By Kim Jae-won
Both of the nation’s two biggest carriers got low grades for their international flight services in a survey conducted by a state-run research center due to increasing complaints about poor customer services and expensive airfares.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Thursday that both Korean Air and Asiana Airlines received a C grade for their international flight services in the survey conducted by the Korea Transport Institute. C indicates an ordinary level of service which needs to be improved.
“The two companies received low grades from customers regarding airfare satisfaction. They also received a larger number of claims on customer services in international flights compared to other domestic airlines,” said the ministry in a report.
The results indicate that the services of local carriers are not as good as those advertised. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have been boastful of their international flight services, citing awards and higher ratings from global travel agencies, such as World Travel Awards and Premier Traveler.
In the field of domestic flight services, both companies got a B grade thanks to a high level of safety and the service provided by flight attendants.
Korean Air said that it is unfair that the evaluation is subject only to local carriers, excluding foreign players.
“We cannot agree with the results because the survey did not evaluate a foreign airline. It also did not reflect the diverse aspects of services,” said a spokesperson of the company.
The survey was based on four categories: punctuality, safety, number of claims and customer satisfaction.
Among low cost carriers, Air Busan, a subsidiary of Asiana, topped the list of five airlines, getting an A grade both in domestic and international flight services.
Jin Air, an affiliate of Korean Air, came second with an A grade for domestic flights and a B for international flight services. Eastar Jet got the poorest assessment, with a B in domestic and C in international flights.
According to the transport ministry, the number of claims filed against airline services has increased drastically over the last few years. It marked 2,931 last year, up 24.6 percent from a year ago. In 2010, a total of 1,597 claims were filed.
The ministry said that the survey is aimed to contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Korean carriers. “We will make efforts to improve customer services in the airline industry by conducting the survey regularly,” a ministry official said.