Southwest Airlines has announced it is stopping cabin services and doing pre-landing procedures earlier as of this week, to reduce the risk of in-flight injuries caused by turbulence.
As of 4 December, flight attendants will check seats are in the upright position, trays are closed and window blinds fully open at an altitude of 18,000 feet (5,486 metres) instead of the previous 10,000 feet (3,048 metres). Meaning that passengers will not be allowed to move from their chair about 10 minutes earlier than before.
“The change in procedures is designed to reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries for our crew members and customers. It is the result of the airline’s robust approach to safety management”, an airline spokesperson told USA Today. “Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the safety of our customers and employees.”
Turbulence incidents are become more common and although they are usually minor, this year severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight caused one death and 30 severe injuries in May. In July, severe turbulence caused another 30 injuries on an Air Europa flight from Madrid to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
In fact, turbulence is categorised into four levels of severity: light, moderate, severe, and extreme. Light and moderate turbulence may be felt as slight bumpiness on board. You might feel your stomach lurch as the plane drops momentarily. People may be thrust gently from side to side and unsecured objects may move.
When more severe turbulence happens without warning, aircraft can be violently battered or lose altitude so rapidly that people and objects are thrown around the cabin, injuring themselves and others. This is why all aviation safety advice includes the recommendation to keep your seatbelt on, even when the plane is cruising, so that you are more likely to be able to remain safely attached to your seat if turbulence hits, rather than be sent crashing around the cabin.
As global warming increases the amount of moisture the air can hold, and therefore the likelihood of extreme storms and weather events, air turbulence, and the problems associated with it are becoming more and more severe.
Indeed, studies by the UK’s University of Reading suggest severe turbulence has increased 55% since 1979 and one meteorology researcher there, Mark Prosser, points out it is not just passengers who must take care. Reported by CNN Travel, he said severe turbulence causes increased wear and tear on craft and noted, “Airlines will need to start thinking about how they will manage the increased turbulence, as it costs the industry $150–500m annually in the USA alone.”
