Do commercial airlines fly above thunderstorms?

Question

I'm booking a flight for this weekend /beginning of the week and I have some flexibility on the day.

I'm flying from Michigan - to - California ( LA) and I see Thunderstorms predicted all weekend and the first few days of the week.

As I'm sure you picked up on I'm a bit of a nervous flyer and I just want to avoid to much turbulence since I'm a scary cat ;)

Any words of advice?

Thanks,

Peace

Answer 1

in some cases if your already in flight and the storm isn't that bad they will fly above it but if it is bad they will land asap if you haven't left yet then it will be delayed. =)

Answer 2

It depends. Commercial jets usually fly between 25,000 and 35,000 feet. Sometimes thunderheads go up to 55,000 feet. With that being said they usually avoid thunderstorms. The only time they can't is when there is a really long line of them that they can't fly around or upon taking off and landing, but then they wait until the worst is passed.

It tough to predict if you are going to get bumps or not, you can even get turbulence in clear weather. Pilots try their best to aviod any rough weather, if possible.

Answer 3

Airplanes don't fly in storms,thunderstorms,snow storms,etc. to be exact!The plane time will be delayed. It will go as soon as possible. Well, that happened to me.Some airlines and airports are different. It really depends on what airplane you are traveling on and the pilot.Most people are nervous fliers just like you, i am too.So don't worry!The airport will take care of it.If you are really worried than call the airport you are going on.Extra details:

~Bring liquids[lip gloss,shampoo,toothpaste,etc] that are small [ no larger than 3.4 oz.] in a quart zip loc bag

~Pack Make-Up safely in Bags, No lip gloss

~Only carry one carry on bag per person.

~Go to bathroom in airport before leaving the airport[some bathrooms may be really dirty]

~pack some extra clothes in carry on in case your suitcase doesn't get to the airport in time.

~Have Fun, Enjoy Your Ride

~If phone available, do not use often. it costs about 15$ to talk for 2 mins!

Answer 4

No, airliners never intentionally fly over, in, or near, a thunderstorm.

The first reason being that thunderstorms can build to heights of over 50,000 feet, while this isn't terribly common outside of the summer months, they can still easily reach 35,000 feet. The Boeing 737-800, as well as the vast majority of civilian jetliners have a maximum flight altitude of 41,000 feet. So they would be unable to fly through a tall thunderstorm. Flight through a thunderstorm is strongly disapproved of by the FAA for ANY pilot, and in the Air Carrier world can result in being dismissed and having your certificate revoked.

The proper procedure for all aircraft is to divert a minimum of twenty miles to either side of a thunderstorm even when they can fly over it. This is because some of the strongest turbulence (categorized as Severe to Extreme) can be found above the thunderstorm due to the immense amounts of warm air being lifted up from lower altitudes. Thunderstorms can also throw hail large enough to seriously damage any aircraft up to 20 miles to either side of the storm. In addition, heavy turbulence can be found on all sides of the storm.

Always remember that your pilots are in the aircraft with you, and they want to live just as much as you do. Your pilots are incredibly well trained and they take their profession very seriously.