A closer look

Despite what your aggressively gripping hands on the armrest might tell you, hitting a bumpy patch of air is not a death sentence. Modern commercial jets are engineered to withstand structural stress forces far beyond whatever rough weather the atmosphere can throw at them. While turbulence can definitely spill your hot coffee or concuss a flight attendant who isn't strapped in, it physically cannot snap the wings off a Boeing or Airbus during regular flight operations.