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Korean Air scion faces probe for bad in-flight behavior (nut rage?)
Korea Times ^ | 2014-12-08 | Kim Se-jeong

Posted on 12/09/2014 4:49:35 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster

Korean Air scion faces probe for bad in-flight behavior

By Kim Se-jeong

The transportation authority said Monday it is looking into whether a Korean Air senior vice president's behavior on a plane, including yelling at flight attendants and ordering the plane to stop, violated the Aviation Safety Law.

The investigation comes after Heather Cho, the airline's senior vice president and the airline group Chairman Cho Yang-ho's eldest daughter, allegedly had an aircraft on the runway proceed back to the gate at JFK International Airport in New York to have a flight attendant thrown off due to "poor service."

"Two inspectors are at Korean Air, talking with people. We'll see whether her behavior was against the law. It is an unprecedented case, so we need to see the related regulations," a ministry official said on Monday.

The official said her actions were inappropriate, although it was meant to improve the quality of attendants' service.

"Even though she is senior vice president at the company, she was a passenger at that time, so she had to behave and be treated as a passenger. She could have taken other measures after coming back to Korea, such as strengthening service training."

According to the law, Cho did not have the authority to do what she did because the pilot is in charge of the management of flight attendants during flights.

The law also says passengers should not cause disturbances, including using violent language or yelling, for safety reasons. It says those disturbing flight crew's service through violence or threats, and threatening the safety of passengers and the flight, are subject to up to 5 million won in fine.

According to the carrier and witnesses, Cho was seated in first class on Flight KE086 bound from New York to Incheon on Friday.

When a junior flight attendant offered her a bag of nuts before departure, Cho told her that she was not following the correct in-flight service manual ― a flight attendant is supposed to ask passengers whether they will have nuts, and to offer nuts on a dish rather than the entire bag.

Cho demanded the chief flight attendant bring out the manual and, when he failed to find it immediately, Cho ordered him to get off the plane. She shouted during the incident, according to witnesses.

"The chief flight attendant failed to get the right manual, and this led Cho to believe he was not qualified for that job," according to a Korean Air official.

While that was happening, the plane was 30-40 meters onto the runway. Nevertheless, the plane returned to the gate to drop off the chief flight attendant. Korean Air said an announcement was unnecessary because the plane was still close to the gate.

The incident caused the plane carrying 250 passengers to arrive at Incheon International Airport 11 minutes later than scheduled.

People in the airline industry say that an aircraft on the runway sometimes goes back to the gate in case of aircraft issues or patients with emergencies.

"But I've never heard about a return made because of such reasons," an official at another airline company said.

Korean Air said checking the quality of service was one of Cho's jobs as she is in charge of in-flight service for the carrier. The company also said it needs time to confirm whether Cho really yelled at the flight attendants. The chief flight attendant was not available for comment.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: koreanair; nutrage; skorea
Additional details from local papers: in-flight service manual was stored in a tablet computer. The chief flight attendant somehow did not get the password right, fumbling, unable to access the manual. That is when she flipped. This is the case where nobody won. Nobody involved came out unscathed: the junior attendant, the senior attendant, Heather Cho, the pilot, the company, and Heather's dad, who owns the company. Of course, the worst hit is Heather. All in all a very bad day at Korean Air.
1 posted on 12/09/2014 4:49:35 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
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To: TigerLikesRooster

photo?


2 posted on 12/09/2014 4:52:41 AM PST by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

They tried to serve her coach Spam!


3 posted on 12/09/2014 4:53:44 AM PST by Dr. Ursus
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To: TigerLikesRooster

She sounds like a raving lunatic


4 posted on 12/09/2014 4:59:13 AM PST by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

ordering the plane to stop

Air brakes don’t work like that.


5 posted on 12/09/2014 4:59:42 AM PST by rfreedom4u (Do you know who Barry Soetoro is?)
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To: TigerLikesRooster


6 posted on 12/09/2014 5:02:44 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Her behavior was just, well.......nuts.


7 posted on 12/09/2014 5:04:11 AM PST by V_TWIN
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To: yldstrk

8 posted on 12/09/2014 5:13:36 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster (The way to crush the bourgeois is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Heather is just a little bit full of herself. Sheesh, document problems and quietly address them in a professional manner. Now look at all the negative publicity they need to overcome. Maybe Daddy’s Little Princess isn’t cut out for executive leadership.


9 posted on 12/09/2014 5:17:59 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: yldstrk

IMHO....This is the stuff that happens when an unqualified, undeserving person gets elevated to a high level position which they’ve never earned. This is “The Peter Principle” on display, exacerbated by nepotism; Daddy’s spoiled rotten brat, now matured into an ungrateful, tyrannical B-word, just being herself, for all the world to see.


10 posted on 12/09/2014 5:42:30 AM PST by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: rfreedom4u
"...and ordering the plane to stop, violated the Aviation Safety Law of Aerodynamics."

There...fixed it.

"Missy..you stop airprane..prane fall rike rock."

11 posted on 12/09/2014 6:34:06 AM PST by moovova
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To: TigerLikesRooster

PMS


12 posted on 12/09/2014 6:53:26 AM PST by jonatron (This is the Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Heather Cho Un.


13 posted on 12/09/2014 7:05:05 AM PST by Fightin Whitey
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To: TigerLikesRooster; yldstrk
I assume that's a photo of Heather Cho. She's not bad looking, although she does seem to be a bit on the heavy side.

Still, we can't really determine relative guilt or innocence unless we also have a picture of the stewardess who offered her the nut bag.

On the other hand, if I were forced to place a bet, I'd have say the stewardess is gonna be a lot cuter.

14 posted on 12/09/2014 7:53:32 AM PST by Hawthorn
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Typical chaebol. I feel sorry for the attendant.


15 posted on 12/09/2014 8:26:41 AM PST by Nordic Breed
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To: Hawthorn

Kimchi!


16 posted on 12/09/2014 9:29:31 AM PST by SgtHooper (Anyone who remembers the 60's, wasn't there!)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

I expect an incident like this to be at least a plot line in a KDrama soon, if not an entire drama based on an out of control Chaebol.

I wonder who they could get to play the female lead?


17 posted on 12/09/2014 10:16:56 AM PST by Nacho Bidnith (The Govt's war on drugs was the setup for war on the American People)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

On closer inspection, she reminds me of Shin Min Ah.


18 posted on 12/09/2014 10:22:15 AM PST by Nacho Bidnith (The Govt's war on drugs was the setup for war on the American People)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

If I were a passenger on that plane, I would certainly prefer to fly on
time and arrive at my destination without delay instead of worrying
about whether a first class passenger gets their snack fancifully taken
out of the bag and put on a plate. Did she not know the how to open a
bag with nuts in it? Is she above doing such servant work herself? Maybe she needs a week training on how to deal with employees.


19 posted on 12/10/2014 1:10:18 AM PST by robinpeterson
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