A passenger found a shard of glass in a coffee served onboard a Korean Air flight. While drinking the coffee, the passenger discovered the glass piece in their mouth. Fortunately, the passenger was not injured but had to vomit out all of the food consumed on the flight due to safety concerns.
According to a report by Yonhap News on Sept. 17, Passenger A, while returning from Guangzhou, China to Incheon Airport on a Korean Air flight on the Sept. 1, felt a foreign substance in their mouth while drinking an iced coffee served as a dessert after the in-flight meal. The foreign object, which was lodged between the teeth and lip, turned out to be a sharp glass fragment measuring about 0.5 cm in length and 0.1 cm in thickness.
Upon verification by the cabin crew, it was found that the glass cup containing the coffee had broken.
Due to the possibility of Passenger A having swallowed a piece of glass, the crew instructed the passenger to induce vomiting in the restroom. Thankfully, no issues arose after landing.
With the Chuseok holiday approaching and an increase in overseas travelers, Passenger A felt that airlines need to enhance their safety awareness. A requested the airline to proactively inform the media about this incident and implement preventive measures. The passenger also sent a certified letter to Korean Air’s Chairman, Cho Won-tae, highlighting the issue and urging remedial action.
However, the airline did not accept A’s request for public disclosure and only provided guidance for medical expenses and a 100,000 won electronic discount voucher. In an email sent to A, Korean Air apologized sincerely, stating, “We deeply apologize for the near-injury due to the defective glass cup provided onboard.” They further clarified, “The glass cup, supplied by our in-flight meal provider, was not detected as defective during the final inspection phase before being loaded on board.”