Already facing a public backlash following the tragic death of a young flight attendant who died after allegedly being refused medical help on a long-haul flight, Taiwanese airline EVA Air has now been forced to issue a groveling apology after admitting it demanded a sick note from the dead crew member after she had already passed away.
The flight attendant’s family, already grieving the loss of their much-loved daughter, then had to deal with the highly insensitive request from EVA Air that challenged her to provide proof of her sickness.
EVA Air now says the letter had been sent by mistake by a junior office worker who was unfamiliar with the airline’s policies. The explanation has done little, however, to quell the scandal engulfing the airline.
The Taipei-based carrier has already launched an urgent internal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of the 32-year-old flight attendant after anonymous sources claimed a cabin manager made her continue working even as her health was quickly deteriorating.
The incident occurred on September 25 aboard EVA Air flight BR-95 from Milan, Italy, to Taipei. According to local media reports, the flight attendant had first reported feeling ill during the outbound flight to Italy, but her condition progressively worsened on the return flight.
The cabin manager, however, allegedly ordered the flight attendant to continue working for the duration of the 13-hour flight and refused to contact a ground-based support line known as Medlink, which provides professional medical advice to airlines.
Sources claim the cabin manager even refused to call an ambulance to meet the aircraft on arrival, and the flight attendant was forced to struggle through Taipei airport before later being rushed to the hospital.
Tragically, medical staff were unable to save the crew member’s life.
Facing intense pressure from Taiwanese regulators, EVA Air says flight attendants will no longer face the threat of punishment if they have to take sick leave. EVA Air, along with five other local airlines, is changing its absence management policy following an intervention from the Ministry of Labor.
Regulators have heeded concerns raised by the Taoyuan Flight Attendant Union, which represents crew at EVA Air who had claimed their members were scared to call sick even though they were unfit to operate because it would affect their annual performance review, and have a big impact on their working schedules.
Along with promising that flight attendants will not face repercussions for taking sick leave, EVA Air also says it is improving its internal procedures to ensure that “work errors” like sending demands for sick notes from a dead flight attendant won’t occur in the future.
