So you tap the plane before boarding? A travel expert explains a strange phenomenon

With the peak of the holiday season, many of them are flying to spend special days with their loved ones.

While many Americans are comfortable flying, some can get nervous, which is why some passengers touch the outside of a plane before boarding.

Gary Leff, a Virginia-based travel industry expert and author of the “View From the Wing” blog, told Fox News Digital that he has witnessed this common ritual.

“They touch the airline logo on the side of the plane as they board the plane. In one variation, people can kiss their fingers and then, by touching the logo, they’re kissing the plane,” Leff said.

Leff says it helps people feel like they have some control over the plane instead of leaving the fate in the hands of the plane and the pilots.

“It also anthropomorphizes the airplane, the way you might greet a pet, and you’re connecting in some small way to the deed that’s going to be done by moving you through the sky at over 500 mph,” Leff said.

Brian Morris, creator of Flight Deck: Fear Of Flying Flash Cards, struggled with Aerophobia, the fear of flying in airplanes.

Morris, of Utah, told Fox News Digital via email that he had participated in the ritual.

“It was a habit that brought me a sense of comfort, as if I made a connection with the plane and sought its protection,” Morris said.

“It’s funny how our minds work; I thought that this small action somehow removed the danger, even though, deep down, I knew it was just a superstition.”

Aerophobia is a common fear of flying that affects more than 25 million Americans, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

After being educated about modern aviation, Morris realized that the interception ritual was more about anxiety than real protection.

Several TikTok users have shared videos of them spying on a plane before boarding.

“How many of you guys, when you get on a plane, … tap the plane or make the Sign of the Cross or, like, kiss the plane? Taking a survey,” one woman said in a video posted last year, which was met with comments from some people who took part in the pre-flight ritual and many who said they didn’t get it.

“No, but I ask the angels to take us safely to our destination,” one user wrote.

“Umm. No, I just want to sit down and put my headphones on,” said another person.

“I’ve never heard of anyone doing anything like this before, let alone doing it themselves,” wrote another.

“I would feel like something would be more likely to happen if I touched it, so I would never touch it! The joys of anxiety,” said one woman.

Earlier this year, a man shared a TikTok video showing one of his family members participating in the plane’s interception.

“Saving everyone from a plane crash by touching it before it goes in.” Hard work, but she does it!” hey kidding

Hundreds of people commented on the video, with a majority admitting they were “plane eavesdroppers”.

“I do this every time,” one user wrote. “I also look into the cockpit hoping to see the pilot!”

“What?!? I thought I was the only one,” wrote a woman.

“I need to take a picture of the gate/airline emblem,” said another.

Morris said there are other common rituals such as standing up during the flight, praying and tapping the overhead bins during landing.

“Some have lucky clothes that they wear, for example lucky socks. Some play the same lucky song over and over during the flight in their noise-cancelling headphones. I was guilty of that,” Morris added.