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Hong Kong¡¯s Cathay Pacific Airways invited Korean ire on Sunday when it ordered a plane to take off from Chek Lap Kok International Airport on Sunday without 44 Korean passengers on board. The Korean passengers blame the incident on the carrier¡¯s ¡°insincerity¡± and are demanding damages, but Cathay Pacific says the Koreans were making unreasonable demands.
Cathay Pacific CX 416 was scheduled to leave Hong Kong for Incheon International Airport at 4:20 p.m. on Sunday. The airline delayed the flight twice, first to 5:30 p.m. and then again to 6:00 p.m.
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Passengers wait in the lounge of Chek Lap Kok International Airport.
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The airline said it made four announcements of the delays, both in the terminal and at boarding gates. But with the airport bustling and the broadcasts made in English and Chinese, some of the Koreans were unable to understand them.
Dozens of Korean passengers protested to Cathay Pacific staff at the boarding gate that the airline had delayed the flight twice but offered no explanation. They also demanded free transport once they arrived in Incheon and compensation for the delay.
The airline promised to provide meal coupons (HK$45), phone cards and transport according to its flight delay regulations. It says it also went beyond regulations in offering US$25 coupons toward in-flight duty-free goods and discount airline tickets during their next trip.
However, one Korean passenger who called Cathay Pacific¡¯s Seoul office was told the airline would provide transport only up to the point of arrival while other compensation was not the airline¡¯s problem. The Korean passengers then demanded a written undertaking but airline staff refused.
The furious Koreans then started protesting vociferously, screaming and waving their arms. Alone among the 308 passengers, the 44 Koreans refused to board the aircraft. Attempts by the pilot to convince them fell on deaf ears.
The airline then decided to let the flight take off at 7:14 p.m. without the Koreans, explaining it could not delay any longer. At this stage some of the Koreans relented saying the most important thing was to get back to Korea first, and suggested the airline must have had its reasons. When the flight arrived at Incheon at 11:34 p.m., five buses were waiting to take passengers to their regional destinations.
The stranded passengers in Hong Kong demanded transport and lodging from the airline through a Korean consular official who came to airport. Cathay Pacific said they could use the next Seoul-bound flight on Monday afternoon but declined to provide accommodation.
Seven of the passengers returned to Korea early Monday morning aboard Asiana. The remaining 37 stayed up or slept in downtown hotels, returning aboard Cathay Pacific¡¯s 2:20 p.m. flight, having paid for transport between the airport and downtown as well as lodging out of their own pockets. They plan to write to the airline demanding an official apology from a high-ranking Cathay Pacific official and compensation for losses they suffered because they were unable to board the Sunday flight.
¡ß Point of contention 1 = According to Cathay Pacific regulations, in case of delays of an hour or two, the airline must inform passengers over the airport tannoy, write letters of apology, and provide transport to passengers¡¯ homes at the destination, meal coupons and phone cards. Depending on the judgment of the airline branch manager, alternative transport can be arranged. The accommodation demanded by the passengers is provided only when flights are delayed five hours or more. These regulations are more or less the same for many airlines.
¡ß Point of contention 2 = Can an aircraft take off without its passengers? There is no regulation that delineates this. The flight captain, who is the highest authority on such matters, judges depending on the situation. Cathay Pacific Korea representative Lee Yong-mi said the airline apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the delays but the flight needed to take off for the other passengers.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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