Southwest Will Be Ending Its In-flight Service Earlier — Here’s Why

Southwest Airlines will start landing procedures at a higher altitude, requiring travelers to fasten their seatbelts and put away laptops and tray tables earlier in the flight.

As part of the new policy, flight attendants will now start preparing the cabin for landing at 18,000 feet instead of the previous 10,000 feet in an effort to “reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries for our Crew Members and Customers,” Southwest confirmed to Travel + Leisure. As part of those preparations, passengers must return their seats to an upright position, fasten their seatbelts, put away large electronic devices, and stow seat-back trays. This also means in-flight service will end earlier.

The new policy will go into effect on Dec. 4.

“The change in procedures… is the result of the airline’s close collaboration with its Labor partners and a robust approach to Safety Management,” Southwest said in a statement shared with T+L. “Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”

Turbulence is the result of air moving in unusual or unexpected ways and can be caused by anything from thunderstorms to air moving up and around mountains to another aircraft’s jet stream. While it may feel scary, planes are designed to withstand large amounts of turbulence. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t cause injuries if someone is thrown around the cabin during a bout of rough air. In fact, turbulence-related accidents are the most common type of accidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

There have been several incidents of severe turbulence disrupting flights recently, including last year when actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves experienced severe clear-air turbulence on a Lufthansa flight from Austin, Texas, to Frankfurt, Germany.

The landing policy change comes as Southwest plans to end its open seating policy and instead offer assigned seats and introduce premium seating with extra legroom. The airline will also launch its first red-eye overnight flights next year.