For passengers, that means they will need to do the usual pre-landing procedures — such as ensuring their seatbelts are fastened and returning their seats to an upright position — earlier than before.
While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years. More than one-third of all airline incidents in the United States from 2009 through 2018 were related to turbulence, and most of them resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the plane, the National Transportation Safety Board reported.
In May, a 73-year old man died on board a Singapore Airlines flight when the plane hit severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean.
The airline had also previously announced other changes.
Starting next year, Southwest will toss out a half-century tradition of "open seating" — passengers picking their own seats after boarding the plane.