Southwest Airlines says it is ending its cabin service earlier on its flights starting next month.
Beginning on Dec. 4, a company spokesperson said, flight attendants will begin preparing the cabin for landing at an altitude of 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) instead of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). The change in procedure is designed to 鈥渞educe the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries鈥� for crew members and passengers, the company said.
For passengers, that means they will need to do the usual pre-landing procedures 鈥� such as ensuring their seatbelts are fastened and returning their seats to an upright position 鈥� earlier than before.
While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, over the years. More than one-third of all airline incidents in the United States from 2009 through 2018 were related to turbulence, and most of them resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the plane, the .
In May, a 73-year old man when the plane hit severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean.
The airline had also previously announced other changes.
Starting next year, Southwest will toss out a half-century 鈥� passengers picking their own seats after boarding the plane.
Associated Press, The Associated Press
