A few days ago, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER encountered severe turbulence between London and Singapore, leading to one fatality, as well as dozens of serious injuries. Following this incident, the airline will be updating its inflight service protocol, in a way passengers will notice.
Singapore Airlines cuts meal service during turbulence
Singapore Airlines will be updating its policy when it comes to providing inflight service while the seatbelt sign is on. Here’s what the carrier’s policy has historically been:
- While passengers had to be seated when the seatbelt sign was on, the crew would still provide inflight service; however, hot drinks couldn’t be served when the seatbelt sign was on
- Separate from the seatbelt sign, crews were sometimes told to suspend their inflight service when turbulence got more serious
Effective immediately, Singapore Airlines is taking a more cautious approach, and will suspend the meal service whenever the seatbelt sign is on. At that point, crew members will return to their jump seats and buckle in. Per a Singapore Airlines spokesperson:
“In addition to the suspension of hot beverage service when the seat belt sign is on, the meal service will also be suspended. Crew members will also continue to advise passengers to return to their seats and secure their seat belts. They will also monitor customers who may require assistance, including those in the lavatories.”
“Pilots and cabin crew are aware of the hazards associated with turbulence. They are also trained to assist customers and ensure cabin safety throughout the flight. SIA will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.”
My take on Singapore Airlines’ policy change
Obviously Singapore Airlines is dealing with a tragic situation. While severe turbulence happens with some frequency, this is one of the worst incidents we’ve seen in a long time, given the fatality, as well as several people being in critical condition.
It’s logical enough that Singapore Airlines will err on the side of caution for some time, and institute policies that fall in the “better safe than sorry” category. The way I view it, there are a few reasons this probably doesn’t make sense in the long run, or on a larger scale:
- Pilots take wildly different approaches to managing the seatbelt sign, with some turning it on with just a single small bump, and others leaving it off even with some significant chop
- I can appreciate pilots turning on the seatbelt sign as a precaution, though there are lots of situations where passengers should be seated, but where flight attendants would probably be fine; after all, there’s a reason policies for passengers and crews have historically differed
- The added challenge is that suspending service is no easy task; it often requires transporting heavy carts back to the galley, which can be quite far away
I have to imagine that on some of Singapore Airlines’ shorter flights, this could lead to situations where the airline simply can’t fully perform the service. I’ve had lots of two-hour flights in Southeast Asia where the seatbelt sign was on for most of the flight. I’m curious to see how this policy evolves.
Bottom line
Following a severe turbulence tragedy, Singapore Airlines is updating its inflight service protocols. Effective immediately, all inflight service will be suspended whenever the seatbelt sign is on, as crews will have to buckle in. I don’t blame Singapore Airlines for being cautious for the time being, though I also imagine that eventually matters will normalize.
What do you make of this Singapore Airlines service update?
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