Southwest Airlines says it is ending its cabin service early on its flights starting next month.
Starting Dec. 4, a company spokesperson said, flight attendants will begin preparing the cabin for landing at an altitude of 18,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. The change in procedure is intended to “reduce the risk of injuries from in-flight turbulence” for crew members and passengers, the company said.
For passengers, this means doing the usual pre-landing procedures – such as making sure their seat belts are fastened and returning their seats to the upright position – earlier than before.
Although deaths from turbulence are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years. More than a third of all aviation incidents in the United States between 2009 and 2018 were related to turbulence, and most of those resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board reported.
In May, a 73-year-old man died on board a Singapore Airlines flight when the plane severe turbulence hit over the Indian Ocean.
The airline had also previously announced other changes.
From next year, Southwest will throw overboard a tradition of half a century of “open seating”: passengers choose their own seat after boarding the aircraft.
