Over 150 passengers decided to file a class action lawsuit for 90 million KRW (approximately 65,000 USD) against T’Way Airlines over an approximately 11-hour delay on their flights between Seoul Incheon and Osaka on June 13, 2024, Sankyung Today reported on July 15, 2024.
According to the report, the 152 passengers involved in the lawsuit include 106 passengers from flight TW283 to Osaka and 46 passengers from flight TW284 to Seoul.
While flight TW283 was scheduled to depart at 12:05PM but boarded with a four-hour delay. The passengers then allegedly stayed on the aircraft for three hours before being asked to disembark. Ultimately, the flight departed over 11 hours late, at around 11:10PM. Flight TW284 was delayed in a similar fashion. It was scheduled to depart at 3:25PM but departed around 2:40AM the next day instead.
“We will submit to the court evidence documents for economic damages including missed hotel accommodations, tourism, and transportation tickets in Japan due to the delay, as well as taxi expenses incurred due to late-night arrivals, in addition to the mental damages caused by the delay,” said Kim Ji-hye, the attorney representing the group.
The plaintiffs allege the delay was caused by T’Way prioritizing aircraft operations to operate its Zagreb route on time, potentially to avoid the European Union’s delay compensation requirements. According to Sankyung Today, T’Way rejected the latter part of the allegations, saying it did not consider the compensation regulations and that the aircraft swap was a measure to “avoid operational restrictions at Zagreb Airport.”
According to FlightRadar24 data, the flight to Zagreb via Bishek on June 13, 2024, departed Seoul with a nearly three-hour delay and was operated by an Airbus A330-300 registered HL8500. The Osaka rotation was operated using an Airbus A330-300 registered HL8501.
At a later day, South Korea’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport issued a warning to T’Way due to its poor on-time performance. According to The Korea Times, an official at the ministry said “We ordered T’way Air to come up with special safety measures to ensure safe flights and report them to the land ministry, so it can implement them in July.”
