US transportation officials have penalized Asiana Airlines USD 500,000 for failing to assist family members of passengers on a flight that crashed last year at San Francisco airport.
The fine announced today is a first. Regulators say no airline has ever broken US laws that require prompt and generous assistance to the loved ones of crash victims.
Three people died and dozens were injured on July 6 when Asiana Flight 214 clipped a seawall while landing.
The US Department of Transportation concluded that some family members had not been contacted two days after the crash, and it took five days to reach the families of all 291 people on the plane.
The agency says the South Korean carrier lacked translators and personnel trained in crash response. Asiana had no immediate comment.
