While it’s common in casual conversation for people to tell you how much they love to travel, see new destinations, and understand how people live in other parts of the world, there’s one thing you don’t hear as often: how much people love to fly.
Well, unless they fly first or business class, of course. Those are actually comfortable ways to fly, but only about 12% of people fly business class, which leaves the largest section of the plane for the rest of us to cram ourselves into.
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Some people are cool as a cucumber about flying, but for those more prone to anxiety, the experience can be a lot harder. After all, there’s no way to know if your flight will be smooth sailing or will encounter bumpy air, which triggers fear of a crash in many travelers.
Related: American Airlines ignored safety risk, loses lawsuit
Now new information has emerged about the future of air travel and how it’s being affected by climate change, and for those who fall into the anxious camp, it may make them think twice before they take their next flight.
Climate change will have some negative effects on airplane travel in the next decade.
Image source: Shutterstock
New study: Southwestern flights are more at risk
According to new research on the effect of climate change, our least favorite part of air travel is about to get worse: turbulence.
According to a new study out of the University of Toulouse from Mohamed Foudad, a researcher in turbulence modeling at the University of Reading, flying through areas with hotter atmospheres will result in increased turbulence in the years to come.
“These conditions result in sudden changes in altitude and loss of airspeed that are a risk for passengers, crew, and the plane. A drop like this could throw a person from their seat or send a phone flying. It is the type of incident that is federally required to be recorded in the U.S.,” The Washington Post reports.
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A map of affected areas shows the most likely areas of the U.S. to be exposed to severe turbulence includes Northern Texas, New Mexico, Utah, and Southern California.
Increasing turbulence is not a new thing, but unless you fly often, you may not have noticed it. There’s 55% more severe turbulence over the North Atlantic than there was in 1979 and 41% more over North America, according to Paul D. Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading.
Williams has also predicted that turbulence over the busiest flight routes over the Atlantic could increase as much as four times by 2035.
A bumpy ride is not the only factor
While some travelers are not as phased by turbulence as others, even if it does become more severe, there’s one thing that could change that will likely elicit a reaction from just about everyone: cancellations.
If planes are forced to navigate more turbulent air more often, that may affect what time they reach their destination, which could result in more delays and cancellations.
Increased turbulence will also be harder on the planes that have to withstand it. The effect on the health of the airplane is double what it would endure during a normal flight, which may mean planes have to be replaced more often.
Planes are currently replaced every 20 to 30 years, which would mean airlines would have to account for spending millions to replace them a lot sooner. This could translate to higher costs, which would likely impact the price tag of plane tickets for consumers.
Related: Another budget airline just canceled all flights to the U.S.
