The flight time to Japan is 1 hour and 40 minutes, but it was delayed for nearly 4 hours. The schedule has been disrupted. There was no natural disaster or bad weather; it's said to be a problem with aircraft access, but there was no talk of compensation.
Last October, Yun (35), who planned to travel to Osaka, Japan, with a colleague from work, was stuck at Incheon Airport for nearly 4 hours after only receiving a delay notification text. Despite it being the airline's issue, there was no compensation, and Yun bore all the losses.
The situation would be different with a European airline. If an Air France flight from Paris to Germany were delayed for 4 hours for the same reason (aircraft access), Yun would receive €250 (approximately 400,000 won) in cash or €350 (approximately 560,000 won) in coupons. Unlike in Korea, the European Union specifically states in its airline regulations (EU 261/2004) the amount of compensation for passengers due to flight cancellations and delays.
According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the number of reports regarding 'air transport non-fulfillment and delays' jumped from 174 cases in 2022 to 397 cases in 2023, and further to 482 in 2024. If an agreement is reached between the operator (airline) and the consumer (passenger), the case is resolved; if one party refuses, it goes through mediation steps such as litigation.
Airlines do not disclose compensation regulations for flight cancellations and delays. Korean Air stated, "We provide electronic preferential discount rights in the event of flight cancellations or delays, but the payment criteria cannot be disclosed." Asiana Airlines also noted, "While we provide compensation based on consumer dispute resolution standards announced by the Fair Trade Commission, we do not publish compensation plans on our website because route conditions and causes can vary." T’way Air and Jeju Air had similar positions.
The lack of clear compensation regulations leads consumers to believe that compensation is handled arbitrarily. Jung, who primarily uses Korean Air, said, "Once, I had to switch flights due to a defect in Korean Air's aircraft, but I was told to go to economy class because there were no business seats available. When I protested to Korean Air, I saw them booking a business class seat on Asiana Airlines, which made me feel that the compensation system is not transparent."
Europe, which actively protects the rights of airline consumers, is different. The European Union has mandated that airlines specify compensation criteria for flight cancellations and delays on their websites. Depending on flight distance, passengers can receive between €250 and €800 in vouchers or cash, and provisions for meals, beverages, accommodation, and phone calls are also mandated.
The Fair Trade Commission recommends compensation amounts based on case-by-case classifications of domestic and international flight delays or cancellations through consumer dispute resolution standards, but these recommendations have no legal force. A Fair Trade Commission official said, "It is unreasonable not to clearly include compensation regulations in the transportation terms," but added, "Airline terms fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport." They continued, "If consumers raise issues, it is possible to change the recommended standards, but there have been no such attempts in recent years."
A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official stated, "Legislation could compel airlines to include such content in their terms, but whether that is practically possible is another issue," and noted, "The review of the terms is conducted by the Fair Trade Commission."
A representative from the Korea Consumer Agency said, "If the operator's responsibility is proven, consumers can receive compensation through negotiation or mediation, but many consumers pass by without knowing this." Lee Geun-young, a professor at Korea National University of Transportation's Department of Aviation Operations, said, "If consumers do not regard compensation merely as an expense and respond actively, the long-term competitiveness will increase."