Southwest Airlines will soon be implementing some changes to its “Prepare for Landing” protocol and suspending its in-flight cabin service earlier than ever before to reduce the potential risk of injury.

Beginning Dec. 4, Southwest’s flight attendant teams will end flight service at 18,000 feet to begin preparing the cabin for landing sooner, a spokesperson for the Dallas-based airline confirmed to ABC News.

What does the early termination of cabin service mean for Southwest passengers?

On Southwest flights, when cabin service ends at 10,000 feet, the process of buckling up, raising seatbacks and stowing tray tables and electronics begins about 10 minutes earlier than on previous flights.

Southwest said this decision came about through collaboration between its labor partners and safety teams.

Many turbulence-related injuries occurred during this descent phase, and according to the National Transportation Safety Board, more than a third of all U.S. airline incidents between 2009 and 2018 were related to turbulence, most of which resulted in one or more serious injuries.

Southwest is not the first airline to adjust this timing. United Airlines previously made a similar change to prepare for landings at 10,000 feet instead of 8,000 feet, the airline confirmed to ABC News.

The Federal Aviation Administration also told ABC News that it has long been working with operators to prevent injuries from turbulence.