While eating dinner in Boston, Craig Dixon, a "turbulence expert," receives a phone call from his "facilitator", who instructs him to board a flight to Sarasota later that evening.

"Talented" individuals such as Dixon are required on flights that will encounter clear-air turbulence, with their terror triggering telepathic abilities that prevent the plane from crashing.

[5] Stephen Spignesi noted that "The Turbulence Expert" represents one of King's occasional forays into science fiction, commenting "he doesn't 'let us down' (pun intended) with his latest effort.

[10] Reviewing You Like It Darker for Bloody Disgusting, Jenn Adams suggested that "The Turbulence Expert" would "play on existing fears of airline travel" but "feel[s] slight and may not evoke the same powerful response in readers without similar life experiences.

"[11] Critiquing elements of the plot, Michael Washburn suggested that "King's concept here is interesting, but he might have thought it through with more rigor [...] and set [it] aside if he could not resolve its contradictions".

[14] Reviewing You Like It Darker, Justin Hamelin suggested that "'The Turbulence Expert' and 'Red Screen' would make for nice Creepshow episodes, with no overt gruesome horror but plenty of weird vibes.