Korean Air`s Emergency Service Earns Kudos

“The service was really fantastic. It’s the first time I’ve received such meticulous service from an airline. I’ll recommend Korean Air to everyone I know.”

British national Trevor Drew, who boarded Korean Air flight bound for London at Incheon International Airport April 15, posted a message of thanks on the airline`s homepage two days later.

He was not the only passenger impressed by the air carrier’s service. David Worrell, who waited for his family to return to London via a Korean Air flight, also posted messages of thanks on the airline’s Web site.

“Korean Air was outstanding. Thanks to its great service and devotion, my wife and two sons (aged three and six) could safely arrive in London. I really appreciate Korean Air`s service,” he said.

The Korean Air homepage received messages of thanks from 27 passengers from many nations, including the U.K. and Korea, through Monday. The airline’s London branch and reservation center also received phone calls from passengers impressed by the service.

The passengers said they were impressed by the “special transportation service” of Korean Air, which struggled to minimize passenger inconvenience after the volcanic ash from Iceland halted flights. Unlike most passengers stranded on the continent, the 322 passengers of Korean Air flight KE907 safely arrived in London.

The flight was initially scheduled to arrive at Heathrow International Airport in London. Because of the volcanic ash, however, it made a detour for Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, but could not land because of too many planes.

A few hours later, the plan landed at Frankfurt International Airport in Germany. At that time, the chairman of Korean Air’s parent Hanjin Group, Cho Yang-ho, ordered staff, “This is a disaster on a global scale. Do your best to provide relief activities and safely transport passengers to their destinations.”

Drew said Korean Air recognized that all hotel rooms were booked in Frankfurt, so it struggled to find hotels in Baden-Baden and got passengers into first-class hotels. The carrier also rented six buses and transported passengers from Baden-Baden to Heathrow via the French city of Calais and the Straits of Dover the next day.

The airline’s European regional headquarters in Paris prepared sandwiches and used refrigerator cars to deliver them to passengers, who ate the sandwiches in the middle of a highway linking Baden-Baden and Calais.

Fifteen hours after leaving Baden-Baden, passengers reached Heathrow at 12:35 a.m. April 17, when most passengers heading for the U.K. were stranded in cities across Europe.

Another passenger on the flight said, “It must’ve been very tough for the airline, but Korean Air provided really outstanding service. I’ll definitely fly Korean Air again.”

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