Korean Air, Asiana questioned over airport lounges

Korea’s two full-service carriers were questioned by police over allegations that they were running illegal restaurant operations at their lounges in Incheon Airport, the airlines confirmed Wednesday.

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines’ airport lounges, which are technically convenience facilities, are not licensed to operate as restaurants. However, Korean Air heats and mixes some of the food it serves to its business class and first class passengers on-site, which police construe as cooking.
Asiana Airlines also allowed economy passengers to pay for entry into its lounges, which was seen as essentially charging passengers for food. 

Korean Air allows economy passengers into its lounges using certain credit cards or by charging mileage points, which is also seen as a type of currency.

Representatives from both airlines were questioned by police, who handed the case over to prosecutors. 

An official for Asiana Airlines said that the company would be suspending paid entry into its lounges, while Korean Air said that it would cooperate fully with the investigation, but maintain its lounges as is until a legal decision is handed down. 

An official for Incheon International Airport Corp. said that the company will make decisions on guidelines for airlines’ airport lounges once the investigation leads to clearly defined legal boundaries for operations. 

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)