Southwest Airlines will ask passengers to prepare for landing 10 minutes earlier than before.

Southwest Airlines will soon implement some changes to its “prepare to land” protocol, ending its cabin service earlier than ever in an effort to reduce possible risks of injury.

Starting Dec. 4, Southwest flight attendant crews will complete in-flight duty at 18,000 feet to begin preparing the cabin for landing sooner, a spokesperson for the Dallas-based carrier confirmed to ABC News .

What does the earlier end of cabin service mean for Southwest passengers?

On Southwest flights, the process by which passengers buckle up, raise their seatbacks and put away trays and electronic devices will begin about 10 minutes earlier than previous flights, when cabin service ends at 10,000 feet.

Southwest said the decision was a collaboration between its union partners and safety teams.

Many turbulence-related injuries occurred during this descent period, and according to the National Transportation Safety Board, more than a third of all U.S. aviation incidents between 2009 and 2018 were turbulence-related, 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 carrier confirmed to ABC News.

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