Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA representing more than 50,000 at 20 airlines, said initial reports seemed to indicate clear-air turbulence, considered to be the most dangerous type of turbulence.
Clear-air turbulence cannot be seen and is virtually undetectable with technology, making it important for passengers to wear seatbelts whenever seated, she said.
"It is a matter of life and death," Nelson said.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents more than 77,000 pilots at 41 US and Canadian airlines, echoed that message, saying the safest way for passengers to protect themselves is by making sure their seatbelts are always fastened.
Turbulence-related airline accidents are the most common type of accident, a 2021 study by the US National Transportation Safety Board said.
In March this year, a Boeing 787 plane operated by LATAM Airlines dropped abruptly mid-flight, causing injuries to more than 50 people.
Aerospace safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said passengers need to minimise their movement on flights and always stay buckled in, regardless of the seatbelt light.
American Airlines requires its pilots to turn the seatbelt sign on and instruct passengers and flight attendants to sit immediately when turbulence is severe.
Flight attendants have to remain seated until notified by the flight's captain or the seatbelt sign is turned off. Other airlines have similar protocols.
Some pilots said leaving a seatbelt sign on throughout the flight would backfire as passengers would start to ignore it.
"The seatbelt sign means something, and if you leave it on all the time, it means nothing," said Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association and pilot for American Airlines.
"Everyone will say it's a sign that doesn't mean anything."
Reuters
After Singapore Airlines turbulence accident, flight crews urge buckling up
Image: 123RF / Martinkay78
Buckle up. That is the message from flight attendants and pilots after the severe turbulence encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday that resulted in the death of one passenger and injured dozens of others.
The London-to-Singapore flight hit heavy turbulence over the Indian Ocean and descended 6,000 feet in about three minutes before an emergency landing in Bangkok.
Weather forecasting service AccuWeather said satellite and lightning data showed "explosive thunderstorms" developing close to the flight path. Developing thunderstorms can leave pilots with little time to react, it said.
Airlines are required by law to switch on the seatbelt sign during takeoff and landing, but carriers have their own procedures to deal with mid-air turbulence.
A witness on the Singapore Airlines flight said people who were not in their seatbelts were thrown around the cabin when the plane dipped, many hitting their heads.
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said the plane encountered sudden, extreme turbulence.
6,000-foot fall, passengers fly into overhead cabins on Singapore Airlines flight hit by turbulence
Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA representing more than 50,000 at 20 airlines, said initial reports seemed to indicate clear-air turbulence, considered to be the most dangerous type of turbulence.
Clear-air turbulence cannot be seen and is virtually undetectable with technology, making it important for passengers to wear seatbelts whenever seated, she said.
"It is a matter of life and death," Nelson said.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents more than 77,000 pilots at 41 US and Canadian airlines, echoed that message, saying the safest way for passengers to protect themselves is by making sure their seatbelts are always fastened.
Turbulence-related airline accidents are the most common type of accident, a 2021 study by the US National Transportation Safety Board said.
In March this year, a Boeing 787 plane operated by LATAM Airlines dropped abruptly mid-flight, causing injuries to more than 50 people.
Aerospace safety expert Anthony Brickhouse said passengers need to minimise their movement on flights and always stay buckled in, regardless of the seatbelt light.
American Airlines requires its pilots to turn the seatbelt sign on and instruct passengers and flight attendants to sit immediately when turbulence is severe.
Flight attendants have to remain seated until notified by the flight's captain or the seatbelt sign is turned off. Other airlines have similar protocols.
Some pilots said leaving a seatbelt sign on throughout the flight would backfire as passengers would start to ignore it.
"The seatbelt sign means something, and if you leave it on all the time, it means nothing," said Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association and pilot for American Airlines.
"Everyone will say it's a sign that doesn't mean anything."
Reuters
READ MORE:
Singapore Air suffers fatality, passenger injuries amid severe turbulence on flight
Japan Airlines counts losses from wrecked Tokyo plane
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