If you have ever flown on an airplane, you are no doubt familiar with the bumpy conditions associated with turbulence. These conditions can be caused by a number of factors, including air rising as it moves across mountains, updrafts in thunderstorms, and clear air turbulence caused by waves at high altitudes far from more active weather. I have even experienced turbulence when a plane I was riding in went through a wake caused by another aircraft ahead of us. Conde Nast recently posted this story based on tabulations of aircraft turbulence turbulence forecasting website Turbli. They published an analysis of around 10,000 flight routes, connecting the world’s 550 largest airports, to establish the most turbulent flight routes of the year. It probably would not surprise you that most of the bumpiest flights were those over mountains in medium-length flights, since they often don’t reach the high altitudes of cross-country flights. You can read more at https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-most-turbulent-flight-routes-in-the-world-2025. The most turbulent flight in the US is the 400-mile flight from Denver CO to Jackson WY along the front range of the Rockies, but the worst in the world are mainly in other continents in areas with tall mountains.
If you are flying and there is a lot of turbulence, it can be uncomfortable and scary, but it is seldom deadly. The most likely people to be injured in turbulent conditions are the crew members, who are often walking around the cabin delivering drinks. If your drinks get delayed because they have to sit down, please be patient–it is for their own safety. The safest thing you can do is sit down and make sure your seat belt is securely fastened, which will keep you from flying up and hitting your head on the ceiling.
