大韓航空を運営する韓進グループ会長の娘で、大韓航空の副社長だった趙顕娥（チョ・ヒョナ）氏が、機内でナッツを勧めた客室乗務員に激しく怒り、飛行機を引き返させてチーフパーサーを飛行機から降ろした問題は、当時の詳しい状況が乗客の証言から明らかになってきた。ハフィントンポスト韓国版に掲載された「ハンギョレ」の記事から。
【関連記事】
趙顕娥（チョ・ヒョナ）・前大韓航空副社長がニューヨーク発のKE086航空便で、キャビンアテンダント（CA）とチーフパーサーをひざまずかせ、大声でののしる場面を見たという目撃者が現れた。当時、飛行機のエコノミークラスの前方に座っていたこの乗客は、趙前副社長がひざまずいた客室乗務員にファイルか冊子のようなものを投げつけ「探してみろと言ってるんだ」と叱責していたと話した。マニュアルとみられるこの冊子はCAの胸に当たり、床に落ちた。
問題が起きた飛行機はエアバスA380機で、エコノミークラスとファーストクラスが隣接していて、エコノミーの前方に座った乗客はファーストクラスの状況を見ることができる。エコノミーの前方に座っていたというこの乗客は「ファーストクラスでうるさい声が聞こえたので、何事かと思って状況を見た」と話した。
乗客の証言によると、最初は女性の客室乗務員一人でひざまずいていたが、後に男性のチーフパーサーがその横に一緒にひざまずいた。乗務員が叱られているように見えたという。趙前副社長の声は最初から最後まで怒鳴り声ではなかったが、声が相当甲高くなることがあった。この乗客は、趙前副社長がののしる声は聞かなかったが、乗務員に向けて冊子を投げつけ、「探してみろと言ってるんだ」と叫んだことははっきり覚えていた。この乗客は「あるCAが、ファーストクラスに座っている女性らしき乗客に、理解を求めていた」と話した。
エコノミークラス前方の乗客が騒がしくなると、CAたちが集まって通路をふさいだ。この乗客は、ファーストクラスのCAやチーフパーサーがタブレットPCを持っている姿は見えなかったと言い「その様子を見た乗客がなぜ黙っているのか分からない」と話した。
「ハンギョレ」は、大韓航空操縦士労組を通じ、その日の機内の状況を確認した。パイロットは趙前副社長が搭乗したことは知っていたが、操縦席から出ていないため、客室での状況は知らなかったとした。0時50分の出発に合わせ、0時47分に飛行機の扉を閉め、53分にトーイングカー（滑走路に誘導するための作業車）に載せる途中で停止したという。インターホンを通じ、チーフパーサーが降りることは操縦士も知っていた。飛行機は離陸まで13分程度かかった。操縦士労組は「操縦士は安全とセキュリティー、定時運航を守らなければならないため、この障害となる状況でなければ飛行機を離陸させなければならない。チーフパーサーが荷物を持って降り、操縦士は離陸後に客室での出来事を知った。口にするのも恥ずかしい状況だった」と明らかにした。
Korean Air executive to quit remaining posts after nuts scandal
December 12, 2014 --
Updated 2241 GMT (0641 HKT)
Source: CNN
STORY
HIGHLIGHTS
- Airline chairman: Heather Cho will be resigning from all posts with the company
- Korean Air said previously she had resigned from some roles but was keeping her
- VP title The chairman, who is also her father, blames himself, saying he raised her
- badly Cho ordered a plane back to the gate after a flight attendant served nuts in a
- bag
(CNN) -- The Korean Air executive who kicked up a fuss over a bag of nuts will resign from her remaining posts with the airline, the company chairman -- who is also her father -- said Friday.
The executive, Heather Cho, found herself at the center of a media storm after she ordered that a plane turn back to the gate and that a flight attendant be removed -- all because she was served nuts in a bag instead of on a plate in first class.
Although her role put her in charge of in-flight service, she was only a passenger on the flight and was not flying in an official capacity.
The incident, which took place last week at New York's JFK airport, stirred anger among the South Korean public over Cho's behavior.
Cho, whose Korean name is Cho Hyun-ah, resigned Tuesday from the airline's catering and in-flight sales business, and from its cabin service and hotel business divisions, the company said.
But the 40-year-old kept her title as a vice president of the national carrier, according to company spokesman.
Airline nut incident
an 'abuse of power'
Executive goes 'nuts'
over nuts on plane
Improperly served nuts force plane
delay
That's going to change, her father, Cho Yang-ho, said Friday as he made a public apology for what happened.
She will be resigning from the vice president job and positions held in affiliate companies, he said.
Asked by reporters how the incident could have happened, the company chairman blamed himself, saying he'd raised her badly.
'Outburst of anger'
A local English-language newspaper, The Korea Times, said her behavior has deepened public resentment of South Korea's large family-owned corporations, known as chaebol.
"Through her outburst of anger, she not only caused inconvenience to KAL passengers, but also to those on other flights," the newspaper said in an editorial Tuesday.
The most annoying type of airline passenger is ...
South Korean authorities are now investigating the incident, which occurred on a flight due to take off for Incheon International Airport near Seoul.
Cho arrived at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Friday as part of the investigation, according to local TV coverage. She spoke in such a low voice that it was inaudible from the TV footage.
'An excessive act'
Korean Air apologized for any inconvenience to those on the flight and said there had been no safety issues involved. The plane arrived at its destination 11 minutes behind schedule, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
"Even though it was not an emergency situation, backing up the plane to order an employee to deplane was an excessive act," the airline said earlier this week. "We will re-educate all our employees to make sure service within the plane meets high standards."
The airline also issued an apology on Heather Cho's behalf, Yonhap reported, in which she asked for forgiveness and said she would take "full responsibility" for the incident.
According to her biography on the website of Nanyang Technological University, Heather Cho joined the airline in 1999 and has since been "actively involved in establishing a new corporate identity for Korean Air."
She studied at Cornell University and the University of Southern California.
CNN's K.J. Kwon and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.
韓国メディア「財閥子女の傍若無人な振る舞い」
【ソウル＝宮崎健雄】大韓航空の
聴取は同省の施設で行われ、出頭した趙氏は１００人以上の報道陣の前で「心から謝罪します」と述べた。問題発覚後、趙氏が公の場に出るのは初めてで「調査に誠実に臨む」と小声で繰り返した。
趙氏は、大韓航空を傘下に持つ韓進グループの
一方、父親の趙会長も１２日に緊急記者会見し、「教育を誤った。娘をグループの全ての役職から退かせる」などと謝罪して火消しに躍起となった。
Apology for 'nut rage' from former Korean Air executive
12 December 2014 Last updated at 10:20 GMT
BBC
Former Korean Air executive Heather Cho has apologised for delaying a plane over a serving of nuts, in her first public appearance since the incident.
Her father, airline chairman Cho Yang-ho, also apologised at a news conference, amid a simmering backlash in South Korea.
Stephen Evans reports.
