Airlines' duty to customers gains altitude
New regulations have been introduced to protect passengers when flights are delayed. /Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
By Choi Ha-young
Airlines must notify customers and provide them with food if flights are delayed, under new regulations the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport implemented on Tuesday.
The regulations have been upgraded to protect tourists. Foreign airlines and travel agencies also must abide by the rules.
Airlines must notify delays longer than 30 minutes via a phone call or text message. If the flight is delayed more than two hours, the company must provide food.
For domestic flights, if airlines have sold more tickets than seats, they have to compensate the customer 20 percent of the ticket price even if they provide an alternative flight.
For international flights, the companies must give $100 to each customer, apart from a refund, if there is an alternative flight. The companies have to pay $400 if there is no alternative.
In January, 80,000 people were stuck at Jeju International Airport for three days because of heavy snow, without being informed by the airport. Tourists had to sleep at the paralyzed airport, while food and water were poorly supplied.