It’s dreaded by even the most frequent flyers: the seat belt sign constantly dinging, belongings sliding across the cabin floor and seats shuddering through rough air.
By ALESIA FIDDLER – TRAVEL REPORTER
And if you’ve noticed flights getting bumpier over the past few years, the data suggests you’re right.
New research by the University of Reading has found that instability-generating wind shear in the jet stream has soared by 15 per cent since 1979.
Similarly, severe clear-air turbulence (CAT) on busy flight routes has also risen by 55 per cent.
In fact, Delta Air Lines is being taken to court by a group of passengers after a severe turbulence incident on July 30, 2025 left 25 people injured.
Meanwhile, on an easyJet flight earlier this year, the pilot was forced to declare an emergency and return the aircraft to the UK after facing a bout of serious turbulence.
In another incident, ten people were injured on a Cathay Pacific flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong in May after turbulence hurtled passengers and cabin crew into the ceiling of the plane.
But what is causing this rapid rise in rough and choppy journeys?