Asiana Airlines Flight Attendants’ Annual Leave Rejection Issue

Recently, it has been reported that the annual leave requests of flight attendants at Asiana Airlines have been repeatedly rejected, causing some attendants to express difficulties related to childcare.

According to KBS on the 18th, the repeated rejection of annual leave requests has led some flight attendants at Asiana Airlines to consider resigning.

According to the media, flight attendant A, who has worked at Asiana Airlines for over 10 years, has been balancing work and childcare using annual leave. However, the situation has rapidly changed since the second half of last year.

It has become increasingly common for the company to reject annual leave requests.

A explained the current situation, stating, "Two years ago, if I applied for leave about five times, I would get it approved three or four times. But now it’s completely 0%."

A also shared the unfortunate experience of having to leave a child with a high fever of nearly 40 degrees Celsius at childcare and go to work. There are testimonies that many flight attendants are choosing to resign due to this work environment.

Discrepancy in Manpower and Increased Flight Operations

The media has reported that over the last five years, the number of cabin crew members at Asiana Airlines has decreased by more than 11%, while the number of passenger flights has increased by over 70%. This imbalance has led to a structural problem where the rejection of annual leave has become normalized.

According to the Labor Standards Act, employers generally cannot refuse employees' leave requests and may only change the timing of annual leave if it causes "significant disruption" to the business.

Currently, labor authorities are investigating whether Asiana Airlines has been facing management difficulties that prevented adequate staffing.

In response, Asiana Airlines stated that there has been an increase in resignations during the COVID-19 period and a rise in non-available personnel due to parental leave, adding that they continue to recruit flight attendants to ensure smooth annual leave usage.

Image source: Reference photo for understanding the article / Photo = Insight