Whether or not you’re an anxious flier, we can all agree that turbulence is by no means fun. Encountering a rough patch of air is one thing, but shaking and sudden drops that feel like a bumpy amusement ride are not ideal. If turbulence isn’t your friend, there are a few cities you may want to cross off your travel bucket list. A report from Turbli, a digital turbulence forecast tool, has identified the top 10 most turbulent airports in the world—two of which are located in the U.S. See if your hometown’s airport made the list below, as well as the 10 most turbulent airports in the U.S.
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Top 10 most turbulent airports in the world.
Turbulence is measured by “the rate at which energy dissipates in the atmosphere,” per SKYbrary. Aviation experts refer to this as the eddy dissipation rate (EDR). There are five EDR levels: light (0-20), moderate (20-40), strong (40-60), severe (60-80), and extreme (80-100).
Turbli looked at the EDRs for about 550 of the largest airports in the world. To determine their rankings, the average turbulence was calculated “over a volume of about 120 miles (200 km) in diameter and 20000 ft (6000 m) in height centered 10000 ft (3000 m) above the airport.” It’s worth noting that Turbli’s list only accounts for turbulence experienced during approach and descent. Turbulence related to takeoff and landing is not included as these are “mainly affected by the crosswind components,” the company explains.
According to their findings, these are the top 10 most turbulent airports in the world:
- Santiago Airport/Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) — 23.065
- Mendoza International Airport El Plumerillo (MDZ) — 22.755
- Salta Martin Miguel de Guemes International Airport (SLA) — 20.407
- Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) —18.691
- Lhasa Konggar International Airport (LXA) — 18.168
- Paro International Airport (PBH) — 18.128
- Xining Caojiapu International Airport (XNN) — 17.93
- Denver International Airport (DEN) —17.29
- Kabul International Airport (KBL) — 17.206
- Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) — 17.082
It comes as no surprise that the two U.S. airports to make the cut have some of the highest elevations in the country. According to pilot Ryan Tseko, Denver’s harsh weather and wind patterns present a “whole set of challenges” for pilots. The Rocky Mountains also play a huge factor.
“All of that wind, all of that weather is riding up those [mountain] ridges, and it actually is forcing that air up. And so when you’re flying over the top of those mountains, that’s where you’re gonna get more turbulence compared to other flat areas,” he told Weather.com.
“Denver obviously is known as the ‘Mile High City,’ so it adds another component to it too, because your atmospheric pressure is a lot higher than if you’re landing at sea level,” he added.
Similar things can be said for Bozeman, a mountain town surrounded by Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin National Forest, and three vast mountain ranges.
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Travelers agree with Denver and Bozeman’s turbulence ratings.
Turbli’s ranked list is accurate, according to fliers who frequent the Denver International Airport. Several travelers took to Reddit to share their Denver airport horror stories following the report’s release. They said passengers are almost always guaranteed “to have a bad time” and a “horrible” experience.
“Purely anecdotal, but I travel to Santiago multiple times a year, and also fly out and into Denver at least once a month, and I think Denver is way worse in terms of turbulence,” one Redditor wrote in the thread.
“My worst turbulence though was landing at Denver in a thunderstorm,” said one passenger. A third agreed and commented: “I landed in Denver in a hail storm—0/10 recommend—scariest flight of my life.”
“I fly out in and out of Denver weekly, so you could say I’m a bit of an adrenaline junky,” another joked.
For some, the turbulence flying in and out of Denver is so bad that they’ve abandoned the state altogether. “This is going to be very wimp of me to admit, but turbulence (coming west) was one of the reasons why I ended up leaving Denver,” reads a post.
“Denver should be #1,” quipped a Redditor. “I hate flying out of Denver.”
However, others say turbulence isn’t out of the ordinary when flying over mountain ranges. In fact, it should almost be expected.
“If you’re flying into a city with mountains and expecting a smooth ride, you’re going to have a bad time,” said one person.
Another agreed, “Any airport along the Rockies is frequently turbulent.”
The same could be said for Bozeman Airport, which came in 10th place overall. “Every time I fly in and out of Bozeman it’s an absolute disaster,” wrote a traveler in the thread.
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Top 10 most turbulent airports in America.
Listed below are the top 10 most turbulent airports in the country, alongside their average eddy dissipation rate (EDR).
- Denver International Airport (DEN) — 17.29
- Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) — 17.082
- Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) — 16.441
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) — 16.435
- Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) — 16.143
- Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) — 15.743
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR) — 15.684
- Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) — 15.678
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) — 15.498
- Boise Airport (BOI) — 15.406
Content shared from bestlifeonline.com.