With the holiday season in full swing, many people are traveling by plane to spend special days with their loved ones.

Although many Americans are comfortable flying, some can get nervous, which is why some passengers tap the exterior of a plane before boarding.

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

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“They tap on the logo of the airline on the side of the plane when they board the plane. In a variation, people could kiss their fingers and then, by touching the logo, they would kiss the plane,” Leff said.

Many airline passengers are accustomed to touching a plane before boarding. (iStock)

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

“It also anthropomorphizes the plane, as one might greet a petand you connect in some small way to the feat that is about to be achieved by moving through the sky at speeds in excess of 500 mph,” Leff said.

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Brian Morris, creator of “Flight Deck: Fear Of Flying Flash Cards,” struggled with aerophobia, the fear of flying. on planes.

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

“It was a habit that brought me a sense of comfort, like I was establishing a connection with the plane and asking for its protection,” Morris said.

Gary Leff, a travel industry expert (not pictured), says pressing a plane door when boarding could help people feel like they have some sort of control over the plane. (iStock)

“It’s funny how our minds work; I thought this little act somehow warded off danger, even though, deep down, I knew it was just a superstition.”

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

After learning about modern aviation, Morris realized that the tapping ritual was more about anxiety than real protection.

There are other common rituals that travelers participate in, such as raising their feet in flight, praying, and tapping the overhead compartments upon landing. (iStock)

Some TikTok users have shared videos on how to touch a plane before boarding.

“How many of you, when you get on a plane,… kick the plane, make the sign of the cross or, for example, kiss the plane? By answering a survey,” one woman said in a video posted last year: which sparked comments from some people who participate in the preflight ritual and many people who said they don’t.

“no but I ask the Angels to carry us safely towards our destination,” one user wrote.

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

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

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

Some people on TikTok seemed confused by the plane-tapping ritual, while others admitted to participating in it. (iStock)

Earlier this year, a man shared a TikTok video showing one of his family members participate in plane tapping.

“Save everyone from a plane crash by touching it before she gets in. Tireless work, but she does it!” he joked.

Hundreds of people commented on the video, with the majority admitting to being “plane operators”.

“I do this every time,” one user wrote. “I’m also looking in the cockpit hoping to see the pilot!”

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

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

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Morris said there are other common rituals such as raising the feet in flight, praying and tapping the overhead compartments upon landing.

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