Originally Posted by LarryJ

Avoiding turbulence is complex and the information we have available is far from perfect. The technology and weather products we have today have improved significantly over the past decade but sometimes we're still down to making an educated guess. Sometimes it's obvious that there will be turbulence. High winds, convective activity, lenticular clouds, etc. Many times it is not. We have a lot of information on our iPads now that wasn't available in the past.

We start with the radar, which will show convective activity. We also have two turbulence forecast models; one is generated by a meteorologist and another that is computer generated. It is interesting to see how often they disagree.

Next is pilot reports of turbulence, or smooth air. These reports are collected via flight service stations, ATC, and dispatchers and entered into the National Weather Service system for dissemination. There is also a system called TAPS which receives automated reports from hundreds of airliners of turbulence and winds aloft. Relatively new in an iPad add that uses the iPad's accelerometers to monitor turbulence and report it through the ship's wifi connection and is displayed on other flight's iPads that are running the same app. Most of these data sources can be displayed as an interactive map, or on a profile view, which can help us pick smoother altitudes.

Often, we end up flying through an area where turbulence is forecast, or reported, but get a smooth ride anyway. This may be why the seatbelt sign is on even though there is no turbulence. We are anticipating turbulence even while we are working to avoid it.

We have made good improvements in reducing flight attendant turbulence injuries, which usually occur when the seatbelt sign is on but the F/As are up doing their service, though the use of new procedures. Any UAL flier has probably heard the "F/As take your jumpseats", "F/As be seated immediately, and "F/As check in" PA announcements. Those are part of our procedures to keep the F/As safe by directing specific actions from the F/As.

If you're interested, stop by the cockpit during boarding and ask about the turbulence information of our iPads. We'll have lots of pretty maps to show off.

And please keep your seatbelts fastened when seated, and stay seated when the seatbelt sign is on. If it seems like we've forgotten the sign, and the F/As are up, ask them to check with us up front to see if it's safe to get up.