The Best Way to Deal With Plane Turbulence, According to a Pilot

Turbulence is one of the worst parts of flying. It’s an incredibly normal part of flying, but it’s the source of a lot of anxiety for nervous travellers. If you struggle with plane turbulence here are some pointers from a pilot that may help.

Tips for dealing with plane turbulence

As anyone who has ever flown will know, turbulence is just part of the procedure. But with “clear-air turbulence” becoming more frequent, and set to get worse over the coming years (thanks, climate change), it doesn’t hurt to understand it further and have some tips in the back of your mind on how to deal with it.

These pointers come from ex-Bachelor star, Jimmy Nicholson. As was well advertised during his run on the series, Nicholson is a professional pilot and thus has seen his share of turbulence and, more importantly, understands how to best deal with it.

The trick that Nicholson explained in one of his recent TikTok videos is to imagine turbulence as if it’s a pothole in the road:

“When we drive a car on a road, on a freeway, it’s smooth, there’s (sic) no bumps… When you go off the freeway onto a road, maybe a dirt road, there’s (sic) potholes. What happens? It gets bumpy. It’s not comfortable for you or me. That’s essentially what turbulence is; you’re driving over potholes. The car will not fall through the pothole. You’re going to slow the car down, and you’re gonna go over the bumps.”

Nicholson also explained what aircraft pilots do when turbulence arises:

“What do we do as pilots? We slow the aircraft down, and we either climb or descend, or we sit it out for a little bit. Guarantee you, pilots up the front are very, very chill.”

This is the best seat on a plane if you want to avoid turbulence

In a follow-up video, Nicholson also shared where the best seat on the plane is if you dislike turbulence. Obviously, no seat on a plane can escape the movement of turbulence entirely, but there are some that move less than others.

“If you sit at the front of the aircraft, you are going to experience less turbulence. If you’re at the back, it’s gonna be a little bit more bumpy.”
“So if you are scared of flying or feel sick when you experience turbulence, sit up the front of the aircraft – that would be my hot tip,” he said.

Depending on your airline and the length of your flight route, you might be able to pre-select your seat for your flight when you book it. Sometimes this involves a fee, but if you’re a bit of a nervous flier, it’s worth paying to help you have the most comfortable flight experience.