Starting next week, Southwest Airlines passengers will notice a subtle change to when crews prepare the cabin for landing, and it has some implications for passengers.
Southwest crews will prepare cabin for landing earlier
As is standard on virtually every airline, flight attendants prepare the cabin for landing at some point prior to arrival. This includes suspending inflight service, having passengers store their belongings (including laptops), and asking passengers to put their seats and tray tables in the upright position.
As of December 4, 2024, Southwest Airlines will be instructing crews to prepare the cabin for landing earlier than before, as flagged by View from the Wing. When this new procedure is implemented, here’s what will happen:
- At the top of descent, pilots will make an announcement, informing the flight attendants that the descent phase of the flight has begun
- When descending through 18,000 feet, the pilots will make one high-low chime, indicating the start of the sterile flight deck; this is the cue for flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing, and be seated in their jump seats
Previously, Southwest crews prepared the cabin for landing when descending through 10,000 feet, so that procedure will start 8,000 feet higher. While it will vary depending on a flight’s descent profile, you can expect that this will typically translate to the cabin being prepared for landing roughly five minutes earlier than before.
As you probably guessed, this means that passengers will have less time to use their laptops, and crews will also have less time to perform service. This shouldn’t impact service on longer flights, though on very short flights with a drink service, this could limit the crew’s ability to perform a full service.
Why Southwest is changing its cabin preparation policy
Why are we seeing this policy change at Southwest Airlines? Well, the decision was made in consultation with TWU 556, the union representing flight attendants. The airline claims that this policy change reflects years of research, plus reports through the carrier’s safety management system.
Based on thousands of data points from flight attendants and pilots, paired with information from the flight data analysis program, the belief is that this policy change will reduce flight attendant injuries by at least 20%.
While turbulence can happen at any altitude, there’s of course a greater risk at a lower altitude, when it’s more common to encounter turbulence, and to fly through thick clouds.
Reducing injuries is of course a logical and fair objective. I’d be curious to know what the total number of injuries among flight attendants during the descent phase is, and how many of those are considered serious. Yes, stuff happens, but we’re talking about 20% of what number?
Southwest isn’t the first major US airline to make this change, as United Airlines has a similar policy, which was implemented last year. However, as far as I know, other US carriers make final preparations at 10,000 feet. It’s also common among many foreign carriers to prepare the cabin for landing as soon as the descent starts.
Bottom line
Southwest Airlines crews will shortly start preparing cabins for landing at 18,000 feet, rather than at 10,000 feet. This is intended to reduce injuries among flight attendants, given the increased risk of turbulence at low altitudes. This is fairly minor, but passengers may still notice this policy change, as it will impact seat recline, laptop use, etc.
What do you make of Southwest changing its cabin landing procedures?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.