Asiana to compensate passengers

Asiana Airlines will provide further compensation to passengers who were affected by its latest no-meal fiasco that resulted in flight delays and shortage of in-flight meals, the nation’s second-largest airline announced Sunday.

The compensation plan will cover 100 international flights scheduled between July 1st and July 4th. Passengers whose flights were delayed by more than 1 hour due to meal shortage will be eligible for compensation.

According to Asiana, an airline company is obliged to compensate passengers if a flight is delayed by more than 2 hours based on standards provided by the Fair Trade Commission. Considering the unique circumstances, the airline decided to extend the compensation offer.

As a result, the affected number of flights increased from 22 to 100.

Asiana Airlines will refund 10 percent of the ticket price to paying customers. Passengers who used mileage to purchase the ticket will also be offered a 10 percent refund on the points. A 20 percent refund will be offered to customers whose flights were delayed by more than 4 hours.

Those who weren’t provided with in-flight meals or an alternative will receive additional mileage points.

The compensation is likely to cost the airline as much as 1 billion won ($890,000).

Asiana also provided transportation credit vouchers to passengers at the time.

Affected passengers can find more information about the refund plan at www.flyasiana.com. The airline will also send e-mails and SMS to customers eligible for compensation from Sept. 4.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]