Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Airlines to raise penalty for last-minute cancellations
An image of a Korean Air Boeing 747-8i taking off at Incheon International Airport / Courtesy of Korean Air
By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hyun-bin
Local carriers are set to raise the penalty fee for passengers who cancel their tickets at the last minute at the boarding gates.
The move comes after three obsessive fans of Korean idol band Wanna One recently made a fuss after boarding a Korean Air flight bound to Seoul from the Hong Kong and getting off just minutes before takeoff, resulting in the plane being delayed with 360 passengers on board.
Currently, Korean Air charges a penalty for no-show customers who fail to board the plane after going through immigration and security check-up. The price differs according to the distance to the destination ― 120,000 won for long distance flights to destinations including U.S., Europe and Africa, 70,000 won for mid-range and 50,000 won for short-range destinations including Japan, China and Hong Kong.
But starting Jan. 1, an additional 200,000 won will be imposed on the penalty for last-minute cancellations.
The measure followed a series of cases in which passengers cancel tickets after immigration checks and even boarding by taking advantage of the low penalty.
Such cases have become more frequent among fans of K-pop stars.
On Saturday, one Hong Kong and two Chinese fans of Wanna One boarded the plane that the band members were taking at Hong Kong International Airport. After “attaining their goal,” such as taking photos and getting a close look at the singers, they demanded flight attendants let them get off before takeoff and were refunded for their tickets with the 50,000 won penalty and another 50,000 won in cancellation fees.
Due to the incident, all 360 passengers had to disembark the plane and undergo another round of security screening, which caused a one hour flight delay. Under aviation law, when a passenger disembarks after boarding the plane, all passengers need to go through another round of screening as a precautionary measure to see if any dangerous objects were left on the plane.
Korean Air asked for Hong Kong police to investigate the fans, but they rejected the request citing there were no signs of physical damage to other passengers.
This year alone, there have been 35 cases of last-minute cancellations on Korean Air flights departing from Incheon International Airport, according to the carrier.
A similar incident occurred in February 2017, involving Korean boy band EXO, where two fans bought Korean Air tickets just to take pictures of the idol group at the gate.
“The passengers claimed they were too ill to board the plane just before departure. It took an hour for one of our employees to cancel the boarding procedures,” a Korean Air official said.
“This is a huge problem as an employee has to escort the passengers out of customs while he or she is supposed to deal with other things.”
Asiana Airlines also decided to increase the penalty for no-shows from the current 100,000 won to 300,000 won starting Jan. 10.