If you’re the type of traveler who grips the armrests at the slightest shimmy, you might want to double-check your itinerary. While turbulence is a perfectly normal part of flying—usually caused by jet streams, mountainous terrain, or atmospheric pressure—some routes are consistently "shakier" than others.
According to data analyzed by turbli, the levels of turbulence are measured by the Eddy Dissipation Rate (edr). To put it simply: the higher the edr, the more you'll feel like you're on a roller coaster.
The Top 10 Most Turbulent Routes
The list is dominated by flights crossing the Andes and the Tibetan Plateau. Mountain waves—air currents that get disrupted as they flow over high peaks—are the primary culprits here.
Rank | Route | Distance (km) | Avg. Turbulence (edr) |
1 | Mendoza (MDZ) – Santiago (SCL) | 196 | 22.983 |
2 | Xining (XNN) – Yinchuan (INC) | 433 | 18.935 |
3 | Chengdu (TFU) – Xining (XNN) | 724 | 18.758 |
4 | Cordoba (COR) – Santiago (SCL) | 660 | 18.643 |
5 | Santa Cruz (VVI) – Santiago (SCL) | 1,905 | 18.336 |
6 | Chengdu (TFU) – Lanzhou (LHW) | 692 | 18.322 |
7 | Mendoza (MDZ) – Salta (SLA) | 940 | 18.307 |
8 | Chengdu (CTU) – Yinchuan (INC) | 890 | 18.282 |
9 | Xining (XNN) – Lhasa (LXA) | 1,312 | 18.181 |
10 | Denver (DEN) – Jackson (JAC) | 653 | 18.180 |
Key Takeaways
The Andes are King: The flight from Mendoza to Santiago takes the top spot by a significant margin. It's a short hop across the highest mountains in the Americas, making it a legendary route for frequent fliers who prefer their martinis stirred, not shaken.
The "Mountain Wave" Effect: Notice a pattern? Most of these routes involve Santiago (Chile) or locations in Western China. Both regions are adjacent to massive mountain ranges that trigger "mountain wave turbulence," which occurs even when the skies look perfectly clear.
North American Hotspot: The route from Denver to Jackson is the only North American entry in the top 10, thanks to the unpredictable air flowing over the Rocky Mountains.
Pro Tip: If you find yourself on one of these routes, try to book a seat over the wings. Since this is the plane's center of gravity, you'll feel the bumps much less than if you're sitting in the very back!