(SEOUL) Heather Cho, a senior vice president of Korean Air, delayed Flight 86 on Dec. 5 at JFK because a flight attendant served her macadamia nuts on a bag and not on a plate, according to a report by the Yonhap news agency. Cho screamed at the attendant to find and read an in-service flight manual regarding protocol and, when he failed to do so, demanded him off the flight.
The plane was about to take off from the runway when it was forced to return to the passenger terminal, delaying the flight by 11 minutes as confirmed by the airline. Korean Air also added that the decision to expel the flight attendant, who has yet to be named, was made with consultation with the pilot. Law dictates that cabin crew members are under the orders of the captain while in flight.
South Korea's Transport Ministry announced Monday that they are investigating whether Cho, who is also the eldest daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang Ho, violated the Aviation Safety Law. This law states that passengers should not create disturbances including yelling and using foul language in flight for safety reasons.
"We'll see whether her behavior was against the law," an ministry official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity. "Even though she is senior vice president at the company, she was a passenger at that time, so she had to behave and be treated as a passenger."
"The lesson for the flight attendant could have been given after returning to South Korea," the official added. "She could have taken other measures, such as strengthening service training."