[SM1]

KOREAN AIRLINES EXTORTS $2000.00 TO $5000.00 FARE INCREASE FROM BROTHER OF DYING SISTER

Korean Airlines refuses to give my husband a seat on a flight to see his dying sister on which he is a ticket holder even though a physical seat is available because it is "high season" and Korean Airlines can sell the same seat back to my husband or others for an additional $2000.00 to $5000.00.

In Los Angeles I bought Economy Class roundtrip tickets for my husband and me from Korean Airlines from Los Angeles to Kunming, China. After we travelled to Kunming my husband's sister in the U.S. was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 4 terminal lung cancer. Of course he trusted and counted on Korean Airlines to fly him back to the States, using the already-paid-for return ticket. What a mistake! Instead of putting him on the first available flight, Korean Airlines has attempted to take advantage of his vulnerable situation by extorting an additional $2000.00 to $5000.00 (depending on which figure Korean Airlines *presented you want to believe) from him for the very same seat for which he was ticketed because they can profit more by re-classifying the same physical seat in the same section as a "high revenue" seat. *At every level from worker to manager, from local Kunming office to *Call Center, Korean Airlines *insists the extortion described is only "company policy." Everyone I have spoken to is shocked at their callousness *and unethical behavior. *After many hours of frustrating effort trying to reason with Korean Airlines in person and by phone I have concluded instead of "Excellence in Flight," Korean Airlines' slogan should be "Theft in Flight."

Until this miserable experience, I had always thought an airline would do everything possible to give a paid, ticketed passenger a seat in such a dire situation, certainly not attempt to exploit the situation to their advantage and the disadvantage of their passengers. *Perhaps other International Airlines have more of a conscience than Korean Airlines. *My husband needs to comfort his dying sister right away, a situation *I hope you never have to face. *If you do, and need to cross the ocean to reach her, make sure you have a ticket from an airline which has not substituted a wallet for its heart.

I will keep you posted.