Why bumpy flights are happening much more frequently

Four people were hospitalised after severe turbulence caused chaos on a flight from Honolulu to Sydney last week.

Last month, a young British family told Today they were certain their plane was going to plummet into the ocean after the aircraft went through extreme turbulence and suddenly dropped mid-flight from Singapore to Heathrow.

These are just the latest in a spate of high turbulence incidents, with experts warning bumpy flights are about to become a lot more common as climate change intensifies clear air turbulence.

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But former Qantas pilot Richard de Crespigny told Today turbulence is always there and pilots have radars to avoid it.

"You can't see the turbulence in clear air so it's unexpected," he said.

"That's why people think you don't see any effects, but pilots can predict them.

As for the increase in injuries from mid-air turbulence on flights, de Crespigny said it's because passengers aren't wearing seatbelts.

"If we are used to wearing seatbelts in the car, why don't we instinctively put them on in the plane?" he said.

See what else Richard had to say in the video above

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