Southwest Airlines is making a change this week “to reduce the risk of injuries from in-flight turbulence,” the company confirmed to FOX Business.

The airline is changing procedures for crew members and customers starting Wednesday. Instead of preparing the cabin for landing at 10,000 feet, flight attendants begin it at 18,000 feet.

“It is the result of the airline’s close collaboration with its labor partners and a robust approach to safety management,” Southwest said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the safety of our customers and employees.”

FAA regulations require passengers to wear their seatbelts properly during taxiing, takeoff and landing. While the regulations do not define the term “properly secured,” passengers are required to follow crew members’ instructions regarding the use of seat belts.

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The interior of a Southwest Airlines plane. (Southwest Airlines/Fox News)

The change also means cabin service will stop about 10 minutes earlier, USA Today reported.

Clear-air turbulence has increased in regions around the world, according to a 2023 study by researchers at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Over the North Atlantic, one of the busiest flight routes, the total annual duration is strong turbulence increased by 55% between 1979 and 2020.

Moderate turbulence increased by 37% and light turbulence increased by 17%. According to the study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, all increases were consistent with the effects of climate change.

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FAA regulations require passengers to be properly restrained during taxiing, takeoff and landing. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Weeks ago, a Scandinavian Airlines flight was repatriated to Europe after severe turbulence forced his return.

Already in August, a United Airlines The flight from Cancun to Chicago was diverted to Memphis, Tennessee, after the plane experienced “a brief period of severe turbulence” that left one passenger hospitalized and six others injured, officials said.

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A Southwest Airlines plane takes off from Phoenix, Arizona. (Southwest Airlines/Fox News)

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Dallas-based airline Southwest is moving away from the so-called open seating model and charging a premium for the best seats offer red-eye flights, from 2026, the airline said in a September press release.

FOX Business’s Jasmine Baehr, Daniella Genovese and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.