Are you afraid of flying? You’re not alone. Even though so many flights are scheduled every day around the world, it’s still a bit of a scary phenomenon. You’re up in the air trusting your life to a pilot you’ve never even met before. But there is good news for the fearful: those pilots know what they’re doing. And in the case of this Delta flight, one pilot made the decision to make an emergency landing when things started getting really scary.
The plane departed from California and was headed towards Seattle, but had to suddenly stop in Reno, Nevada after the turbulence was too severe to handle. Turbulence usually causes a little bit of anxiety but not too much panic. In this case, the turbulence was knocking down attendant carts and causing damage. The air was so bad for flying, the passengers experienced the plane nose dive twice.
There were 63 passengers and staff members on board the flight according to a report from People, and three had to seek treatment at a hospital for injuries. As for the rest of them? Well, they were treated to complimentary pizza.
Listen. Pizza is wonderful. It may be the food that most people in America can agree on as being incredibly delicious. Even bad pizza is usually better than no pizza. But in a circumstance like this, it just doesn’t seem like the best way to compensate for a terrible flight (which we know isn’t Delta’s fault per se). Maybe some free miles? A gift card? Just sayin’.
Passenger Joe Justice from Scrum, Inc. took a video of the turbulence that shows how bad it really was.
Crazy turbulence and injuries, but the @delta crew handled it perfectly, even the emergency landing. pic.twitter.com/NoJWLp5GUv
— I switched my account to @JoeJustice (@JoeJustice0) February 13, 2019
The good news is that according to Justice, Delta did an amazing job. You can imagine that everyone, including the staff, was terrified after all of this went down. But they acted like professionals and made sure to keep everyone as safe and informed as they could.
Thanks for the positive comments regarding the flight crew. They're someone's daughter/son. One of them happened to be mine. So thankful all will be okay. Big hugs to all on this flight!
— Sally Mednansky (@smednan) February 14, 2019
Working with Delta was the Compass Airline crew. They also made a huge difference in helping the situation.
We can never know. But the people that were there were amazing. Truly, this @Compassairlines flight team is what I wish I had every flight, any flight. Because when “work” got really bad, they just about flowed as they helped others and each other.
— I switched my account to @JoeJustice (@JoeJustice0) February 14, 2019
Predicting turbulence isn’t a perfect science, and it’s caused people to avoid flying. And that’s huge if you think about it. It means you’ll probably never get the opportunity to travel overseas.
However, an actual flight attendant — who’s flown more than all of us — commented that these situations are incredibly rare. While scary, it’s unlikely to happen to someone twice in one lifetime.
You're about as likely to win the lottery as to have turbulance like this. I was a flight attendant for 6 years, I flew like crazy and never experienced anything close to this.
— Rachel Welk Hunter (@hunter_welk) February 14, 2019
Others who viewed the video felt as if maybe drink carts should change in the future, in case something like this were to happen again. Plastic would probably be safer, right?
But then again, when your plane nose dives twice — like this flight reportedly did — anything can be a hazard. Being able to calm the nerves of the passengers after those incidents must have been quite tough.
— Thamollusk (@thamollusk) February 14, 2019
Aside from the pizza — which was hopefully not terrible — Delta reportedly bought a businessman a new Under Armour golf shirt. Since the cart overturned, he got coffee and food on the white shirt he was wearing on the flight.
It’s an act of goodwill, for sure. (Let’s just hope he didn’t accidentally get a pizza stain on the brand new shirt).
Unfortunately, dangerous weather conditions are expected for at least one more day, due to storms on the West Coast. Most of the time, turbulence takes place when hot and cold air meet up.
Let’s review today’s flying adventures:
— Cassie A. H. Moore (@cassieahmoore) February 12, 2019
We flew out ahead of a blizzard
We flew into an ice storm that grounded us for 3 hours
We flew straight through a severe thunderstorm
We had insane turbulence ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/t3ARjxf9O6
But, there are other factors that can cause changes in air temperature as well, aside from general weather conditions. The CBC reports that there are four different types. The mildest, you probably don’t even notice.
Moderate turbulence is something that most flyers have probably felt before, and it can cause a drink to spill. Extreme turbulence gets so bad that the aircraft itself may face damages, and the pilot may actually lose control of the plane.
And if that actually happens to you, you might develop a fear of flying. Or at least, a fear of turbulence.
But, here’s the good news. The CBC also mentioned that you’re more likely to die in an incident involving a rollercoaster than one that involves air turbulence. Even though three people went to the hospital this time, they were mostly unscathed.
So, what do you do if you have a flight in the near future? For one, you’ll want to be prepared. The Telegraph spoke with different pilots and asked them for their best advice in how to stop stressing over the turbulence that might come around. Again, these are mostly suggestions for mild to moderate turbulence, as severe turbulence isn’t currently that common.
One suggested butt clenching. Okay. Sounds a little weird, but if that’s a good way to relieve tension without a lot of people noticing, then you do you.
Another suggested writing on a piece of paper. And no, not your last wishes in case of a crash. Just writing your name over and over would help your brain focus on something else. Or, you could be like me and focus on what kind of pizza toppings you’ll get on your delivery pie when you successfully reach your destination. (Yes, it all comes back to pizza for me).
You can also try to book a seat at the front of the plane. Even though you won’t avoid turbulence, you’ll allegedly feel it less severely than if you were in the back.
Alcohol and drinks with a fizz may also make your anxiety even worse. Bad turbulence may make you feel a little sick, so adding booze to that is just a bad idea. Stick to water (and if you think it’ll get really bad, avoid hot beverages as well!).
Next time you eat pizza, don’t forget the courageous people who survived the Delta flight with nothing but positive words. The whole crew proved that they had a handle on the situation, and the passengers seemed to behave like a real community.
