Any aviation engineers that can put someone's mind at ease?

I know someone that is deathly afraid of flying, mainly because they do not like the feeling of not being in control like driving a car. They feel like they have bad luck and that for some god given reason, their flight will be the one to have issues. They're even willing to do a 30 hour bus ride over a 4 hour plane ride. I don't want to force them to choose the flight for this trip if they really just can't get over their anxiety, but I would at least like to give them some facts and tips that can help them consider choosing the flight (honestly I would be way more anxious about a 30 hour bus ride). It's not the pilot they don't trust, it's the plane itself and the fear of it breaking down.