Originally Posted by pinworm

There was one crash due to turbulence...in Japan in 1960..but the pilot went off plan to give the pax a special view of mount Fuji and got caught in a freak mountain wave.

Windshear on take off or approach can be a problem..but that's a different story.

Turbulence feels worse than it is. The aircraft, even in heavy turb, rarely moves more than 50ft. Our inner ears are sensitive to negative g acceleration and that's why pax always over estimate turbulence's severity.
The plane is not going to fall out of the sky, flip over, or break up.

If you want to reduce the sensation, there are some tricks. I use them all the time:

Get an aisle seat in the middle of the aircraft, this part moves less than the extremities, and less than the window seats.

Close your eyes. Part of the icky feeling is disparity between the information your eyes, ears, and nerve endings give your brain. Closing your eyes eliminates 1/3 of the problem.

Lift your feet off the floor during bumps. This slightly reduces contact points between yourself and the aircraft, and reduces the sensations by about 15%.

Dramamine, Benzodiazepines, even alcohol...but never together! Sleeping helps, and if you are somewhat sedated you don't feel it as much. Or care.

Morning flights..especially in summer..are less turbulent in general. Cold air is a bit more stable than rising warm air. But look at your times and routes. For example, NEVER book a flight into PHX between 1pm and 8pm during July and August...monsoonal mosture and storms pop up. Avoid flying over northern Texas in Feb when the jet stream drops down from central Canada.