Korean Air’s icy debacle: Glass fragment found in iced coffee

Korean Air, South Korea’s national airline, faces a credibility crisis following an incident where a passenger discovered a glass fragment in his iced coffee. The passenger, travelling from Guangzhou, China to Incheon International Airport, distinctively felt the shard, approximately 0.5 centimetres long and 0.1 centimetres thick, in his mouth.

Upon discovery, the cabin crew suggested the passenger induce vomiting in the bathroom in case he had swallowed any glass. Despite not seeking compensation, the passenger called for a public disclosure of the incident from Korean Air and for measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

Korean Air swiftly responded to the incident by covering the passenger’s medical costs and providing him with an electronic voucher worth 100,000 won, (2,700 baht). The airline issued a letter of apology to the passenger, explaining that the defective cup was supplied by their in-flight meal provider. Despite a thorough final inspection before loading, the defect was not detected, reported The Straits Times.

The airline confirmed that they are investigating the incident with their in-flight meal department in Guangzhou and are committed to tightening their inspection processes to prevent similar incidents.

A week ago, Singapore Airlines apologised to furious passengers for keeping them onboard for eight hours in suffocating “sauna” conditions as the air conditioning was turned off as they tried to fix a technical problem on a flight bound for Singapore from Shanghai.

The apology to disgruntled travellers is all too familiar for many international fliers who have grown weary of perpetual disingenuous apologies from the airline industry.

The ill-fated SQ 833 is a daily scheduled flight that typically ferries passengers from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Singapore’s Changi International Airport aboard the Airbus A380.

With a scheduled departure time of 4.50pm, the flight usually lands in Singapore around 10.20pm. To read more click HERE.

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