Pilots Answer 45 Questions All Airplane Passengers Have

Although turbulent conditions are inconvenient, frightening, and unpleasant for passengers to experience, they are seldom life-threatening. Turbulence is simply rough air that causes inconvenience and discomfort from the perspective of a pilot.

Many passengers are unfamiliar with this response since there is a widespread belief that the aircraft drops hundreds of feet at a time during turbulence, even though the movement is typically no more than 20 feet.