AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the ocean last Sunday at the same time thunderstorms towering 44,000 feet high were battering the area. And earlierin December, five people were hospitalized after an American Airlines flight from Seoul to Dallas/Fort Worth diverted to Tokyo Narita because of turbulence. Such incidents of severe weather in the skies have many questioning whether it's safe to fly. Air transportation experts contend it still is. Airplanes are designed to withstand even the most wicked of storms. And while, as a frequent flier, I must admit the airways do seem choppier of late, such turbulence is no cause for alarm.