Requesting Hot Water with Cup Noodles 'Trick'
Korean Air and Asiana Decide Not to Provide Hot Water
Controversy Over Fairness and Effectiveness of Ramen Restrictions
Despite Government Recommendations, LCCs Continue to Provide Hot Water
Korean Air's ban on providing cup noodles in economy class for safety reasons such as turbulence has sparked a 'ramen controversy' that is now expanding into a debate over 'hot water.' Some passengers have started bringing their own cup noodles and requesting only hot water, prompting the airline to establish a policy of not providing hot water onboard. Since hot beverages like coffee and tea are still being served, there are criticisms that the safety policy lacks consistency.
According to industry sources on the 21st, Korean Air has set a policy that it cannot provide hot water for the purpose of consuming personally carried cup noodles in the aircraft cabin. After the recent suspension of cup noodle service in economy class, some passengers brought their own cup noodles and requested only hot water, and the airline aims to prevent this. Asiana Airlines is also considering banning the provision of hot water for the same reason.
The reason these airlines have established such policies is due to concerns over customer burns caused by turbulence. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also recommended airlines suspend cup noodle service when it announced measures to prevent turbulence accidents on the 15th.
However, passengers feel that banning even the provision of hot water and thus preventing them from eating cup noodles is excessive. This is because ramen is still served in business class and above, and hot beverages like coffee and tea are provided even in economy class. The government has also recommended suspending food service such as cup noodles in all cabins regardless of seat class.
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines say they are not considering suspending ramen service in premium seats, citing differences in seat density. Park, who recently booked a flight ticket, pointed out, "I don't understand why only economy class is banned when premium seats are not free from the risk of burns due to turbulence."
Low-cost carriers (LCCs) are still providing cup noodle service. Since ramen accounts for a large portion of in-flight paid product sales, there is no reason to stop. An LCC industry official said, "Coffee and tea are also sufficiently hot, but not serving ramen does not guarantee in-flight safety. By that logic, no food or items should be provided."
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