Airline nixes instant noodles due to turbulence-related burn risks

Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Korean Air announced it will discontinue service of ramyeon instant noodles to economy class passengers due to the risk of burn accidents during turbulence.

The airline announced that the cups of instant noodles will no longer be available in economy class on long-haul flights starting Aug. 15.

"In the case of ramyeon service, burn accidents occur frequently due to hot water," a Korean Air press release stated. "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."

The company blamed "the increasing trend of turbulence" for the dangers, noting that there were twice as many turbulence reports in the first quarter of 2024 as there were in the same period of 2019.

Ramyeon noodles will remain available in prestige and first class cabins, as they are less crowded, the airline said.

The noodles will be replaced in economy class with a number of snack options, including sandwiches, pizza, corn dogs and Hot Pockets.