Regional Round-Up
Asiana Airlines fined over U.S. crash
March 1st 2014
Regulators in the U.S. have fined South Korean international carrier, Asiana Airlines, US$500,000 for delays of up to five days in notifying families of victims of the airline’s crash last year in San Francisco. Read More » It is the first time an airline has been fined for a slow response to an accident. The U.S. Transport Department announced the fine on February 26 and said Asiana took too long to notify families of the 291 passengers aboard Flight 214 after it crashed into a sea wall at San Francisco International Airport.
 |
The regulator said Asiana contacted about 75% of the families of Flight 214 passsengers, but did not reach some until five days after the July 6 crash. Asiana said in a statement that it provided extensive support to passengers and their families following the accident and will continue to do so. The Wall Street Journal reported that Asiana said in a regulatory filing that it faced a number of challenges in the aftermath of the accident, including locating family contact information for all passengers, and was revising its practices. Like many foreign carriers it had few trained employees to attend to post accident responsibilities, Asiana said. Three passengers died as a result of the crash and more than 180 people were injured. Asiana Airlines boss, Yoon Young-doo (pictured), did not arrive in San Francisco until three days after the crash, a decision that was widely criticized as a serious lapse by aviation crisis management consultants.
