Nervous flyers, avoid these ones (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
For anyone with a fear of flying, airplanes can be nerve-wracking at the best of times, but turbulence brings a whole new level to flight anxiety.
In fact, some turbulent patches are so rough they can rattle even frequent flyers.
According to the National Weather Service, turbulence is the ‘irregular motion of the air resulting from eddies and vertical currents.’ In light cases, it can cause a few bumps, however in more severe scenarios it can be a rough experience with objects getting dislodged, sharp drops and general passenger panic.
In all, around 65,000 flights encounter moderate turbulence every year, and about 5,500 encounter severe turbulence, according to the National Centre for Atmospheric Research.
Hold onto your hats (Picture: Getty)
So if you’re looking for more bump-free routes, data from turbulence prediction website Turbli looked at 150,000 routes to find the most turbulent journeys of 2023.
The results show those looking for smooth flights might want to avoid South American travel – especially going from Santiago, Chile, to Viru Viru International airport in Bolivia, as this 1,180-mile journey ranked as the most turbulent.
The route from Almaty, in Kazakhstan, and the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, came second.
Overall, six of the most turbulent journeys were domestic routes in Japan and China – but two routes closer to home, in Europe, were also featured.
Top 10 most turbulent journeys in the world in full, according to Turbli data:
1. Santiago (SCL) – Santa Cruz (VVI)
2. Almaty (ALA) – Bishkek (FRU)
3. Lanzhou (LHW) – Chengdu (CTU)
4. Centrair (NGO) – Sendai (SDJ)
5. Milan (MXP) – Geneva (GVA)
6. Lanzhou (LHW) – Xianyang (XIY)
7. Osaka (KIX) – Sendai (SDJ)
8. Xianyang (XIY) – Chengdu (CTU)
9. Xianyang (XIY) – Chongqing (CKG)
10. Milan (MXP) – Zurich (ZRH)
Milan to Geneva scooped fifth position in the rankings, alongside Milan to Zurich in tenth place.
This is because, as Turbli founder Ignacio Gallego Marcos explains, routes over the Andes or Alps ‘appear high in the ranking due to mountain wave turbulence over the Andes and Alps.’
In other words, mountainous regions tend to see greater turbulence.
Top hack for turbulence, according to a pilot…
A pilot has revealed a clever hack, involving just a water bottle, to help steady the nerves during rough turbulence.
He said: ‘Remind yourself it’s completely normal. The plane isn’t going to fall out of the sky’.
In a TikTok, the pilot holds up a half drunk water bottle to prove that, while the plane felt like it was being thrown about, in reality the water in the bottle wasn’t moving that much.
This means the plane is a lot steadier than you think it is and looking at the still water can help to steady any nerves.
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Steer clear of these bumpy rides.