Understanding Turbulence

The bumps and shakes of airplane turbulence can make even the calmest traveler question their safety. But in reality, flying is one of the safest ways to travel, and crashes aren’t caused by turbulence.

Here’s what you need to know: Turbulence is a natural part of flying. Air flow can change due to a number of different factors, causing bumps, but airplanes are designed to withstand even the worst turbulence. In fact, airplanes are incredible machines that can take quite a beating, from extreme temperatures to bird strikes to strong winds.

The best thing you can do during a bumpy ride is fasten your seatbelt as instructed; approximately 58 passengers a year are injured while not wearing seatbelts, according to the FAA.

Pilots have several tools at their disposal for avoiding turbulence altogether, or dealing with it effectively if it can’t be avoided. They can often spot it coming, so they’ll be able to warn passengers ahead of time to stay seated and buckle up. They can also reduce the airplane’s speed to more effectively penetrate the bumpy air currents.

The bottom line is that while nerve-wracking, turbulence doesn’t crash airplanes. Hopefully that’s enough to give nervous flyers some peace of mind.