00:00 As planes travel through rainy or wintry weather,
00:03 I've been flying airplanes for over 40 years,
00:06 so I have seen all types of weather.
00:10 It's not unusual to experience some turbulence on your flights.
00:14 It's just simply a change in wind direction or speed.
00:18 So you can think of it as just a little bit of a bumpy road.
00:23 United Airlines is using a tool on their planes to help pilots navigate rough air.
00:27 Other airlines are using it too.
00:30 Well, SkyPath is a great new tool for us.
00:33 We started testing it several years ago and now we incorporate it into our operations.
00:38 Mary Ann Schaefer, United Systems Chief Pilot, showed us how it works.
00:42 The app collects details on thousands of flights a day
00:46 and what kind of turbulence the crew experienced.
00:49 So you can see there's a lot of kind of white shapes and that means it's smooth
00:54 and the yellow means light turbulence and then the orange means moderate turbulence.
01:00 It helps pilots and air traffic controllers determine safer routes.
01:03 We use it in our pre-flight planning as well before we come to the airplane
01:08 so we can understand how to share the information we already know
01:12 with the flight attendants and the passengers before we depart.
01:14 Even with all of this information ahead of time,
01:21 Schaefer says conditions can quickly change in the skies.
01:24 Also remember turbulence can happen even when there are no clouds.
01:28 We have our clear air turbulence and sometimes that's the most risky
01:31 and most challenging to forecast.
01:33 Following directions from your flight crew can minimize injuries when things get a little bumpy.
01:39 And when we turn on the seat belt sign or tell you it's going to be coming on,
01:43 it's really important that you actually follow that guidance.
01:47 Sit down and fasten your seat belts.
01:49 Reporting in Chicago for AccuWeather, I'm Emmy Victor.
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