One of the world's top airlines is ending its cabin services early to safeguard against rising turbulence
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- Korean Air is ending its cabin service earlier due to increased turbulence concerns.
- It follows Singapore Airlines in changing protocols following a fatal incident in May.
- The carrier said turbulence incidents had doubled over the last five years.
A second airline has changed its cabin service due to increased concerns about turbulence.
Korean Air announced Monday that it would finish cabin service 20 minutes earlier on medium and long-haul routes.
This means cabin service will end 40 minutes before landing, starting from Monday. Korean Air said the change will allow inflight services to end before the plane descends for landing.
One of just 10 airlines to be rated five stars by Skytrax, Korean Air's decision could influence other carriers to make similar moves.
It comes after Singapore Airlines — also rated five stars — changed its cabin service protocol. That followed a severe turbulence incident on one of its aircraft in May, in which a 73-year-old man died and dozens more were injured.
Days later, Singapore Airlines said it would no longer serve meals when the seatbelt light is on.
In Monday's announcement, Korean Air said turbulence "has become a persistent and growing problem in recent years." It added that the number of incidents had doubled in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2019.
The carrier also suggested that the climate crisis has an impact. "Turbulence is becoming more frequent, especially as the aircraft descends, due to large temperature differences between altitudes," it said.
Turbulence is created by friction between air molecules, caused by differences in wind speed. The warming climate imparts more energy into the air, which creates more friction.
This is especially notable around the jet streams, where clear air turbulence is most common.
In a 2023 study, researchers from the University of Reading found that turbulence was getting more common over the North Atlantic, around the north polar jet stream.
Over a typical point, the most severe type of clear air turbulence increased by 55% between 1979 and 2020, the study found.