Turbulence in the skies is so consistently awful now that an airline will no longer hand out cups of scoldingly hot water to passengers. Korean Air announced earlier this week it will drop ramyeon instant noodles from its economy class in-flight menu starting August 15. However, the popular snack won’t be dropped in the first and business class cabins because people there aren’t crammed into seats shoulder-to-shoulder.
South Korea’s flag carrier noted reports of turbulence in the first quarter of 2024 are double the total from the same period in 2019, UPI reports. Clear-air turbulence is especially worrying for cabin crew because it comes without any warning, disrupting meal services. The airline said in a press release:
“In the case of ramyeon service, burn accidents occur frequently due to hot water. In economy class, flight attendants must move several cups of noodles filled with hot water at once, and passengers are crowded together, so the risk of burns has been high.”
Turbulence isn’t just getting more common, it’s getting more severe. In May, a passenger was killed and 30 others were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight experienced extreme turbulence. The Singapore Boeing 777-300ER dropped 6,000 feet in only a handful of minutes, throwing any passenger not wearing a seat belt into the ceiling.
Korean Air stated instant noodles would be replaced with other snack options, including sandwiches and Hot Pockets. If a passenger is going to burn themselves, it should be solely their fault for chomping down on a Hot Pocket fresh out of the galley microwave.