[Blind Flight Compensation] 1 in 5 International Flights Delayed... Increasing Consumer Damage

May Domestic Airlines Delay Rate 21.9%
1Q Consumer Damage Reports Also Up 1.4 Times

As travel demand surges, it has been revealed that one out of every five international flights is delayed. Although the number of damage reports has increased, actual compensation has not followed, leading consumers to file lawsuits.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "Monthly Aviation Consumer Report" on the 24th, the international flight delay rate as of May was 20.4%. This is an increase of 4.7 percentage points compared to 15.7% in May of last year. This means that one out of every five flights fails to depart or arrive on time. Since last year, the Ministry has classified a flight as delayed if the aircraft departs or arrives at the parking gate (boarding gate) more than 15 minutes later than scheduled.

The delay rate of domestic airlines has noticeably increased compared to foreign carriers. While the delay rate of foreign airlines rose by 1 percentage point to 17.2% during the same period, the delay rate of domestic airlines jumped 6.5 percentage points from 15.4% to 21.9%.

Domestic airlines also dominated the rankings for the lowest on-time performance by major regions. According to the Ministry, based on flights departing from Korea operating more than eight times a month, domestic airlines ranked first in on-time performance deficiency in five out of seven major regions. In particular, in Southeast Asia, the region most visited by domestic travelers, Air Premia had the lowest on-time performance at 29.2%. Air Seoul, ranked second, recorded only 40.5%.

Consumer damage reports have also increased. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, there were a total of 603 cases in the first quarter of this year, a 41.8% increase compared to the same period last year. In particular, damage reports related to domestic airlines rose 76.3% from 169 cases in the first quarter of last year to 298 cases. The largest category of damage reports was "excessive penalty fees, refusal, or delay of refund upon ticket purchase cancellation" with 368 cases. This was followed by non-performance or delay of transportation (114 cases), and loss, damage, or delay of checked baggage (34 cases).

Some consumers are demanding compensation through lawsuits. This is because airlines' own compensation standards are unclear and unsatisfactory, and the proposed compensation is insufficient. The case of T'way Air is representative. In early last month, a T'way Air passenger flight on the Osaka, Japan route experienced an 11-hour departure delay. During this time, some passengers waiting inside the aircraft for a long time collapsed due to respiratory difficulties. T'way Air offered compensation ranging from 50,000 to 150,000 KRW per passenger, but the affected passengers decided to file a class-action lawsuit, claiming not only economic losses but also mental damages.