Is the tray table already installed?
Southwest Airlines said the change, which will require passengers to prepare for landing about 10 minutes earlier than usual, could reduce cabin service times to ensure passenger safety.
The airline confirmed to the Times that the changes to procedures began on Wednesday, but it is not clear what changes will be made to food and beverage service on short-haul flights such as those between Los Angeles and San Francisco or Las Vegas (which take about an hour and 15 minutes). He did not respond to questions about whether it would have an impact. half.
Shorter flights between the Hawaiian Islands, such as 20 to 40 minutes, may result in no beverage service at all, including water, according to Beat of Hawaii Travel News. (You can purchase drinks to bring on board or fill a reusable water bottle before departure.)
“Starting December 4, Southwest Airlines flight attendants will begin preparing cabins for landings at 18,000 feet,” the flight attendants said in a statement. ” the airline wrote. statement.
Previously, preparations for landing began at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the airline said.
Earlier this year, one person was killed and 20 others were injured on a Singapore Airlines flight due to cabin turbulence as it descended 6,000 feet in about three minutes.
A video of turbulence in a plane cabin went viral last year. A Scandinavian Airlines flight bound for Miami shook as the plane shook, sending drinks and loose objects flying into the air and causing screams from passengers. The plane made an emergency landing in Greenland and returned to Europe. No injuries were reported during the flight.
According to a recent MIT study, turbulence fatalities are extremely rare and flying is still statistically safer than ever.
Some meteorologists and aviation experts say climate change may be the cause of more frequent turbulence during passenger plane flights.
The number of moderate or severe clear-air turbulence events has increased by 37% over the North Atlantic over the past 40 years, according to a 2023 study that analyzed data from 1979 to 2020. Turbulence can cause injuries to passengers and airline employees, and can result in personal injury. Wear and tear on the plane, and research notes.
The FAA advises passengers to keep their seats buckled at all times, not just when needed during landing and takeoff, to avoid injury from unexpected turbulence. The agency uses technology to understand weather patterns and help pilots avoid bad winds using a “nowcast” system that updates turbulence forecasts every 15 minutes.
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