Thermals on Approach

[Kite23]

As an avid flyer (pax) I have noticed that on finals into Tenerife Sur the aircraft often descends very quickly and then recovers, although not always to it's original height. I assume that this is due to seashore thermals but my question is this. How disconcerting is this to the pilot and what implications does it pose to the intended flightpath at such a critical stage?

[Notso Fantastic]

It's no problem. Any pilot should be ready for thermals/crosswinds etc on final approach and handle them easily. The sensation in the cabin is completely false- what can feel like a fall of hundreds of feet is usually almost nothing.

[expedite_climb]

Kite, I hate to point it out but as an aeroplane is coming in to land it is actually descending !! So, it won't recover to the original height ! (or altitude).

You are however correct about TFS. It is often windy there, with the wind changing direction considerably during the late stages of the approach.

There are some little hills on final that always seem to cause a disturbance and turb about 500' out, - 1.5 to 2 miles from the runway. Perhaps this is what you experienced.