flight turbulence forecast

AA111 turbulence forecast

American Airlines · Rome (FCO) to Chicago (ORD)

The forecast for its last flight, Wed 7 Oct

We have no upcoming AA111 departure on record, so this is the forecast its most recent flight carried.

Bumpiest stretchModerate

Smooth or light most of the way, with occasional moderate bumps after takeoff. The belt sign will likely come on.

FCO09:49Rome
10h 40m
ORD13:17Chicago
Model run 7 Oct, 12:00 UTC
FCOORD
SmoothLightModerateSevere The planned route of AA111, coloured stretch by stretch by its forecast.
Bumpiest stretch
Moderate
Flight time
10h 40m
Distance
7,751 km
Cruise altitude
37,000 ft
Weather models
3 blended
Model agreement
Medium
Aircraft
Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Bumpiness along the flight

Takeoff on the left, landing on the right. The higher the line, the bumpier the air the forecast expects at that moment.

SmoothLightModerateSevere 2h4h6h8h Take off Landing

Where, and why

The flight split into stretches: how bumpy each is forecast to be, and what causes it.

Cruise0m – 2h 21mLight

Jet-stream wind shear

Where fast air slides over slower air, usually at the edge of the jet stream, the boundary ripples like a flag. It's the most common kind of turbulence, and it's on the crew's charts before departure. When they meet it, they slow to a set turbulence speed and ride it out.

At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a band of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast shows where those edges are.

Cruise2h 21m – 2h 59mModerate

Jet-stream wind shear

Where fast air slides over slower air, usually at the edge of the jet stream, the boundary ripples like a flag. It's the most common kind of turbulence, and it's on the crew's charts before departure. When they meet it, they slow to a set turbulence speed and ride it out.

At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a band of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast shows where those edges are.

Cruise2h 59m – 5h 12mLight

Jet-stream wind shear

Where fast air slides over slower air, usually at the edge of the jet stream, the boundary ripples like a flag. It's the most common kind of turbulence, and it's on the crew's charts before departure. When they meet it, they slow to a set turbulence speed and ride it out.

At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a band of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast shows where those edges are.

Cruise5h 12m – 6h 13mModerate

Jet-stream wind shear

Where fast air slides over slower air, usually at the edge of the jet stream, the boundary ripples like a flag. It's the most common kind of turbulence, and it's on the crew's charts before departure. When they meet it, they slow to a set turbulence speed and ride it out.

At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a band of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast shows where those edges are.

Cruise6h 13m – 10h 40mSmooth

Nothing significant forecast here.

At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a band of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast shows where those edges are.

Thunderstorms near the route

Between 31m and 4h 35m into the flight the forecast has a few thunderstorms, the nearest about 50 km from the planned line.

The ride line can stay calm with storms nearby. It follows the planned track at cruise height, above most storm tops. Pilots don't fly through storms: the weather radar in the nose shows each one, and the rule is to stay at least 20 nautical miles (about 37 km) away. Usually that means a detour of a few minutes.

The ride line stays calm here because the route as planned keeps its distance from them.

in the app

This forecast changes. FlyBud tells you when.

A new weather model run lands every few hours. Add AA111 in FlyBud and you get the full turbulence map along your route, a push when the forecast for your flight changes, live tracking and your flight on the lock screen.

Flight status

The latest AA111 flight on our records, as the airline last reported it.

AA111 · Wed 7 OctArrived · 23 min early
Departs · FCO
09:49
Scheduled 10:00 · Terminal 3
Arrives · ORD
13:17
Scheduled 13:40 · Terminal 5

Last update 29 days ago

Gate changes, delays and the baggage belt, pushed to your phone as they happen.

The aircraft

What AA111 is flown with, and how it handles bumpy air.

Boeing 787-9

Type code
B789
Seats on this flight
285
First flew
2009
In service since
2011
Economy seating
3-3-3
Engines
2
Range
15,370 km
Cabin pressure equal to
6,000 ft

Bigger and heavier aircraft are moved less by the same patch of air, and every airliner is designed for much stronger turbulence than it will meet.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner safety record →

The airline

American Airlines

Flying since
1926
Alliance
oneworld
Hubs
Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare
Country
United States

American Airlines safety record →

on your lock screen

AA111 without unlocking your phone

Gate, delay, time to landing and the next bumpy stretch, on the lock screen from boarding to the baggage belt.

The route

Rome (FCO) → Chicago (ORD)

Distance
7,751 km
Flight time
10h 40m
Usual departure
10:00 local
Usual arrival
13:40 local

Forecast any other route →

Recent AA111 flights

The forecast each flight carried, and how it ran.

DateAircraftForecastHow it ran
Wed 7 Oct 787 Moderate 23 min early

What each level feels like

Smooth
Calm air. Nothing to notice beyond the hum of the engines.
Light
Gentle ripples and the odd dip. Drinks stay put, and walking to the toilet is fine.
Moderate
Clear bumps. Drinks may slosh and the belt sign comes on. Uncomfortable, but the pilots stay in full control.
Severe
Strong jolts, and loose items can move. This is rare, and it's why the belt sign exists. Crews slow down and change altitude to get out of it.

How this forecast is made

The planned route is sampled from gate to gate at the altitude the aircraft flies, through 3 independent global weather models, and corrected with turbulence reports radioed in by pilots in the last few hours. Each new model run replaces the forecast; nothing here is a guess from the airline's history.

The weather models behind this forecast mostly agree; the bumpy patches may shift a little.

Planned route · timing and conditions may change.

the live map

Watch the air along the route move

The app draws the route of AA111 over the moving forecast: bumpy air, storms and the winds at cruise height. Scrub through the flight hour by hour.

Why turbulence isn't dangerous

Aircraft are designed for much worse.

Airliners are tested to loads well beyond anything turbulence produces. The wings are meant to flex, so seeing them move is normal.

Crews know where it is.

Your crew has forecasts like this one, live reports from other pilots and their own weather radar, and they change altitude to stay out of bumpy air.

Keep your belt on.

Almost all turbulence injuries happen to people who are standing or not buckled in. Seated with your belt on, turbulence is uncomfortable but not dangerous.

Is turbulence dangerous? The long answer →

Questions about AA111

Will AA111 be bumpy?

Forecasts for AA111 open about three days before departure. Until then no weather model reaches far enough ahead to say anything honest about the ride.

What plane flies AA111?

Recently AA111 has been flown with: Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Airlines can swap the aircraft until shortly before departure.

How long is AA111?

About 10h 40m gate to gate from Rome to Chicago, a distance of about 7,751 km.

What time does AA111 leave?

AA111 usually departs Rome at 10:00 local time and arrives in Chicago at 13:40 local time. Times change; the app tracks the live schedule.

Is turbulence dangerous on AA111?

Turbulence is uncomfortable, not dangerous to the aircraft. Airliners are certified for loads far beyond anything turbulence produces, and crews plan around the bumpy patches with the same kind of forecast as this one. Injuries are almost always to people who were standing or unbuckled, so keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated.

How accurate is this turbulence forecast?

It is a forecast, so it is best within a day or so of departure and improves with every model run. The bumpy patches it finds are usually in the right place, but their timing can shift by a few minutes and the crew may change altitude to avoid them, so the ride you get is often smoother than the forecast.

flybud

Fly AA111 knowing what's ahead

The turbulence forecast for your exact flight, live tracking, delay alerts and arrival weather. Built for people who'd rather know.

AA111Moderate