Korean Air will stop serving instant noodles on long-haul economy flights over safety concerns brought by the increase in turbulence.
According to a report by The Korea Times, the South Korean flag carrier will put an end to its popular service by August 15, 2024, and replace it with a variety of snacks that do not require hot water, such as sandwiches, hot dogs, pizza and hot pockets.
However, passengers on first and business class cabins can still enjoy instant noodles on their flights. That is, if they order it before the service cut-off time.
From July 1, 2024, Korean Air wrapped up its in-flight services 40 minutes prior to landing on all medium to long-haul flights due to the increase in extreme turbulence cases. This is 20 minutes earlier than the previous service policy.
According to Korean Air, the decision to cut the cup noodle service is aimed at preventing burn injuries caused by hot water. Unlike business and first class, flight attendants on economy class often have to carry multiple cups of noodles with hot water at once to serve passengers seated within the same area. Taking into consideration the increase in extreme turbulence cases, this increases the risk of accidents.
Korean Air is one of 21 airlines that have joined a turbulence real-time data exchange platform launched by global airline body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2020.
