Last October 9, Sunday morning, and Air New Zealand flight en route from Saigon, Vietnam to Auckland, New Zealand met some extreme turbulence, causing 3 crew and 1 passenger to get injured.
The incident happened during mealtime, which caught the crew and passengers off-guard.
"Flight from hell," describes one passenger on her Facebook post, according to News Hub NZ,
"We hit some really bad turbulence, the plane drops and all my food flies all over the floor and me." The passenger alleges that everyone started screaming, and that the crew were calling on the loudspeaker, looking for a doctor.
The plane then turned around, and passengers were accommodated in Saigon until they were arranged to proceed on a flight that departed the next morning.
Asked for comment on the incident, and Air NZ spokesperson said, "We thank customers for their patience."
Recurring Incident
Despite being dubbed the 7th safest country in the world, it seems this kind of incident had happened with Air NZ before, particularly last January, where a flight from Tokyo to Auckland also encountered unexpected turbulence during meal time. On this occasion, food scattered all over the plane, and passengers were also left in a state of panic and shock, with some even having to undergo review by doctors on-board.
Perhaps with these turbulence issues, it would be smart to look at other modes of hyper-fast transportation or safer aircraft technology.
Types of Turbulence
Stuff NZ gives us a quick overview of common types of turbulence:
1. Convective Turbulence
Thunderstorms heat land, and force warm air to rise into clouds. When clouds get heavy, it causes a sudden downpour causing a downdraft of cold air.
2. Mechanical Turbulence
This is caused by tall obstructions such as mountains, trees, and buildings that can disrupt airflow.
3. Wake Turbulence
This typically happens at airports, when one aircraft is caught in the "wake" of another aircraft.
4. Clear-air Turbulence
This type of turbulence is the hardest to spot. It happens in the high atmosphere where air currents are affected by the planet's rotation and the heat from the sun.
Air New Zealand in the News
Besides turbulent flights, Air NZ is also known for their creative in-flight videos, featuring characters from "The Lord of the Rings".
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
