Asiana fined after San Francisco crash
Asiana Airlines has been fined US$400,000 for failing to assist family members of passengers on the ill-fated Flight 214, which crashed last year at San Francisco airport, killing three of those onboard.
The US Transportation Department said the fine was because of the amount of time it took the South Korea-based airline to contact families after the crash. Only three-quarters had been contacted after two full days and it took up to five days for the remainder to be informed.
Under the US Federal Air Carrier Family Support Act of 1997, foreign airlines are supposed to establish and publicise a freephone number for relatives of passenger to get information after a crash.
"The last thing families and passengers should have to worry about at such a stressful time is how to get information from their carrier," transportation secretary Anthony Foxx told USA Today.
Asiana is the first airline to be fined under the Act.
It accepted the fine, but it issued a statement insisting that it had provided support to passengers and their families. It said staff from Los Angelese had driven eight hours to San Francisco to help the 12 staff on duty and its US partner United airlines had helped house passengers and relatives immediately after the crash.
Asiana’s chief executive officer arrived in San Francisco on July 9, and Asiana argued that his presence until July 27 ensured that families and passengers would receive assistance.
Asiana said it faced challenges reaching passengers and their relatives because tickets were bought through travel agents, but that it had set up a 24-hour family assistance desk, that passengers were provided with food and clothing, and that crisis counselling was provided by the Red Cross.
But the Transportation Department found that for approximately one day following the crash, Asiana failed to widely publicise any telephone number for family members of those onboard, and the number available was a reservations line.
The reservations line did not include a separate menu option for calls related to the crash, and callers were required to navigate through cumbersome automated menus before being connected to an Asiana employee, according to the department.
Asiana also lacked translators and personnel trained in crash response, it said.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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