Wacky nut job Heather Cho delayed a Korean Air jumbo jet because she was upset when the crew served her bagged macadamia nuts. Cho felt as though the nuts should have been served to her on a plate, so she ordered the aircraft to return to the gate. Cho was in first class when the horrifying bagged nuts incident occurred. A flight attendant handed Cho the macadamia nuts and shortly afterwards, Cho flipped out and delayed the flight. When the incident was exposed by South Korean journalists, the country was dismayed, to say the least. They created an uproar and demanded that Cho step down from the airline. Today, the BBC reported that Cho has resigned.
Cho’s father is one of the airline’s chairmen. Cho was serving as both a vice president of the airline and as an overseer of in-flight service. She claims she was met with “lies and excuses” when she questioned why anyone would have the gall to serve her macadamia nuts in a bag.
Cho says that she decided the situation warranted a return to the gate because when she questioned the head of the flight crew, she still could not get a straight answer about why she had been forced to suffer such an indignity. She said she asked if the flight attendant had been following the official flight operations manual when nutgate occurred, and no one could give her a proper answer.
Nut job Cho’s actions caused the Incheon-bound plane to be delayed 11 minutes. Cho has apologized, taking “responsibility” for the incident. It remains unclear why anyone would want macadamia nuts to be served on a plate, on a plane. It seems they would roll around an awful lot, does it not?
Korean Air has also apologized for the bagged nuts incident, calling Cho’s decision “excessive.” To be fair to Cho, the whole culture at Korean Air seems a little bit stuffy. They have a decidedly strange ad campaign with the tagline “it’s all about you.” In the ad, airline passengers indulge in expensive-looking drinks and eat gourmet dishes prepared by a chef. It seems the company has taken the concept of luxury just a bit too far. If it is truly all about the customers, the airline should reconsider its nut-serving policy and leave the snacks in bags, where they belong. Watch the strange advertisement below and tell us how you feel about nut job Heather Cho and Korean Air’s overall approach to customer service.
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