I know that the Triangle was pretty much legend back in the days but now, given that there is so much technology involved with respect to tracking and communications, do pilots, flights and airlines still have reservations about flying over this area? If so, why, and if not, are there regular flights/airlines that go over this route every day?
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3$\begingroup$ See travel.stackexchange.com/questions/89252/… $\endgroup$– 60levelchangeCommented Mar 21, 2017 at 17:30
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1$\begingroup$ It does appear that most of the major airlines avoid using flight 13, though $\endgroup$– TomMcWCommented Mar 21, 2017 at 22:12
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3$\begingroup$ @TomMcW That's for marketing to those who might be superstitious! As for the Bermuda triangle, I've flown through it any number of times & that phrase has never even crossed my mind. To say it's a "non-issue" would over-emphasize how much the notion of any Bermuda Triangle is even considered these days. $\endgroup$– Ralph J ♦Commented Mar 21, 2017 at 22:56
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7$\begingroup$ @RalphJ People that buy into the Bermuda Triangle myth have trouble getting a pilot's license. They can never get the great circles to line up properly on the flat earth $\endgroup$– TomMcWCommented Mar 21, 2017 at 22:59
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2$\begingroup$ There is no evidence whatsoever that the "Bermuda triangle", which is not a thing, it's an entirely invented concept, is any different to any other part of the world. Lloyds Shipping doesn't even rank it in the top 10 "risk" areas. $\endgroup$– SimonCommented Mar 22, 2017 at 8:08
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2 Answers
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A quick check of a site like Flightradar24 will show that the area is not overly avoided. The triangle between the southern tip of Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico has quite a bit of traffic.
The southern part is a busy route from Florida to Puerto Rico and other areas in the Caribbean. The rest is also part of routes from the east coast to the Caribbean and South America.
While the idea of an area causing mysterious disappearances is understandably popular, evidence suggests that the area has not been significantly more dangerous than other areas in the world. As noted, it's an important route between Florida and the Caribbean, and one would expect lots of traffic in this area, and therefore lots of incidents.
While navigation issues were once a not-infrequent cause of air incidents, modern technology has made this sort of thing much more rare. Airline flights are monitored by ATC. Anomalies in either magnetic bearings or radio aids such as VOR or GPS are routinely surveyed and listed on navigation charts. I took a quick look and nothing seemed to stand out here. Weather forecasting has also become much more helpful with the usage of long range weather radar and weather satellites.
A look at incidents in this area shows most incidents were in the 1960s or earlier. The few recent air incidents seem to be nothing out of the ordinary. General aviation accidents are fairly common (flying into a level 6 thunderstorm also not advised), and airliners divert due to technical issues fairly frequently.
While some people may have apprehensions about the area, this concern doesn't seem to be supported by a higher than normal rate of incidents and the area is routinely traveled by both ships and aircraft.
From Flightradar24.com
Don't worry about that question mark, I'm sure it's totally routine, nothing to see here
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$\begingroup$ I like the comment on the question mark, I was going to comment on it and just before I started typing a response, I saw your comment. Thanks, but my other question remains, what do pilots flying over this route think? Do they like it, do they want to avoid it? $\endgroup$– Di437Commented Mar 21, 2017 at 17:11
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4$\begingroup$ @Di437 That is rather opinionated, and off-topic for this site. One pilot might think its another trip to Puerto Rico and the next wears a tinfoil hat the entire way. Some may avoid it, others couldn't care less. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 21, 2017 at 18:15
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3$\begingroup$ I read your comment about the question mark and spent 3 minutes looking for it! $\endgroup$– FreeManCommented Mar 22, 2017 at 20:22
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$\begingroup$ I have flown in that area numerous times and it never concerned me in the slightest. Just an antiquated myth... $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 31, 2019 at 18:26
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I flew a C172 into the Bermuda Triangle (Bimini) with my family aboard on my Commercial license qualifying flight in 1976 and never gave a thought to the supposed "danger" flying there.
