Seats at the back of the plane tend to be bumpier, and sitting towards the back also means you're one of the last passengers to get off the plane after landing.
Away from equator
The equator marks the confluence point of the northern hemisphere winds with the southern hemisphere winds, meaning there is often turbulence from the meeting. In addition, the equator is very hot, meaning that thunderstorms are often more frequent and thus more chance of turbulence.
Sitting at the point where both the plane's lift and center of gravity meet—and forces are pushing both up and down equally on the plane —usually ensures the smoothest ride. Another rule to fly by: Anything over or a bit forward from the wing will be more stable than anything after the wing.
According to experts, choosing the seat in front is always a better option. "Our centre of gravity is usually around 28 per cent, and the centre of pressure usually acts around 25 per cent of the mean aerodynamic chord (1/4 of the way down the wing).
Because the center of lift and gravity on a plane usually isn't at the midpoint of the plane in terms of length, the front of the plane suffers less turbulence than the rear.
Seats at the back of the plane tend to be bumpier, and sitting towards the back also means you're one of the last passengers to get off the plane after landing. Similarly, the bulkheads at the front of the cabin are where families with babies and young children sit.
“The smoothest place to sit is over the wings,” commercial pilot Patrick Smith, host of AskThePilot.com said. These seats are close to the plane's center of lift and gravity. “The roughest spot is usually the far aft. In the rearmost rows, closest to the tail, the knocking and swaying is more pronounced,” Smith added.
Various studies cited in the studies indicate that sitting in front the wings and engines is the quietest place in flight, with behind the wing and engines being the loudest. That makes intuitive sense.
The best seat on the plane to avoid turbulence is either over the wings or towards the front of the aircraft. The wings of the plane keep it balanced and smooth, whereas the tail of the aircraft can bounce up and down more. The closer a passenger is to the front of the plane the less turbulence they would usually feel.
While turbulence can feel scary, airplanes are designed to withstand massive amounts of it. "A plane cannot be flipped upside-down, thrown into a tailspin, or otherwise flung from the sky by even the mightiest gust or air pocket," wrote pilot Patrick Smith on his site, AskThePilot.com.
Summer and winter are the worst seasons for turbulence. Winter has strong winds and blizzards, and summer's hot heat can create unstable air, thunderstorms, and tropical storms. That means flying during the holidays often means more turbulence than other times of the year.
It's almost unheard of for turbulence to cause a crash, but it can lead to costly repairs for carriers. Usually, the damage is to cabin components like seats and overhead bins when luggage falls out or people hit them. Turbulence-related damage, delays and injuries cost airlines up to $500 million per year.
Turbulence can feel unpleasant and feel a bit like a bumpy rollercoaster ride. However, it is rarely something to be concerned about. Passengers may get nervous and panic, but the aircraft will not fall out of the sky. Aircraft are designed to withstand turbulence, and pilots and cabin crew are trained to deal with it.
Passengers who are nervous about being so high in the sky should choose aisle seats or rows in the middle of the plane where views out the window are obscured. Another tactic is to stay focused on a book, screen, or other distractions to avoid thinking about how high up you are.
Turbulence is a sudden and sometimes violent shift in airflow. Those irregular motions in the atmosphere create air currents that can cause passengers on an airplane to experience annoying bumps during a flight, or it can be severe enough to throw an airplane out of control. "(The pilots) aren't scared at all.
Other types of loathed passengers include armrest hogs (39.07 percent), seat recliners (38.25 percent) and talkative travelers (29.87 percent). Nearly one-third of Americans also feel contempt for passengers who board or deplane out of turn (29.6 percent) and listen to music or watch movies too loudly (28.96 percent).
Usually, it's best to pick a seat toward the front of the plane for several reasons: It's usually quieter, and you can get on and off faster. There's a balance between choosing front/back and window/aisle.
Best seat for a smooth ride
Turbulence is virtually unavoidable while flying, but choosing a seat near the middle of the plane, over the wing, will make a bumpy ride less noticeable. The further away you sit from the wings, the more noticeable turbulence will be.
Although, it may “feel” like we face more turbulence when flying over water bodies, it is not really so. Unless, of course, we are passing through a patch of cyclonic weather. In general, chances of turbulence are highest when we pass over mountains or cities with high-rises.
If you want to avoid turbulence, book a flight in the morning. “The heating of the ground later causes bumpier air, and it's much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon,” Jerry Johnson, a pilot from Los Angeles, told Reader's Digest.
While thunderstorms can occur at night, there are fewer of them. Yes, night flights tend to be less turbulent than midafternoon flights due to atmospheric heating. More:Ask the Captain: Is turbulence worse at certain times of year?
Not Being Courteous
“Having “savoir vivre,” a “please” and “thank you” would never go wrong. As a general rule, to be treated nicely, one needs to behave nicely,” said a flight attendant. Keeping headphones in and not taking them out when attendants are trying to communicate with you was also a big no-no.
Turbulence, which causes planes to suddenly jolt while in flight, is considered a fairly normal occurrence and nothing to fear. The movement is caused by "atmospheric pressure, jet streams, air around mountains, cold or warm weather fronts, or thunderstorms," according to The Federal Aviation Administration.