국토부의 이번 조사는 최근 해외여행 증가와 함께 항공교통 이용자들의 피해가 급증하면서 소비자 보호 문제가 제기돼 오던 중 2013년 항공 소비자 피해구제접수 중 외국계 항공사 피해가 73%에 달해 정확한 실태파악과 행정조치 마련을 위해 이뤄졌다.
특히 외국계 저가 항공사 피해는 전년 33건보다 눈에 띄게 늘어난 209건이 접수됐다. 외국계 저비용항공사중 가장 많은 피해구제가 접수된 항공사는 필리핀의 에어아시아제스트(AirAsia Zest)였으며, 관계자에게 이번 실태 조사와 소비자 보호에 대한 대응책을 묻자 “모르겠다”라고 답했다.
에어아시아제스트 뿐 아니라 핀에어, 싱가포르항공 등 여러 외항사들이 이번 국토부 조사의 시행조차 인식하지 못하고 있었다.
업계 관계자 사이에서는 국토부가 단순 ’점검‘을 위한 조사가 아닌 외항사 ‘길들이기’에 들어간게 아니냐는 평도 나오고 있다.
국토부의 다른 관계자는 “이번 조사에서 소비자 보호에 대한 인식이 떨어지는 기업들에게는 개선 권고 정도에 머물겠지만 불법적인 관행을 행한 기업은 당연히 법적인 처벌을 받게 될 것”이라고 경고했다.
그는 한달 간 집계된 자료를 바탕으로 오는 8월 국토부는 외항사들과 학계 인사, 소비자단체 등과 한자리에 모여 간담회를 열어 결과를 발표하고, 항공소비자 보호를 위한 대책을 모의할 예정이라고 밝혔다.
<관련 영문 기사> Emirates Airlines officials visit ministry over regulations
A handful of Emirates Airlines officials visited South Korea’s Transport Ministry on Tuesday ahead of a government review of the customer service divisions of all 81 foreign air carriers in the country to address a growing volume of complaints.
“Emirates Airlines visited (the International Air Transport Division) for an explanation of aviation regulations in South Korea,” said an official of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation.
But he denied that the visit was directly linked with new guidelines the government may implement following the review.
This week, the Transport Ministry announced that it would look into how foreign airlines were operating in the country, as complaints are mounting over their services. The ministry said it would consider the opinions of foreign airlines, but industry watchers believe the government is using this as a chance to crack down on the sector.
“Many foreign airlines, especially low cost carriers, don’t have a proper office or call center to receive customer complaints. Such loopholes could directly affect people’s security and convenience,” another ministry official said.
“We are planning to advise firms that are not protecting their customers, and punitive measures will be taken against those committing illegal practices.”
According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the state-run consumer rights protection body received 482 complaints from airline passengers in 2013. More than 70 percent were filed against foreign enterprises, according to the agency.
In particular, complaints against foreign low-cost carriers have been skyrocketing, with 209 cases last year, almost seven times the number in 2012. Among them, Philippines-based budget carrier AirAsia Zest received the most complaints. The firm declined to comment.
The most common complaints were the lack of compensation for flight delays or cancellations and difficulty in contacting airline staff by phone. The carriers, however, claim that their policies are identical in all countries they operate in.
“It would be difficult for us to comply with different rules in South Korea,” said one carrier employee, declining to be identified.
The Transport Ministry said it plans to meet with foreign airlines and the Korea Consumer Agency in August after it finishes analyzing the services of foreign carriers.
However, when contacted by The Korea Herald, most seemed uninformed of such plans.
“We are not aware of such a conference,” said one airline official.
The South Korean market is booming for foreign budget carriers, and recently four new players, including Vanilla Air from Japan, were allowed to operate here.
By Park Han-na (
hnpark@heraldcorp.com)
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