Last Monday, what a Southwest passenger called a “rollercoaster” flight came after their Boeing 737 MAX8 plane encountered severe turbulence as it departed Honolulu for the mainland. The video below shows the audible fear that followed. At the same time, the passenger praised the Southwest pilot and crew. There was no official comment from Southwest about the incident.
The video’s creator said: “Bumpy climb on #southwestairlines last night in Honolulu !! The pilot and crew were great! Passengers deserves an Oscar for Best Performance in a Disaster Movie. 😂✈️
Others commented: “Yay! He’s not kidding that it’s like a roller coaster ride – watching the cabin shake and fall in extreme turbulence is intense. Hope everyone had their barf bags handy for that rough ride. Also, is it just us, or have videos of insanely bad turbulence taken over social media lately? These things cause anxiety…”
Although turbulence can be dangerous, it still poses no serious threat to the plane itself, and as long as you’re buckled into your seat when it hits, you’re safe from most potential risks. However, this kind of heavy turbulence is enough to make even the calmest flyers nervous, not to mention people with a severe phobia of flying!
@atomic_lock #southwestairlines #Turbulence #texas #helen ♬ original sound – JP’s Atomic Lock
We’ve all heard enough about severe turbulence on flights in Hawaii, especially after the epic turbulence on Hawaiian Airlines in December that injured dozens of passengers and crew.
When the pilot announces turbulence – caution.
As our pilot friends commenting said, when a pilot comes on the intercom to warn passengers of turbulence, you can usually expect something significant to happen. But even though you expect rough flying, you still don’t expect this. When severe turbulence occurs, it can hit hard and be the most terrifying.
Other recent incidents in Hawaii are raising concerns and questions.
The issue of turbulence on flights in Hawaii was heightened by the mass-injury Hawaiian Airlines flight turbulence event in December, which occurred just before the flight was scheduled to touch down on the approach to Honolulu. This was followed last month by the United Airlines incident. We are not sure if it will be classified as turbulence or something else. Regardless, the plane crashed after takeoff 750 feet from the Pacific Ocean before regaining its climb and heading for land.
And finally, three incidents outside of Hawaii have caused global concern. The first was a Lufthansa A330 (pictured above) which was diverted to Washington DC earlier this month after unexpected turbulence at cruise level caused at least seven injuries severe enough to require hospitalisation. In that case, some passengers reported that they were not wearing seat belts and the turbulence came out of nowhere. It is unclear whether or not the seat belt sign was illuminated at the time.
Second, a woman died earlier this month after the business jet she was flying encountered “severe turbulence”. It is also possible that there were problems with the planes by mistake, it was announced. The plane diverted to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. The Bombardier CL30 jet was flying from Keene, New Hampshire to Virginia when the incident occurred, according to the FAA.
And last week, another Southwest flight between Maryland and North Carolina encountered severe turbulence that left passengers vomiting and more. On landing in Raleigh, turbulence occurred, resulting in a state of emergency and the plane diverted to Murtle Beach instead.
Is the turbulence that much worse than before?
We don’t just imagine that. And the topic certainly became the main topic of conversation among passengers. Some experts believe this will only get worse. A team at the University of Reading in the UK is studying this and is believed to be among the world’s leading authorities on the subject. One of the team members there said: “There’s a chance it could get a lot bumpier. The more temperatures rise, the more likely it is that turbulence will increase even more.”
More turbulence and flight changes are ahead.
A research team from Great Britain suggests that there could be three times more turbulence between 2050 and 2080.
What will the airlines do? It is suggested that they will make a greater effort to fly around possible turbulent weather conditions. This means more fuel, longer flight times and ultimately more costs for passengers as this phenomenon begins to take hold.
Case in point. Not long ago, two BOH editors were returning to Hawaii from New York with a connection in San Jose. Due to severe thunderstorms, their flight had to fly north to Ottawa, Ontario, instead of west, before continuing to their destination in San Jose. The flight arrived almost six hours late at SJC due to a detour and an unexpected mid-continent fuel stop that was necessitated by the weather.
Have you experienced turbulence?
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