Korean Air Says Turbulence Is Knocking Instant Noodles Off Its Economy Menu

Turbulence is knocking a beloved instant-noodle offering off Korean Air’s economy menu.

Cups of Shin Ramyun instant noodles, a favorite among Korean Air travelers over the years, will no longer be available for economy-class passengers starting Aug. 15, a spokesperson for the Seoul-based airline said.

“This decision is part of proactive safety measures in response to increased turbulence, aimed at preventing burn accidents,” Korean Air said.

The instant noodles are currently part of Korean Air’s in-flight snack service, which is a self-serve bar beyond meals available for economy passengers on long-haul trips. In this week’s announcement, the carrier added that it had “renewed” economy’s snack options to instead include offerings like sandwiches, corn dogs and hot pockets.

But business- and first-class passengers will still get their noodles. Korean Air told the BBC that the noodles are brought individually to business- and first-class travelers, reducing spill risks.

Concern about the dangers of serving hot food and liquids on airplanes isn’t new. Over the years, several carriers have faced lawsuits from customers who say they suffered serious burns after having hot coffee, for example, spilled on them during a flight. And, while legal precedent may vary around the world, the European Union’s highest court ruled in 2019 that an airline can be held liable if a passenger is injured in this way, even if turbulence or other flight-related factors didn’t cause the spill.

But turbulence, of course, still adds to risk. Flying through unstable air can make balancing something like soup or a hot beverage in-flight all the more precarious.

Numerous turbulence-related injuries have been reported over the years, but most incidents are minor — and airlines have made steady improvements in reducing accident rates. Those include suspending cabin service when needed or taking extra caution when distributing certain refreshments.

Still, rough air might be getting harder and harder to avoid. Some meteorologists and aviation analysts note reports of turbulence encounters are on the rise, pointing to the potential impacts climate change may have on flying conditions.

https://apnews.com/author/wyatte-grantham-philips

Travelore News: Air India Bringing Free Meals Back To Economy Class

NEW DELHI, India - The New Year will bring some cheer for passengers flying Air India. Come January, the airline will restart providing free meals for economy class passengers on flights of up to one hour.

The airline had decided to withdraw serving meals to flyers on flights which were up to one hour long in 2012 as a part of its cost cutting exercise. This decision is now being reviewed for various reasons including the fact that the airline has joined Star Alliance and so there has been a substantial increase in the number of international passengers flying on domestic sectors using the hub and spoke model which requires passengers to wait for long hours in the transit area before taking their connecting flight. The airline joined the 27-member global airline club in June.

With passenger traffic on its domestic routes increasing in the on-going holiday season, the airline has decided to augment capacity by inducting one Boeing 747, one Boeing 777 200 Long Range and one Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft.

Generally the airline operates the Airbus 320 family of aircraft on domestic routes which can carry between 122 to 172 passengers on a single flight.

A Boeing 747 can carry 423 passengers, a B 777-200 LR can carry 238 passengers on every flight and a Boeing 777-300 ER can carry 342 passengers.

The airline also plans to use one more Boeing 787 aircraft which can carry 256 passengers on every flight.