Airline: Increased Turbulence Means No More Noodles

Inflight noodles on Korean Air flights are the latest casualty of increasing turbulence. The airline says it will stop serving instant noodles in economy class after August 15 because "burn incidents occur frequently due to hot water," the BBC reports. "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," says the airline, which plans to keep serving noodles to business and first class passengers. The cup noodles, served for free on long-haul flights, have been a popular snack on the airline for decades.

The airline said the move is "in response to the increasing trend of turbulence," CNN reports. It said the frequency of turbulence has more than doubled since 2019. The airline said that to "diversify snack options," a self-service snack bar is available on long-haul flights, with options including sandwiches, corn dogs, pizza, and hot pockets. In May, severe turbulence killed one person and injured 71 others on a Singapore Airlines flight. Experts say climate change is to blame for the rise in turbulence seen in recent years. Last month, dozens of Air Europa passengers were injured in severe turbulence. (More turbulence stories.)