Earlier this week, one passenger died and 70 were injured after a Singapore Airlines 777-300ER experienced unexpected turbulence over Burma. In response, Singapore Airlines has suspended all cabin service while the seatbelt light is on.
Singapore Airlines Now Suspends Onboard Service If Seatbelt Light Is On
Effective immediately, Singapore Airlines will halt cabin service, including serving meals and beverages, when the seatbelt light is on. 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.”
Even before the SQ321 incident, Singapore Airlines took a more conservative approach by suspending hot beverage service whenever the seatbelt light was on. But this takes precaution to a whole new level.
Singapore Airlines Embraces Pandemic-Era Mindset With Policy Change
This move strikes me as a COVID-style overreaction.
I hope we learned many lessons during the pandemic, but one thing I hope everyone can agree on is that in many cases there was a severe overreaction in relation to the actual threat. Schools should not have been closed when children were at such low risk. Some of the distancing and mask requirements were simply absurd and for purposes of our discussion here, airlines and hotels used the excuse of COVID-19 to rapidly dismantle onboard service, then took years to bring it back.
Pilots determine when to turn on the seatbelt light. Some are more conservative than others in turning on when experiencing the least kind of chop. I’d imagine that there will some regional flights in which service will no longer be possible on Singapore Airlines if a more conservative captain leaves the seatbelt light on for an extended period.
And yet this is not about food and drink, it is about fear and rationality. We may well be entering a period of more intense turbulence due to climate change, but one deadly incident is not enough to make that declaration. The odds of such severe turbulence are extremely low and remain low and Singapore’s response strikes me as the same sort of overreaction that led Singapore Airlines to limit meal service onboard during the pandemic…all in the name of health and safety.
Oh, how I loathe the mask era and what an unscientific, fear-based period that represented in human history.
Here, I see the same thing going on. Hopefully, though, just on a temporary basis.
CONCLUSION
Understandably, Singapore Airlines wants to err on the side of caution following the severe turbulence on SQ321. Even so, its new service policy strikes me as an overreaction. Hopefully it is only temporary and will not linger on for years like so many of the pandemic-era cutbacks.
image: Singapore Airlines
Singapore Straits-Times newspaper reports a male FA has undergone Spine Surgery in Bangkok .
CNN reported that more than 20 people have spinal injuries.
@Caelus … Yes . Thus far , the support response by SQ has been commendable . I expect SQ will continue to support SQ injured flight crew for the duration .
I fail to see any problem with no cabin service , especially in SE Asia . Once NW diverted us to MNL because of a typhoon .
You loathe the “unscientific, fear-based period” of COVID but speculate we may be “entering a period of more intense turbulence due to climate change”. I assume you don’t see the irony in that? Since there’s no record of intense turbulence before 1903, it must be caused by humans and industrialization.
Should we worry for all the climate change activists flying to their climate change summits in their private jets. I hope they don’t spill their champagne when they encounter this new more intense turbulence.
@Mike … +1 . I recall from my physical geography class that wind turbulence can have varied causes : jet streams , convection , storms , monsoon , typhoon activity . In Hawaii , we have a joke : if it is a beautiful day with a nice breeze with fresh air , ( everyday ) , we say “Oh look … climate change .”
I made no such claim, so check your assumptions Mike.
And if you’ve read me for any length of time, you know that I am the last person who would be called a climate warrior.
With respect, you did indeed make the claim, “We may well be entering a period of more intense turbulence due to climate change…”
I’ve bit my tongue on this for a long time, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you uncritically regurgitate the unsubstantiated (and often debunked by actual data) claims from the media that natural disasters, whether turbulence, floods, etc. are getting worse due to climate change. No, I’ve never seen you advocate for the COVID-like authoritarianism demanded by climate activists. However, instead of repeating as fact the claims that climate change is worsening things like turbulence, have you actually read the arguments set forth by legitimate skeptics? Take a look at the literature by actual scientists like Ryan Maue, Judith Curry, and Roger Pielke, Jr., and then decide if you still believe what you’ve been repeating.
This has been the dominant news story in Asia this week. SQ isn’t going to ruin their brand over this, but people are reasonably shaken up a little bit.
Hardly a dominant story where I live in Asia. Regardless, the best policies are made and i p,emented after a period of analysis and reflection.
Here in Vietnam it seems to be all that anyone has been talking about. I suppose I’m lumping a lot of people in to one big assumption. I suppose my friends and every news channel is just wrong.
SQ’s response to this incident has actually been a textbook example of stellar crisis management.
I just flew Singapore Air Sin —> EWR yesterday (17+ hours). Although it’s true they suspended service during seat belt signs, it was hardly noticeable to me.
There were several times I thought the seat belt sign would normally have been lit but wasn’t …. but I’m not complaining. I’ve always thought the pilots are too conservative with that light even in light of current events
What class of service did you fly?
Business
Seat 15A
It might take a moment for everyone to settle down and realize this was a rare event. SQ is doing a great job while Panic Porn media is in full swing. A travel expert in Canada has put forth the idea that the overhead bins be empty or eliminated because they are likely to open in turbulence. More nonsense to fuel a story.
Good wishes for those recovering. Bangkok has some terrific doctors.
Some US airlines keep the seat belt light on way too much.
How about the FAs wearing a motorcycle helmet? How about developing a floor track tethering system?
Force passengers to sign consents and disclaimers? Allow men to urinate in a bottle at their seat?
Correction: passengers with a penis whether or not they self identify as men or women
That’s the problem – some US pilots use the seatbelt so long that it loses its effect – poeple get up to use the lavatory or gather items from overhead bins. The seatbelt light should be used sparingly and I think no carrier does a better job of that than Lufthasna, where it goes off shortly after takeoff and rarely comes back on.
That’s a separate issue from keeping your seatbelt on when seated, which is something I always do.
US carriers are notorious for turning it on the second a goose farts. You can thank the slip and fall lawyers for it. Ethiopian is in the same category as Lufthasa.
Exactly what I was going to say. You might as well call it “the pilot who cried wolf”, or more accurately, “the pilot who cried turbulence”.
You may find this interesting/relevant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alarm_fatigue
If someone at SQ somehow read this blog, they would probably ban all alcohol and dogs too
Lol. Cheers to the dog ban!
The improved turbulence safety measures should include serving meals in polycarbon containers pax can close the lid when aircraft shaking and sippy cups.
“Welcome aboard UA839 with nonstop service from Los Angeles to Sydney. Today’s flight time is 14 hours, 35 minutes. For our own safety and the safety of everyone on board, the captain has advised us to remain seated for the duration of the flight, due to the risk of unexpected turbulence. While lavatories will remain locked, cups will be provided to each passenger prior to takoeff…you figure it out. Thanks for flying United. We’ll talk to you again in Sydney.”
That would be the dream for lazy FAs. Do nothing during the entire flight.
My thoughts exactly.
“Unexpected turbulence”. Explain to me how you manage that? I don’t mind not getting served during times when seatbelts signs are on but do we actually know if seatbelts signs were on when the turbulence hit the SQ flight?
This is an excellent point. Being seated while the seatbelt light is on would have done nothing to prevent the accident on SQ321.
I suspect on this that where Singapore Airlines have led, others will follow very quickly because in the event of a further incident the litigation will be ruinous if they haven’t.
That said, SQ have policies in place as a result of the Taipai incident 20+ years ago, for instance, there is an insistence on keeping shoes on during take off and landing and Singapore girl even has more substantial shoes for that very purpose then the sandals she usually wears.
There is no insistence on keeping shoes on for take off and landing. I do keep mine on, and I am always surprised looking around at how many passengers do not.
If you fly SIA and listen to the safety video it will tell you that during take off and landing you ‘must keep your shoes on’.
Listen more carefully the next time, if you’ve ever flown with them.
It’s just a safety pause for now … no reason to believe it’s permanent.
Hahahhahahaha, same with the bottle of water on TSA. Everyone thought it would be temporary until someone started to make a fortune by overcharging for “safe” bottles of water at the airports.
I don’t think this will be a permanent change either.
Undoubtedly, the airline must take some measures and responsibility to ensure the safety of the passengers even if the predictability of of severe turbulence is not certain.
Undoubtedly, passengers of legal age must take some measures and responsibility for their own safety.
I really hope this change doesn’t reach the US airlines. Sometimes the seatbelt sign is on for more than half the flight. There would never been any service on flights from the US to Europe. I don’t fly domestic, but I’m sure it would be even worse for domestic. How about just lids for the coffee? A burn isn’t going to kill you.