By Jung Min-ho
A woman has sued Asiana Airlines and a flight attendant for 200 million won ($170,000) in compensation over a burn she sustained from a spillage of instant noodles on a plane last year.
The passenger in her mid-30s, identified by her last name Jang, recently filed the damage suit with Seoul Central District Court, accusing Asiana of shirking responsibility for burns she suffered on her thighs and reproductive organs, industry sources said Monday.
On board the plane from Incheon to Paris on March 17 last year, Jang asked the flight attendant to bring her some instant noodles. However, the flight attendant suddenly lost her balance and spilt the hot noodles on her lap, Jang claimed.
Jang, a former supermodel who now runs a bakery, claimed that the company’s failure to provide timely medical help made the situation worse for her.
She said the crewmembers rejected her request to check if there was a doctor on board. She added that they did not have gauze needed for her burns, so she had to endure the pain of the injuries with some ice cubes and Tylenol until the plane arrived in Paris.
Jang also claimed that she has since had difficulty having sex with her husband because of the wounds and was told by a doctor that she may never be able to get pregnant.
She also said that prior to the accident she had plans to continue her career in broadcasting, fashion and hair design by taking advantage of her physical beauty, but that this is now impossible because of the burns. She claimed that she can’t continue working at the bakery either because she has a fear of working near 800-degree hot ovens due to trauma from the accident.
Asiana refuted her claims, saying that it was her fault that the noodles were spilt in the first place.
“She mistakenly hit the tray, causing the noodles to fall on her,” a company official said. “Besides, we gave her proper first-aid treatment at that time, including wound cleansing and applying ointment,following the instructions of a doctor on board.”
The company initially offered compensation of some 60 million won to cover Jang’s medical expenses. But she refused to accept the deal and filed the suit, citing the Montreal Convention that holds airline companies responsible for up to $113,100 in special drawing rights (SDR), or about 170 million won, for physical and mental damage to passengers unless the passengers deliberately inflict injury on themselves.