Repeated delays plague T'way Air

T'way Air is facing increasing criticism for frequent flight delays and inadequate compensation to customers, which is apparently due to the airline's use of outdated A330-200 passenger jets.The company has been making all-out efforts to expand into Europe after taking over four routes from Korean Air: Frankfurt, Rome, Barcelona and Paris. The deal was part of a precondition concerning Korean Air's approval from the European Commission for its acquisition of Asiana Airlines. However, the ambitious move hit a setback after the airline's passenger flight from Paris to Incheon was delayed by around 21 hours on Aug. 28. The airline is facing criticism for offering lower-than-expected compensation to more than 100 passengers. According to the airline, it decided to offer compensation of 180,000 won ($133.95) to its economy-class passengers. Passengers say that they can seek compensation under a European Union (EU) rule. Per the regulation, any passengers who take a flight from a member country of the EU can receive financial compensation of up to 600 euros, equivalent to over 880,000 won, for flight delays of more than three hours. The airline, however, is mired in a series of similar controversies after its flight from Gimpo to Jeju Island was delayed for some five hours on Sunday morning due to airplane defects. The company also operated the same type of aircraft. Earlier, T'way rented five A330-200 aircraft from Korean Air for its European routes. Industry officials cited T'way Air's operation of old A330-200 aircraft as the key reason for its frequent delays.<br/>