EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday.
The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager.
Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical emergencies — and instead insisted that she continue working, the post said.
Photo: Tsai Yung-jung, Taipei Times
When the plane landed, the manager ignored the flight attendant’s requests to use a wheelchair and call an ambulance, it said, adding that the flight attendant was eventually taken to the hospital, where she later died.
“This was not some regrettable coincidence, but the result of systemic and long-term indifference to crew members’ health,” said the post, which was written anonymously by a person who identified themselves as a fellow flight attendant.
In a joint statement yesterday, the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union and EVA Airways’ corporate union said that the incident had occurred on a flight from Milan to Taipei late last month.
The unions said they hoped the tragedy would make the airline more responsive to the needs of its cabin crew, who are often afraid to take sick or personal leave, because it could affect their performance review and annual bonus.
The unions are also looking into whether the cabin crew manager’s behavior constituted workplace bullying, and encouraged EVA Airways to do the same, the statement said.
The airline confirmed that it had been in contact with the flight attendant’s family during her hospitalization, and had learned of her “tragic death” on Saturday.
The company said they offered their deepest condolences and would continue to provide support to the flight attendant’s family, adding that they were investigating the incident.
Meanwhile, the Taoyuan City Office of Labor Inspection yesterday said that it had dispatched officials to EVA Airways to begin its own investigation into the incident.
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