The Nervous Flyer's Guide to Airplane Turbulence

There’s no denying turbulence feels scary, but it’s not as dangerous as it seems. Turbulence happens when an airplane is hit by a strong wind current that can push and pull against the airplane causing the shaking feeling you experience. Turbulence can feel mild or strong but regardless, something to put your mind at ease is to remember that although the wind seems to be making the airplane unstable, it still has the same amount of air pressure surrounding it, which keeps the airplane in the air.

Turbulence is described as light, mild or severe, but it is highly unlikely you’ll encounter severe turbulence – in fact only a few tenths of a percent of the atmosphere has severe turbulence¹. Additionally, most injuries related to turbulence are people who were up and about during turbulence, which reinforces the importance of wearing your seatbelt while seated and following pilot instruction on when to remain seated. Commercial aircrafts are built to handle turbulent air conditions and have flexible wings to reduce strain on the aircraft during strong winds². Remind yourself that your pilot is a trained professional who has experienced turbulence before and knows how to navigate it. If it helps to ease your anxiety, you can even ask a flight attendant for reassurance during your flight. 

Turbulence is caused when an aircraft encounters irregular air movements. Those irregular air movements can be created by several different factors:

No matter what turbulence is caused by, it’s important to remember how common it is and how your aircraft is prepared to handle bumps in the air.

Yes, because certain terrain can cause changes to air pressure during your flight, you’re more likely to experience turbulence over mountainous regions where the air shifts around the peaks, creating a bumpier flight experience. In fact, the most turbulent flight path is from Santiago, Chile, to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which passes directly over the Andes Mountains³.

Turbulence is extremely unlikely to cause a plane crash. Pilots and flight crew are trained to handle the aircraft even during unexpected turbulence.  Commercial airplanes are built strong enough and go through rigorous testing to make sure they’re able to handle turbulence.  If you experience turbulence on your flight, remember to follow flight-crew instruction and wear your seat belt when seated to avoid injury from turbulence.

Only .4% of flights experience mild turbulence and lesser still only .03% of flights experience severe turbulence⁴. So, while the idea of turbulence can be nerve wracking, the chances you’ll experience anything out of the ordinary is unlikely. Typically, turbulence lasts 10 to 20 minutes, making it a short experience if you do run into turbulence on your flight. Your pilot and flight attendants will give you a warning when turbulence begins, or in advance if they’re able, and keep you updated until it is over. While turbulence can make your flight seem scary, it’s important to remember it’s a normal occurrence that airplanes are designed to handle. Do your best to keep calm, stay seated with your seatbelt on, and listen for any directions given to you by the flight crew.

Thunder clouds, also known as cumulonimbus clouds, create the greatest turbulence since they have intense winds and unstable weather conditions that can cause turbulent conditions for aircrafts. Typically, air traffic control will work with your pilot to find an alternative route to avoid cumulonimbus clouds if they form during flight. On rare occasions when it’s necessary to go through storm clouds, your pilot will find a gap between the clouds to get through. You will likely still experience the effects of turbulence while in close proximity to the clouds, but just remember that it’s only temporary.

Yes, programs like the National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR, are set in place to help determine if turbulence will be an issue on your flight. You can use websites like the National Weather Service to look at the turbulence forecast or input your flight information in Turbli to help determine if turbulence is expected.