Engine Repaired with Passengers Onboard on the 13th, Drawing Criticism
Departure Delayed by Nearly 18 Hours from Original Schedule
A passenger plane scheduled to depart from Bangkok, Thailand to Incheon was delayed for over 13 hours, causing inconvenience to passengers. On the 17th, SBS reported that a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport was delayed for more than 17 hours due to a failure in the hydraulic system components.
A passenger plane scheduled to depart from Bangkok, Thailand to Incheon was delayed for over 13 hours, causing inconvenience to the passengers. 1 The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News.
According to the report, Jeju Air decided to postpone the departure until the malfunction was repaired and guided passengers to a nearby hotel. Among the passengers, 15, including two patients and those wishing to return quickly, boarded another plane and departed earlier. The remaining 166 passengers waited at the hotel while Jeju Air brought parts from Korea and replaced them. The plane departed around 6:30 PM local time on the 17th. The flight was delayed by 17 hours and 30 minutes from the original departure time, causing significant inconvenience to many passengers. Jeju Air reportedly offered compensation of 100,000 KRW to passengers who experienced inconvenience due to the delay.
Earlier, on the 13th, Jeju Air also faced complaints from passengers when a plane scheduled to fly from Daegu to Jeju underwent engine maintenance for over two hours with more than 180 passengers on board. The flight eventually took off three hours later than scheduled, and some passengers refused to board, citing safety concerns. The aircraft experienced an engine system issue while taxiing to the runway and performed a 'ramp return' to the apron for maintenance. The plane underwent maintenance for about two hours while passengers remained on board, during which some passengers expressed anxiety. There were 188 passengers on board the aircraft.
The aircraft completed maintenance and departed at 11:24 AM, arriving at 12:23 PM on the same day. Jeju Air apologized to passengers upon arrival in Jeju and announced it would pay 20,000 KRW per person as compensation. Jeju Air stated, "This was a necessary measure for safe operation," and apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers on the flight.
Meanwhile, when delays occur on international flights, airlines are required to cover reasonable accommodation and meal expenses if an overnight stay is necessary. Generally, for delays of 2 to 4 hours, airlines must compensate 10% of the fare for the delayed segment; for delays of 4 to 12 hours, 20%; and for delays exceeding 12 hours, 30%. However, compensation for delays or cancellations applies only to technical issues, aircraft connection problems, or airport circumstances, and compensation is not provided for delays or cancellations caused by natural disasters.
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