Korean Air exec goes nuts over nuts

A Korean Air executive reportedly yelled at a flight attendant over the way she was served some nuts. Photo / Thinkstock

An executive for Korean Air is facing investigation after she reportedly delayed a flight because a member of the cabin crew didn't serve her nuts properly.

The flight was about to take off from New York's JFK Airport when Korean Air's vice-chairman Heather Cho had a flight attendant removed from plane for failing to offer her a packet of macadamia nuts.

South Korean news service Yonhap reports that, when prompted, the attendant gave the daughter of the airline's chief executive Cho Yang-ho macadamia nuts in a bag, and not on a plate as formal business class procedure dictates.

For that oversight, Cho reportedly yelled at the cabin crew member and ordered her off the plane as it was readying to depart JFK Airport for Incheon, near Seoul.

The South Korean Government is looking into the executive's on-the-spot disciplinary action against the attendant, who hasn't been named.

The plane was already in the process of being taxied to the runway but had to return to the passenger terminal, with the whole saga delaying the New York-bound plane's take-off by 11 minutes, it was confirmed by the airline.

However, Korean Air also confirmed that the decision to expel the crew chief had been made in consultation with the pilot.

A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official, who spoke to Yonhap on the condition of anonymity, said there will be a government investigation into the incident.

Law dictates that the cabin crew is under the orders of the captain while on a flight.

The official explained: "'Even if she is the vice president of the airline, she was one of passengers and should have been treated as one.

"The lesson for the flight attendant could have been given after returning to South Korea."

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- Daily Mail