Singapore flight

[Stevelondon]

Must have been absolutely terrifying on that Singapore airline flight.
I’ve been on a couple of journeys where the turbulence has been really bad. But this air pocket (or lack of it)  plummeted the aircraft downwards at an extreme.
Sadly an elderly man died because of it and looks like a lot of seriously injured too.

[Watts.E.Dunn]

Thats why you keep your seat belt on when flying! course hardly any realise where they are and what speed their going at.

I can see that this will probally be tightned up a bit sealbelt signs being on and off at approiate times but all round belt up!.

You just do it in light aircraft nowhere near the speeds of passenger jets!

Must say very impressive the medical response at Bangkok airport!..

[lewisjones23]

I've been on a flight that suddenly dropped a thousand feet or so, we were flying over Afghanistan and I thought that was the end

People hit the ceiling, screaming, crying and belongings everywhere. It was the only time I have seen cabin crew scared

Belt on at all times when seated for me now

[lostandfound]

Very sad.

I've flown on a 777-300 ER to Bangkok a number of times and the staff encouraged us to keep our seat belts on at all times. Of course if you are unlucky enough to be going to the loo when unexpected turbulence hits ...

It is fascinating to look on the in flight infotainment screen and see you're travelling at 550 knots, 7 or 8 miles above the earth, and -40C outside. If you land at Middle East hub you go from -40C to plus 40C as you descend. I possibly found the flight more interesting than Pattaya, which girlies apart, is a bit of a shithole.

Increased incidence of turbulence being attributed to climate change. On the upside improved anticipation of turbulence could be one area where AI might be able to help. I don't know anything specific on that, but I know machine learning has been used to make rapid good quality predictions of weather conditions.

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[timsussex]

I have always kept my seat belt on during a  flight but I do  wonder about the safety briefing
"please pay attention even if you are an experienced traveller as the facilities on this aircraft may differ...."

Has anyone learnt anything new on their 2nd, third or 99th flight ?

So of course everyone is bored and wouldnt hear anything new anyway and disregard the advice to keep belts fastened at all times

BA has tried and produced jokey videos with celebrities in a desperate attempt to get people to pay attention

[Backstreetboy]

Bloody livid with the BBC trying to make a shock horror story of how this might have been anticipated and what could have been done to avoid it! 

If you want to avoid turbulence - Don't Fly - and if you do, as has already been said - keep your belt on!

My daughter says that the incidence of turbulence does seem to be markedly increased - but more in terms of discomfort than danger.

[catweazle]

Recently flew from Mexico, on a 787 Dreamliner.  Bad turbulence for about 20 minutes, everything  rattling and shaking.  Even the cabin crew were sat and strapped in.

Like BA mentioned above, had a 'different' safety video  - an Indiana Jones type adventure.

[FLYING BLUE]

We always used to stress that passengers should "keep seat belts loosely fastened around your waist whilst seated" - more often than not, this sound advice, along with the safety briefing, were completely ignored back then & sadly, still are to this day.

These days, as a passenger on flights, I see people looking out of the window or wearing headphones, sleeping & worst of all talking, whilst the announcement is in progress.
These people never even tell their kids to pay attention.

No gimmick announcement has ever worked including the BA one because when people have seen it once, they ignore it next time.

You can lead a horse to water......

[StingRay]

It happens and CAT is invisible to radar, everything!

Always keep seat belt on, and it doesnt need to be that tight, just keep it away from balls though, ladies read tits.

I've had, and enjoyed, mild turbulence when flying solo, but this is serious stuff and my thoughts are with all that encountered this, especially the unfortunate guy that died! RIP!

I expect that airlines will be more resolute after this.

[scutty brown]

Something to remember is........each one of those dropped down ceiling modules has collapsed because someone has hit it hard enough with their head to break the retaining clips

[myothernameis]

I've been on a flight that suddenly dropped a thousand feet

Same here, around 1975 when flying home from Rimini Italy, and the airplane remaining on the runway for around 30 min's before taking off, due to a violent thunderstorm

We took of into the clouds, and the captain announced, the seat belt sign will remain on, until we are clear of the thunder storms.   Around 15 min's into the flight, we hit turbulence and dropped around 1000 feet, and the flight was bumpy as hell, and everyone was relived when we landed in London

[mr.bluesky]

Same here, around 1975 when flying home from Rimini Italy, and the airplane remaining on the runway for around 30 min's before taking off, due to a violent thunderstorm

We took of into the clouds, and the captain announced, the seat belt sign will remain on, until we are clear of the thunder storms.   Around 15 min's into the flight, we hit turbulence and dropped around 1000 feet, and the flight was bumpy as hell, and everyone was relived when we landed in London

No wonder the pope kisses the tarmac whenever he steps off the plane 

[threechilliman]

I've left my seatbelt on when flying for as long as I can remember. Apart from toilet visits, I see no reason to not have it fastened - you are travelling at 500mph!!

[scutty brown]

Once flew Boston-Gatwick in an early BA 747-100
Took off four hours late, arrived on time after riding a 450+mph jetstream all the way, second ever fastest (at the time) subsonic crossing of the Atlantic. Ground speed must have been well over 900+knots
We took off into a zero visibility snowstorm, only time I've known a planeload of passengers break into applause simply because the pilot managed to get the plane airborne. Bunch of ~30 black-clothed Muslim women in the back of the plane wailing prayers to Allah during the whole transit, it was that scary. I don't think anyone got out of their seats during the whole ride, which could best be described as "lively". As we took off I have to admit to being scared.
I'd twigged from something the departure gate girls said that made me realise something was afoot, but I never guessed the pilot was going to go for a speed record. As they scraped 2 feet of snow off the runway I'd asked "what happens if the flight is cancelled?"
The reply was "Oh no, captain XXXX never cancels" - with a wink and a grin. That was the point at which I thought "Oh shit!"
No-one got hurt because we all remained seated, but there were some spectacular rapid changes in altitude.
Actually just getting the plane started was a problem - the wind was so strong the normal air compressors weren't powerful enough, even when piggybacked. In the end they tapped an air bleed off another 747 that was in the next bay

[WASA38]

It happens and CAT is invisible to radar, everything!

Clear Air Turbulence

[Watts.E.Dunn]

I've left my seatbelt on when flying for as long as I can remember. Apart from toilet visits, I see no reason to not have it fastened - you are travelling at 500mph!!

Yes indeed but no bugger in Joe publick ever relaises that! Cos everything is moving at the same speed!

Dunno quite how you change the publics perception?

Look how many years it took before seatbelts came to be in common use after years of bar room lawyers saying "!its best to be thrown out of the v car via the windscreen"

When we were younger we wandered around a local scrapyard looking at the bent steering wheels not quite relaising that somone chest bent them like that, we even the bigger lads couldnt pull them strainght !

Some well informed com,ment here on the issue!..

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[myothernameis]

I've left my seatbelt on when flying for as long as I can remember.

On one of the airplane disasters program, this happened, one of the exit doors gave way, and a few passengers were sucked out the door. The pilot quickly brought the plane down, to more a suitable pressure

And there the drunk passengers who might attempt to open a exit door

[vindici]

I've left my seatbelt on when flying for as long as I can remember. Apart from toilet visits, I see no reason to not have it fastened

Same here, and people always look at me like I'm a fucking idiot for doing that. I have lost count of the times people have tried to explain that I don't need to have it fastened when the light is off.

Having the seatbelt on doesn't affect my comfort in any way, so I always keep buckled.

[JontyR]

I didn't bother, but since the decompression on the boeing at the start of the year I have always fastened mine External Link/Members Only

[timsussex]

We always used to stress that passengers should "keep seat belts loosely fastened around your waist whilst seated" - more often than not, this sound advice, along with the safety briefing, were completely ignored back then & sadly, still are to this day.

These days, as a passenger on flights, I see people looking out of the window or wearing headphones, sleeping & worst of all talking, whilst the announcement is in progress.
These people never even tell their kids to pay attention.

No gimmick announcement has ever worked including the BA one because when people have seen it once, they ignore it next time.

You can lead a horse to water......

But when did you last get told something you didnt know ? Despite the exhortation that this plane might be different. In most cases the look on the staff face says it all - we know you've seen it all before and we are bored as well but its a legal requirement.

Just like the little girl who cried wolf its bad practice to repeatedly claim -"this aircraft might differ" when it doesnt   

I once flew internally in USA and was allocated an exit row seat at checkin and was asked half a dozen questions to assess my suitability

[FLYING BLUE]

Just like the little girl who cried wolf its bad practice to repeatedly claim -"this aircraft might differ" when it doesnt   

I completely agree and, this whole "aircraft may differ from any you've flown on before" is relatively new and certainly came in after my time with commercial passenger airlines.
At a certain UK based airline, our briefing up front, was to say - "the cabin crew are her for your comfort & safety. They are about to spend just 2 minutes taking you through the safety features of this Boeing Triple Seven. It's very important information & we would be very grateful if you could put down any reading material & give them your full attention for the short time this takes" - i.e. a personal request from the flight deck.
It had limited success just like everything else that's been tried.

[Jerboa]

On flying that route several times to BKK, I noticed as soon as you hit the Bay of Bengal it can be turbulent, the heat rising from the sea I believe, this time of year.

[Harry Monk]

On flying that route several times to BKK, I noticed as soon as you hit the Bay of Bengal it can be turbulent, the heat rising from the sea I believe, this time of year.

I flew that route last year and the Captain said something about an area that was known for turbulence but can't remember the term he used.

The return flight we got some fairly rough turbulence over Europe which got everyone talking.I always leave my seatbelt loosely fastened just in case after stories I've heard. I fear that huge drop that some have experienced and don't really like flights but unless Harry Potter aperation is brought in soon that's what it is.

[timsussex]

I completely agree and, this whole "aircraft may differ from any you've flown on before" is relatively new and certainly came in after my time with commercial passenger airlines.
At a certain UK based airline, our briefing up front, was to say - "the cabin crew are her for your comfort & safety. They are about to spend just 2 minutes taking you through the safety features of this Boeing Triple Seven. It's very important information & we would be very grateful if you could put down any reading material & give them your full attention for the short time this takes" - i.e. a personal request from the flight deck.
It had limited success just like everything else that's been tried.

Presumably the aircraft may differ came in because people were flying more nad becoming blase about the safety announcment

How about there will be a test and you need to score 8 out of 10 to get any food or drink ?