Asiana Airlines Not Suing KTVU Over Fake Pilot Names After All

Reason 24/7

It appears Asiana Airlines has shifted its PR strategy in the wake of last weekend's crash landing of a Boeing 777 at San Francisco airport. The airline said earlier this week it was planning to sue a local San Francisco station for running obviously fake names in a newscast about the identity of the doomed flight's pilots, but has now changed its mind.

From CBS News:

Asiana Airlines said Wednesday it no longer plans to sue a San Francisco TV station over the use of racially offensive names.

The South Korean air carrier said that KTVU-TV has already apologized for using fake names for four pilots on a plane that crashed in San Francisco on July 6. It will no longer sue, as it had said it would do.

Meanwhile, victims of the crash landing say Asiana Airlines has been no help to them, with one family accusing the airline of trying to prevent them from  talking to the media bout their experience.

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Comments

[Eduard van Haalen]

"We did nothing wrong," said the president of Asiana Airlines' Japanese parent company, Sosumi.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"Anyone else would have responded the same," said Vice President Wi Dun Wong.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"We have no intention of making reparations," said the President of the Korean affiliate, Suk Dong.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"But we remain open to all customer concerns," said customer-relations head Fuk Yu.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Calls to Asiana Air headquarters in Phuket were not immediately returned.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Phuket is in Thailand not Kor...

Wait.

[CE]

"And we hope we have provided a sufficient explanation," said her assistant, Thatz Wei.

[yonemoto]

+1000

[John]

I guess the firm of Pac Sun and Bok Choi the airline retained decided a suit didn't have a very good chance of winning.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Uh, I don't get it.

[John]

Pac Sun is some kind of clothing company. Bok Choi is a vegetable used in Asian food. But both names sound like people names. Thus the joke.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Pfaugh - you should have at least said "Long Wang," or "Enormous Genitals."

[John]

Okay, the firm of Long Duck Dong, LLP.

[Free Society]

You should have said:

Asiana Airlines is referring all media inquiries to their legal team over at the firm Long Wang.

Cuz see then you can make 'firm' a double entendre. Think before you pun, John! Get your shit together.

[yonemoto]

Duc, you asshole. Don't you know anything about Vietnamese names?

[AlexInCT]

Next you are goign to demand he tell people his favorite restuarant is "Hung So Lo" and that he recommend they order the "Cream of "Sumyoungguy" or something...

[Archduke Trousersenthusiast]

There was no comment from CFO Sum Yung Gai

[SweatingGin]

I thought that was one of the pilots.

[Archduke Trousersenthusiast]

There can be more than one person with that name!

[A Serious Man]

Wasn't the pilot Cho-se Tan Yu Si?

[Archduke Trousersenthusiast]

One was actually Ha Yu Lan Dis Ting

[Paul.]

Ting Go Bang actually landed the plane, as I understand it.

[A Serious Man]

Navigator Ai Bang Mi Ni was the only one in the cockpit hurt.

[DJF]

Because the names were accurate?

[Heroic Mulatto]

Koreans have names that sound like Cantonese all of a sudden?

[Sevo]

Heroic Mulatto| 7.17.13 @ 3:43PM |#
"Koreans have names that sound like Cantonese all of a sudden?"

Naah. Americans just can't tell the difference.

[Lord Humungus]

zomg - raaacccists!

[Paul.]

Asiana's Lawyer, I Win Do, decided that there wasn't much of a case.

[Episiarch]

This was wise on their part. "Yeah, let's sue the station and keep the story about how one of our planes crashed in the news for even longer!"

[A Serious Man]

Asiana's new CEO, Lei Ying Lo, has decided that keeping a low profile is the best course of action.

[Eduard van Haalen]

I wonder, is there an attorney who specializes in airline disasters?

What - what did I say?

[Eduard van Haalen]

(Just to be clear, attorneys who specialize in airline disasters are totally awesome and supremely dedicated to justice and public service, just in case anyone of that description is following this blog)

[Paul.]

Attorney Hoo Go Ow is interviewing accident victims now.

[Rhywun]

No! Money down!

[Sevo]

Hey, anybody who can chase a flying ambulance is worthy of praise!

[Sevo]

Oops
@"(Just to be clear, attorneys who specialize in airline disasters are totally awesome and supremely dedicated to justice and public service, just in case anyone of that description is following this blog)"

[Heroic Mulatto]

I've heard they have a predilection for carnal relations with ovine creatures.

[Rich]

is there an attorney who specializes in airline disasters?

*Possibly* he is Foo King. Cheap.

[Scarecrow Repair]

Any relation to Soh Fah King Cheap?

[Archduke Trousersenthusiast]

Another reason to ban summer interns!!!

[Gozer the Gozerian]

Everyone's being exploited!

[Hugh Akston]

Turns out the firm that Asiana retained - Dewey, Cheathem & Howe - wasn't real.

[Paul.]

Car talk reference... but I'll let it pass.

[Hugh Akston]

Paul, I should kill you for attributing a Three Stooges reference to those ear-killing NPR twaddleknockers, but there's really no point since you're obviously already dead inside.

[Paul.]

Three Stooges? Jesus, thank ya lord. I'm not as old as I thought I was. Someone was finally able to reference something I had no personal or cultural memory of...

[Stormy Dragon]

You have no personal or cultural memory of The Stooges?

Turn in your man card now. Because if you don't love The Stooges, you're obviously a woman.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Let me explain the importance of the Three Stooges. Just lean in towards me a little closer...closer...

[Paul.]

Let the woman inside me bloom. I have never liked the Stooges or found their brand of humour in any way... humourous.

I lie when I say I have no cultural memory of them-- I know who they are. I know there seems to be a lot of poking in the eyes, uttering of 'nyuk nyuk' and hitting people with iron pans.

I was more of an Abbott and Costello man.

[PapayaSF]

Oh, an intellectual, eh?

[CE]

Me too.

[CE]

Or was it Mi Tu?

[CE]

It was priceless a few years ago to hear Vin Scully say "Hu's on first" for real though.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Did they retain Sue Yoo?

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/.....to-sue-us/

[Jordan]

I must consult the Bob Loblaw Law Blog to make sense of this.

[A Serious Man]

Meanwhile, the investigation will continue as regulatory big wig Wat Yu Hi Ding will conduct a thorough examination of the airport, the airline, and the flight crew.

(Okay, I'm done now)

[Scarecrow Repair]

No, only half baked.

[Sevo]

OT:
SF Chron admits phone-up rides may not be the end of the world!
"Railing against ridesharing is a fool's errand"
http://blog.sfgate.com/techchr.....ls-errand/
Some commenters aghast that taxis should have to compete!

[Gozer the Gozerian]

"Next they'll be talking about consumer welfare!"

[John]

OT

Boy scouts banning gays crime against humanity. Boy scouts banning fat kids "not as cruel as it sounds.

http://www.slate.com/articles/.....index.html

[Stormy Dragon]

See, they let homosexuals in and suddenly it's Twinks only!

[Gozer the Gozerian]

Swing any way you want, as long as you don't roll.

[Dan Bongard]

How were the fake names "racist" or "racially insensitive"?

Since when is language race-related?

[PapayaSF]

Everything funny, offensive, or true is now racist, and the fact that you don't know that is racist, you racist.

[Marty Feldman's Eyes]

with one family accusing the airline of trying to prevent them from talking to the media bout their experience

Spelling problem.

You left out the apostrophe in 'bout.