New York Post had interviews with police and passengers.

Whoopi Goldberg's Ordeal

Whoopi Goldberg is also afraid to fly and she has a legitimate reason. She explained to Elisabeth Hasselback on the ABC's The View that she witnessed a mid-air collision in 1978. Goldberg hadn't been on a flight in 13 years when she boarded a Virgin Atlantic flight to London to help with a musical production of her hit film Sister Act in April of 2009. You can see video of a portion of her therapy here on YouTube.

Goldberg further explained that her original form of "treatment" included valium and drinking even though it didn't help in the end because of the adrenaline rush of fear in her body. Goldberg also tried professional help from counselors without effect. Days before she was going to board the plane she wouldn't eat or sleep.

Virgin Atlantic helped Goldberg out. The director of a course called Flying Without Fear came into the studio and abated Goldberg's fear through a flight simulator and something called thought field therapy. A Virgin Atlantic flight captain explained to the actress that the incident she witnessed was impossible in today's modern age with technology. Most people's fear of flying comes from turbulence and the shaking movements that come with it.

Flying Without Fear was started in 1997. Courses run during the day and evening and are only in Great Britain at this point. They claim that the success rate of the course is 98.6% of those who attend. They have helped thousands of people lose their fear of flying. The course takes ten hours normally. As of yet there are no courses in the United States such as this.

Virgin Atlantic has made an app that costs $4.99 for travelers who can't make the course in Great Britain. The app has been made in conjunction with Mental Workout and includes a tour of an airplane, what a flight is like, and relaxation exercises in which you can engage during the flight.

Common Sense

Goldberg still had a successful career as she probably stayed in the United States when her fears and anxieties overwhelmed her. For Tiffany Livingston, facing Federal charges may hinder her fledgling job status. Goldberg is already a famous comedienne and actress and needs no introduction. Livingston may need a little more work since she is relatively unknown.

The difference between Goldberg's case and Livingston's is common sense. Goldberg, even though she got help, simply found other modes of transportation if she had to. Livingston should have done the same. If she already knew she was afraid of flying, why couldn't she take a train from Orlando to Newark? What was the rush? Now Livingston may face Federal charges.

CBS, Pop Crunch, YouTube, Virgin Atlantic, and Travel Pulse all contributed information for this article.