Voyage on Korean Airlines (KAL)
Written: Jan 30 '01 (Updated Feb 08 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive fare
Cons: Poor safety reputation
The Bottom Line: Fly if you must, avoid if you can.
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| sjcresident's Full Review: Korean Air |
This airline has received much bad press. Although popular with some independent travelers for its low fare, it is generally held in suspicion by most travelers. It should be. It is a poorly run airline with seriously damaged reputation.
It is easy but unfair to bash on an airline because of one, particular bad experience. Statistically, someone is bound to have an unenjoyable flight but this does not mean that the airline is poorly run.
The goal of this recommendation is to give some general justifications for why I view this airline in suspicion. My analysis is born entirely out of my understanding of this airline from “word on the street” during my travels – fellow travelers have shared what they know about this airline. So, I don’t pretend to claim any journalistic accuracy; all comments here are based on personal observations and opinions heard from other travelers.
This airline is one of those rare airlines that provide great service but with an exceptionally mediocre safety record. Here is my view.
I. Recent Events
The word is that the President of the Republic of Korean has recently refused to fly this airline. Korean Airline has been the carrier of choice for the past residents of the Blue House (the Korean equivalent to the American White House). Korean Airline has maintained a dedicated aircraft reserved for Presidential use. In a country where ‘face’ is valued at a high premium, this is clearly a slap across the cheeks.
There is even word that the Korean national government has suggested to the management that ‘Korean’ Airline change its name. It is making the entire country look bad.
II. Safety Record
The blunt truth is that this airline crashes a lot. Past few accidents have involved seriously questionable pilot judgments, including colliding with a mountain in broad daylight. So why is this airline so accident-prone?
One part of the reason is that the promotion system and the captaincy of the aircraft favor senior ranking pilots with Korean nationality. Most East Asian and Southeast Asian airlines rely heavily on international labor markets to find piloting talents. Korean Airline has developed an extremely poor reputation among the international piloting circles for badly managing the cockpit hierarchy and for delaying promotion to deserving but non-Korean pilots. Many international pilots simply refuse to work for the Korean Airline. This is a serious problem that has not been remedied by the Korean Airlines management. It is difficult to identify good pilots much less to train them. By squeezing itself out of the international markets, the job is that much more difficult.
III. Monopoly
Most small countries have deeply entrenched airline monopolies. South Korea, until recently, was not very different. As with all organizations without strong competition the pressure to excel was, to say the least, low. The new entrant in the market, Asiana Airline, is putting a serious squeeze on the margins and is forcing a downward pull in ticket pricing.
Is this good news? Well, yes, but not a complete yes. It takes time to get better and it’s not clear to me that Korean Airlines is a fast learning organization.
By the way, Asiana Airlines has been running television ads strongly emphasizing their safety practice. Some of the ads emphasize how the pilots and the mechanics keep checking aviation systems and comply with all major international maintenance standards. There is no reference to how comfortable the seats are; really, the message is “we do safety checks”. Though Korean Airline is not mentioned, the Asiana ads are in clear reference to the “other” airline.
In case you are now tempted to take Asiana, don’t get too excited. The word is that it is run by a (former) bus company. It has a better safety record partly because it is so young. Only time will tell.
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So, is there any sane reason to fly this airline?
Sometimes, you don’t have a choice. Korean Airline, as the name suggests, flies frequently to Korea. Service and food-quality cannot be matched. Indeed, most foreign travelers find the service unsurpassed. Also, Kimpo International Airport gives clear preference to Korean Airline flights to land. Unless there is a fuel emergency, Korean Airlines air crafts land first; once again, this practice does not endear Korean Airline to other pilots.
What’s a little elevation in risk of death for the good service of smiling attendants and the first shots at landing on time? Maybe Korean Airlines is worth it for the (insane) few. As for myself, you can pick me up at the Northwest Airlines terminal.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
sjcresident
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Location: San Jose, CA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 2 members
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