Flight Took Off with Assaulting Passenger Onboard After Crew Member Attacked
Assailant Passenger Glared at Victim Crew Member During Flight
Manager Suspected of Covering Up Incident... "Don't Make It a Big Deal"
Asiana Airlines States "Conducting a Thorough Investigation"
A foreign passenger assaulted a domestic flight attendant just before the plane took off because they were not allowed to use the restroom. At the time, the flight attendant was hit so hard that their earring fell off, but the plane still took off with the offending passenger on board.
According to JTBC's "Incident Room" on the 10th, on the 5th, an incident occurred on an Asiana Airlines flight from Incheon to Los Angeles (LA) where a flight attendant was assaulted by a foreign passenger. Just before takeoff, the flight attendants were controlling passenger movement for safety. Suddenly, a foreign passenger headed toward the restroom. When a flight attendant tried to stop the passenger, the passenger assaulted the attendant so violently that the attendant’s earring fell off. The manager immediately informed the captain that "an assault incident has occurred," and the captain prepared for a ramp return (turnaround).
"Do you really want to return?"... Did the manager pressure the assaulted flight attendant?
However, according to reports, the manager encouraged the assaulted flight attendant to continue the flight instead of returning. The manager pressured the flight attendant by asking, "Are you okay? Can you continue? Do you really want to return?" At the time, the assaulted flight attendant was a junior crew member and could not say "no" to the manager, who had evaluation authority. Thus, the assaulted flight attendant began an 11-hour flight together with the offending passenger.
Whistleblowers emphasized that "usually, when a flight attendant is assaulted by a passenger, the flight attendant’s assigned work area should be changed to separate them." However, the manager did not take such measures, and the offending passenger intimidated the assaulted flight attendant during the flight by glaring at them, causing fear.
Moreover, the offending passenger did not receive any appropriate punishment. It was confirmed that the passenger was not handed over to local police upon arrival.
Allegations of Cover-up... "Falsified the report"
Whistleblowers claimed that the manager tried to cover up the assault incident. They said the manager pressured the assaulted flight attendant to submit false statements and fabricated a false report. The report written by the manager stated that "a passenger presumed to have a disability was unable to control their body, and the flight attendant was accidentally hit by a flailing arm." The assaulted flight attendant protested, saying, "I was not hit accidentally. The passenger clearly hit me, and I was assaulted," but the manager ignored this, saying, "Don’t make a big deal," and did not revise the report.
The whistleblower said, "Because the manager had evaluation authority, I was afraid of retaliation and could not protest at the time," adding, "I am now courageously reporting this to raise awareness of the problem." In response, an Asiana Airlines official stated, "A thorough investigation is underway regarding this incident," and "The manager has been removed from flight duties." They also added, "We are checking the health condition of the assaulted flight attendant and will proceed with industrial accident processing after the investigation."
Netizens expressed outrage over the incident with comments such as "The manager is actually making things worse," "Exposing 430 passengers to danger for 12 hours," "Such a careless response is very disappointing," "If they can’t control someone on the ground, what do you think they will do when flying?" "How much must that foreigner despise Korea?" "This is a case of a foreigner assaulting a domestic flight attendant. Investigate strictly," "Covering it up quietly is a chronic problem in Korea," and "I will watch to see how Asiana handles this."
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