Southwest Airlines said it will end cabin service earlier on flights starting next month.
Starting Dec. 4, a company spokesman said, flight attendants will begin preparing the cabin for landing at 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) instead of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). The company said the change in procedures is designed to “reduce the risk of injury from in-flight turbulence” for crew members and passengers.
For passengers, that means they will have to go through normal pre-landing procedures – such as making sure their seatbelts are fastened and returning their seats to an upright position – sooner than before.
While turbulence-related deaths are quite rare, injuries pile up over the years. More than one-third of all aviation incidents in the United States from 2009 to 2018 involved turbulence, and most resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the aircraft, National Transportation Safety Board report.
In May, a 73-year-old man died on a Singapore Airlines flight when the plane encountered severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean.
The airline has also previously announced other changes.
Starting next year, Southwest will roll out the half-century traditional “open seating” – Passengers choose their own seats after boarding the plane.
