Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Korean Air to stop providing cabin services 40 minutes before landing for safety of passengers
A Korean Air flight attendant participates in an emergency evacuation drill held at the airline's headquarters in western Seoul, May 23. Korean Air said Monday that its cabin crew will stop providing services 40 minutes before landing as the company moves to strengthen safety rules over turbulence risks. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
Korean Air, the country’s flag carrier and largest airline, said Monday that its cabin crew will stop providing cabin services 40 minutes before landing, as the company moves to strengthen safety rules in the wake of recent turbulence incidents.
This announcement comes after a severe case of turbulence reported on May 21 by Singapore Airlines, an accident that left one passenger dead and dozens of others injured on a flight traveling to Singapore from London.
Korean Air’s policy change aims to reduce the risks of safety incidents, including in turbulence-related scenarios, by giving flight attendants more time to focus on the safety of passengers and themselves before landing, the period when most inflight accidents occur.
Previously, the company provided services up until 20 minutes before landing.
A Korean Air official said the number of cases of turbulence its planes encountered has increased in recent years, with some experts predicting more frequent encounters in the future because of global warming-induced changes in wind velocity at high altitudes.