The packed terminal of Gimpo International Airport in Seoul is seen in this photo taken Sunday. (Yonhap)
While passengers getting off an airplane before takeoff is uncommon, government data showed Tuesday that such cases have occurred 2,985 times between 2019 and August of this year.
The passengers got off the plane on their own account in 2,548 cases, and a simple change of heart by passengers was responsible for 389 of these cases, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport data submitted to Rep. Yeom Tae-yeong of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
In the 417 remaining cases, the passengers were instructed to leave the aircraft due to delays, defects with the aircraft, cancellations and other emergencies.
Most cases of voluntary exit were due to passenger circumstances, such as health issues that accounted for 1,399 instances, changes in schedule for 273 and deaths of family members or acquaintances in 142.
But 15.3 percent of last-minute exits happened due to the passenger simply changing their mind. This included a passenger losing their luggage, an argument with a travel companion and one's disdain over the travel fees.
In one case, a fan supposedly "stalking" a celebrity boarded the plane just to see the star and then asked to be allowed off the aircraft.
Such unscheduled last-minute exits greatly hinder plane operations, as the airline must report such cases to the air traffic authorities and conduct subsequent safety inspections. This is due to safety concerns, such as the possibility of a terrorist boarding a plane and leaving a dangerous object before getting off.
According to Korean Air, passengers seeking unscheduled exit from planes are instructed by the flight crew that they could go through questioning by the airport authorities, police or investigative agencies, and that their exit could lead to a re-search of the entire plane. Other passengers cannot leave the designated area during the process, which the airline warns leads to at least one or two hours of delay.
The airline then reports the case to the authorities, who review the situation before clearing the aircraft for takeoff. Procedures following the unscheduled exit of a passenger vary for each country.
In South Korea, one of the most well-known cases of an unscheduled exit just before takeoff is the infamous "nut-rage incident." This refers to when Cho Hyun-Ah -- then vice president of Korean Air -- forced one of the flight attendants to exit her company's plane due to her dissatisfaction with the service.
"A passenger voluntarily exiting the plane just before takeoff inflicts significant damage to other passengers and the airline, and we need to work on a measure that can mandate the passenger to compensate for such damages. ... Passengers themselves should realize that such actions severely threaten the air safety, and should refrain from doing so unless in emergencies," Rep. Yeom said.
Per year, the number of voluntary exits from planes just before takeoff has generally trended upward, except for 2020 when the nation's flights drastically decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The figure went from 401 in 2019, dipped to 252 in 2020, then went back up to 542 in 2022 and 523 in 2023.
As of August this year, passengers exited the plane early in 413 cases, which theoretically could mean the number for the entire year could be much higher than in the last two years.
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