Budget airlines apologize for ‘inept’ storm response
Companies didn’t consider original travel plans when issuing new tickets

Budget airlines have apologized for taking insufficient countermeasures after record snowfalls left tens of thousands of passengers stranded in Jeju earlier this week.

Chaos ensued when low-cost airlines gave out waiting numbers for tickets at the airport on a first-come-first-served basis without considering the order of cancellations... resulting in physical brawls to get on early flights.

Larger domestic airlines were able to avoid such problems as they used an electronic system that automatically registered passengers on emergency flights in the order that their original flights were cancelled. They also alerted travelers via text message of their new travel plans.

Budget carriers such as Air Busan, T’way Airlines, and Jeju Air have issued formal apologies online and said they would improve their emergency countermeasures.

저비용항공사, 제주공항사태 미흡대처 사과

지난 주말 폭설로 제주공항 이용객들이 불편을 겪은 것과 관련해 저비용항공사들이 사과문을 올리고 재발방지를 약속했습니다.

에어부산은 당사 홈페이지에 공지문을 올리고, 사내 비상대책반을 구성해 최대한 노력했지만 후속조치 과정에서 부족함이 많았다며, 미흡한 부분은 개선하겠다고 밝혔습니다.

또 티웨이항공과 제주항공도 인터넷 홈페이지 공지사항을 통해 제주 기점 노선에 임시편을 집중 편성했지만 승객들의 불편을 줄이는데 한계가 있었다고 사과했습니다.