Asiana Flight Takes Off Without Crew

Airline companies in the summer peak season repeat mistakes as if they are exhausted by the burning heat.

Cathay Pacific Airlines had to fly an airlift operation until August 9 in order to deliver luggage to passengers because its flights took off without loading about 430 pieces of luggage by mistake on August 3 and 4.

A Mr. Kim (90) left for Sahalin, Russia from Incheon International Airport on August 3. However, the flight took Kim to Don Muang Airport in Thailand, not Sahalin.

Since the aged Kim lost contact with his tour company and went into the wrong gate, Kim did not take Asiana but a Thai Airlines flight that brought him to Thailand. Thai Airlines did not recognize the wrong passenger even at the final ticket check before boarding.

On last July 30, Asiana Airlines made a disturbing admission that a flight returned to Incheon Airport only 30 minutes after takeoff because it forgot to take four cabin crews on board.

This flight was put into an air route from Daegu to Jeju instead of a regular flight path to Jeju Island due to bad weather. At Daegu Airport, some 150 passengers who had been scheduled to start off to Jeju on the morning of that day were demanding an alternative flight.

This mistake of not picking up cabin crews resulted from miscommunication between the control tower and pilot of that aircraft.

The control tower confirmed all pilots’ aboard with a mention that “all crew are aboard.” However, the pilot misunderstood “crew” to include flight attendants and made a takeoff without any flight attendants. Realizing this too late, the pilot headed back to Incheon Airport in 30 minutes and took off again to Daegu after picking up flight attendants.