I’m an ex-flight attendant and here’s the truth about turbulence – including why the crew enjoys it

Turbulence is one of the biggest causes of fear of flying.

Here, Jay Roberts – who has worked as senior cabin crew for Emirates and runs the popular one Fly Guy cabin crew lounge network – offers his advice on the subject and reveals why it should not be feared.

He also explains what happens in a cabin when an airplane encounters severe turbulence – and outlines how rarely it happens…

Do you have any advice for passengers panicking due to turbulence?

Jay tells MailOnline Travel exclusively: ‘One of the first questions our flight crew is often asked once it’s revealed we have a mile-high profession is, “Are you afraid of turbulence?” You can imagine the look on people’s faces when most of us respond, “Scared of it – we love it!”

And that’s the honest truth. A poll conducted in the Cabin Crew Lounge by A Fly Guy, the largest social media network of airline personnel, found that most flight crews not only like turbulence, but enjoy it! That’s a comforting thought to think about the next time you’re worried about your plane shaking.”

He continues: ‘I’m not afraid of it because I know the flight history data and I know planes don’t crash because of turbulence. I also know from personal work experience that the chance of severe turbulence is rare. So often when I experience turbulence as a passenger or crew member, my inner child sees the dips and vibrations like a roller coaster and I enjoy the ride.”

The former flight attendant adds: “For serving flight attendants too, moderate turbulence often provides a welcome break where we can sit down and have a timeout from requests. It’s one of the few circumstances where we can ignore service calls.’

What signals are flight attendants sending that turbulence is getting more severe during a flight?

Says Jay, “In the cabin, we mainly classify turbulence into mild, moderate, and severe, and in general you can use cabin crew as a good measure of threat level.”

He explains: ‘Mild is what you normally encounter on flights. A few bumps here or there, and the seatbelt light will probably come on, but the crew will remain active in the cabin or move around the galley without changing their behavior. Depending on the airline’s policy, they probably won’t reprimand passengers for ignoring the seatbelt sign and continue to serve tea and coffee.’

He continues: ‘In moderate turbulence, the crew’s attitude to the bumps changes. The expression on their faces often becomes more serious. They will put away service items, pause the service of hot drinks, or stop the service altogether.

“They will secure the cabin with more attention and tell you to sit down if you are standing as walking will become difficult during this time. You will begin to feel some pressure against your seatbelt due to minor elevation changes; all the service items on your tray can fall and if your cup is full the drink will spill. The crew sits down after making sure everything is safe.’

And severe turbulence? He says, “If you’re dealing with severe turbulence, there’s going to be no questioning the category you’re experiencing.

“Inexperienced crew members might panic at this point. A firm announcement from the pilot will likely instruct the flight attendants to sit down immediately, walking is no longer possible, and the service will stop immediately. Cabin crew are trained to leave their carts where they are and to take the closest seat, even if it means sitting on top of a passenger to secure themselves. The aircraft will make aggressive elevation changes, turning items or people that are not stuck into projectiles. Damage to the aircraft’s interior can come from carts and passengers hitting the roof. Passengers and crew members can sustain skeletal injuries during this rare category of turbulence.”

But Jay is quick to emphasize the rarity of such extreme turbulence. He says, “I spent 13 years as a cabin crew on some of the longest flights in the world, criss-crossing areas notorious for turbulent air, never experiencing severe turbulence. However, knowing colleagues whose careers have ended due to injuries resulting from rare encounters with severe turbulence is the number one reason my seatbelt stays fastened when traveling as a passenger.”

Are you worried about turbulence?

Jay admits, “not only has turbulence never scared me, I look forward to it. Some areas are guaranteed to have moderate turbulence on certain routes, for example in the airspace around Kuala Lumpur [in Malaysia] or Singapore. I would always plan my break to be in the crew bunks by the time we flew past this area on the long flights to Australia. The turbulence rocked me to sleep and made me snooze deeper during my break.”

Did someone you worked with panic?

Jay reveals: ‘You can generally tell the experience of cabin crew by how they respond to turbulence, like deckhands on the open sea. Those who have been riding the waves above the clouds for many years barely bat an eye when things get choppy.

“On the other hand, the new crew will try to hide their panic so as not to frighten passengers, while others will lose it completely. When I worked as a senior crew member mentoring and mentoring newer flight attendants, a few got scared and upset, mostly because they had never flown before taking a job as a flight attendant, and the whole experience of flying was new to them. ‘

Experiences with terrible turbulence?

Jay reflects, “The worst turbulence I’ve ever experienced was flying in the US, because of the violent weather that results from the cold air coming down from Canada colliding with the warm, moist air coming from the Gulf of Mexico is coming.’

He adds: ‘Even if you cross the equator with a flight, you can count on a fun ride. But in all my years of flying, I’ve never been on a flight that experienced severe turbulence or injured anyone.’

What kind of training do flight attendants have in dealing with passengers who are nervous about it?

Says Jay: ‘The most important training for cabin crew about turbulence is how to prepare for it, what to do during the turbulence and what injuries you can sustain afterwards. Much of our medical training deals with head, neck and spinal injuries that often follow severe turbulence. We also focus on treating burns caused by hot liquids that end up on passengers due to turbulence.’

He shares his own experience of dealing with a passenger during a period of turbulence and continues: “Managing anxiety is a skill we are also taught during this part of our cabin crew training program. I implemented these skills on a flight from London to Dubai while operating as a cabin supervisor in economy.

“A very tall and muscular ex-soldier traveled back to Afghanistan where he worked as a military contractor. He sat next to my galley in the exit row on the main deck of the A380. We encountered moderate turbulence, which triggered his PTSD and resulted in a severe panic attack. At one point I knelt next to his chair and held his hand. He squeezed my hand so hard he almost cut off the circulation of my fingers.

“I was there talking to a huge soldier as if he were a frightened child, reassuring him that he was safe. At the same time, I worked with my other senior to contact ground medical support to give us permission to give him a sedative to keep him calm for the remainder of the flight.”

Jay reveals, “It was the most scared I’ve been during turbulence because I wasn’t sure if he was going to get violent during the PTSD episode. I also had to mentally prepare to contain this man who could easily overpower me if he acted violently. In that one situation I went through roles as therapist, nurse and security guard.’

The former flight attendant continues: “Experience is the best training cabin crew receive in dealing with turbulence. Over time, we learn how to talk to passengers, what to say to best explain what is happening, and how best to calm the nerves.

“My most useful line was, ‘You don’t get scared when you hit bumps in the road, so why are you scared when you hit potholes in the air?’ That reasoning always gives passengers an association point and makes them more relaxed.’

He adds, “Human nature is to fear what we don’t see. Since we can’t see turbulence and passengers can’t see how the pilots react, their fantasies tend to run wild when the bumps kick in. I often say to passengers, “You probably think the pilots are panicking in the front fighting the controls, because that’s what we see in movies.” But most of the time they don’t even freak out and just try to find ways to get around the bumps by going higher or around the bumpy airspace.

“They turn a few knobs, check the radars for the weather and read their books again.”

For more from Jay visit www.instagram.com/aflyguytravels And www.facebook.com/aflyguyslounge.