Southwest Airlines says cabin service will be suspended earlier to reduce risk of injury – NBC4 WCMH-TV

Southwest Airlines says it will suspend early cabin service on its flights starting next month.

Starting Dec. 4, a company spokesman 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 procedural change is intended to “reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence-related injuries” to crew members and passengers, the company said.

For passengers, this means they will have to carry out standard pre-landing procedures earlier than before – such as making sure their seat belts are fastened and their seats are returned to an upright position.

While turbulence-related deaths are rare, injuries have increased over the years. More than a third of all airline incidents in the United States between 2009 and 2018 were turbulence-related, and most of them 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 aboard a Singapore Airlines flight when the plane encountered severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean.

The airline had previously announced further changes.

Starting next year, Southwest will abandon a 50-year tradition of “open seating” — passengers choosing their own seats after boarding the plane.