Boeing apologises for 737 MAX crashes as Paris Air Show opens

Yahoo – AFP, Joseph Schmid, June 17, 2019

If the aviation market continues to soften, Airbus and Boeing could face a
disappointing year (AFP Photo/ERIC PIERMONT)

Le Bourget (France) (AFP) - A top Boeing executive apologised Monday for two crashes of 737 MAX jets that together killed 346 people, disasters which have pushed safety to the top of the agenda as aerospace firms gathered for the opening of the Paris Air Show.

The US aerospace giant is battling to regain the trust of passengers, pilots and regulators after a 737 operated by Indonesia's Lion Air flight crashed last October, followed by an Ethiopian Airlines jet in March.

"We are very sorry for the loss of lives as a result of the tragic accidents... our thoughts and our prayers are with their families," Boeing's head of commercial aircraft Kevin McAllister told journalists at the air show.

"Our priority is doing everything to get this plane safely returned to service. It is a pivotal moment for all of us," he said.

But McAllister and other executives faced a barrage of questions over Boeing's handling of the 737 MAX disasters, thought to be caused by a faulty MCAS anti-stall system.

Boeing's Kevin McAllister apologised for the 737 MAX crashes, but questions
remain (AFP Photo/ERIC PIERMONT)

Critics accuse Boeing of failing to sufficiently test a system that used just one sensor to determine if the 737 was at risk of stalling, and of failing to adequately inform and train pilots.

Reports also suggest that US safety regulators allowed Boeing engineers to self-certify the system, prompting worries of insufficient oversight at the planemaker.

McAllister said a planned fix for the anti-stall software would use two sensors, but it has yet to submit its proposal to regulators, who have grounded the plane indefinitely.

"We are very confident that the three layers of protection we are planning with the software update will prevent anything like this happening again," he said.

Europe's new fighter jet

Several executives at the Paris Air Show vowed to improve transparency over plane safety in the wake of the 737 MAX crashes, while also pledging to reduce emissions for an industry increasingly in the public spotlight.

The Paris Air Show kicked off with a markedly less self-congratulatory
mood (AFP Photo/BENOIT TESSIER)

Few blockbuster products or orders are expected at the world's biggest aerospace show, which brings together nearly 2,500 firms from 49 countries, and 290 official delegations, including government leaders and military chiefs.

But with passenger traffic slowing this year, the atmosphere at the fair, where arch-rivals Boeing and Airbus usually vie for aircraft orders, was markedly less self-congratulatory than in recent years.

President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the event at Le Bourget airport after flying in on a hulking grey Airbus A330 refuelling tanker operated by the French Air Force.

He then attended the unveiling of a full-size model of the new fighter jet that France and Germany are promoting as a symbol of their efforts to bolster European defence autonomy at a time of fraying ties with the United States.

The stealth plane is part of the ambitious Future Combat Air System (FCAS) that includes next-generation drones and missiles, which would help reduce the EU's long reliance on US planes and equipment.

At an airbase near you in about 20 years: The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) 

jet (AFP Photo/ERIC PIERMONT)

The cooperation framework was later signed by the defence ministers of France, Germany and Spain, so far the only other EU nation to join the project, which aims to have its new plane in operation by 2040.

Macron then toured the vast exhibition halls at Le Bourget, where dozens of companies are touting their efforts to make flying cleaner amid criticism of airlines' carbon emissions.

Airbus officially unveiled its A321 XLR jet, the latest iteration of its hugely popular single-aisle A320, which can now cross the Atlantic thanks to increased fuel efficiency.

That makes it an option for airlines which currently have to use bigger, fuel-hungry twin-aisle planes on longer routes.

The US-based Air Lease Corporation has signed a letter of intent to buy 27 of the planes, with deliveries to start in 2023.

France and Germany hope to reduce their reliance on US equipment (AFP Photo/

BENOIT TESSIER)

Clouds on horizon

Both Airbus and Boeing have suffered a wave of order cancellations as airlines grapple with slowing passenger traffic growth since the start of this year.

And air cargo shipments, often an indicator of passenger traffic trends, have been slumping so far in 2019, reflecting the trade tensions prompted by US President Donald Trump's move to impose tariffs on several European and Chinese imports.

If the aviation market continues to soften, Airbus and Boeing could suffer their first disappointing year after more than a decade of solid growth driven in particular by the soaring numbers of people flying in Asia.

The two industry leaders can take comfort from jam-packed order books after hefty revenue growth last year, when their combined deliveries exceeded 1,600 planes.

Analysts say nearly 40,000 planes will be in service by 2038, double the industry's current fleet.

United Airlines finally apologizes, as image takes beating

Yahoo – AFP, Nova SAFO, With Luc Olinga in New York and Roland Jackson in London, April 11, 2017

Oscar Munoz, President and CEO of United Airlines says the company will
conduct a "thorough review" of its procedures, including "how we handle oversold
situations" and how the airline partners with airport authorities and law
enforcement (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB)

Chicago (AFP) - The chief executive of embattled United Airlines unequivocally apologized Tuesday for an incident in which a passenger was dragged off a plane, and promised a thorough review of the airline's practices.

The apology came after a torrent of criticism of the carrier's action on a flight Sunday and its initial explanation of it. In images now seen around the world, a passenger was forcefully removed and bloodied in the process -- the entire event captured on video by passengers and posted on social media.

The 69-year-old passenger had refused to be "bumped" off the overbooked flight -- an airline practice that has come under increased scrutiny since the incident.

"I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard," CEO Oscar Munoz said.

"I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right."

The comments were in stark contrast to the company's initial response, in which it seemed to at least partially blame the passenger, inflaming worldwide outrage.

US media published an email Munoz sent earlier to employees, in which he said the passenger "defied" authorities and "compounded" the incident.

"Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this," the CEO wrote.

'No compassion or concern' 

Andy Holdsworth, a crisis management specialist at the British PR firm Bell Pottinger, said United's initial response focused on the wrong thing.

"Whilst the passenger's behavior was not good, United have shown no compassion or concern for the man," he said.

Munoz said Tuesday that the company will conduct a "thorough review" of its procedures, including "how we handle oversold situations" and how the airline partners with airport authorities and law enforcement.

He promised to release the results of the review by April 30.

But the public relations damage was done, with calls for boycotts, the US Department of Transportation promising a review of the airline's actions, and even the White House weighing in.

"Clearly, when you watch the video, it is troubling to see how that was handled," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said.

The furor battered United's stock Tuesday, sending it down 2.9 percent in afternoon trading and closing down 1.1 percent.

It was the second time in about two weeks the airline found itself in the middle of a firestorm.

In late March, two teenage girls were prevented from boarding a flight in Denver because they wore leggings. The airline defended its action at the time by saying the girls were flying on passes that required them to abide by a dress code in return for free or discounted travel.

"They will need to be careful that these small incidents all start to add up and only remind us of the last incident as well as the current one," Holdsworth said.

'You don't really have any rights'

The passenger on the overbooked Sunday flight from Chicago to Louisville, Kentucky was one of four involuntarily bumped off in order to make room for United crew that needed to be repositioned.

The incident shined a new light on the practice of overbooking and bumping passengers off flights, which airlines increasingly rely upon to avoid losing money on empty seats when some passengers do not show up for scheduled flights.

If they were to stop overbooking, "the only way of trying to compensate for that over the long term would be to raise fares on everyone else," said industry analyst Robert Mann.

Instead, airlines sell more tickets than there are seats on a plane, and are generally able to properly forecast demand to avoid major disruptions in getting passengers to their destinations, Mann said.

But, sometimes, they miscalculate and there are more passengers than a flight can handle.

In those instances, airlines offer travel vouchers and cash compensation to entice passengers to voluntarily give up their seats for later flights.

When enticing does not work, airlines have wide latitude under the law.

"If you're still in the terminal waiting to board, you can be told you can't board, even if you have a reservation," Mann said.

"And once you're on board, you are subject to being deplaned based on the order of the crew. So you don't really have any rights."

Last year, 434,000 passengers volunteered to be bumped off flights, while another 40,000 were bumped involuntarily and compensated.

Image takes a beating: Protesters rally against United Airlines’ forcible removal of a passenger from a plane at O'Hare Airport in Chicago pic.twitter.com/PZ2mLnHf8z

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 12, 2017

VW chief quits as cheating scandal snowballs

Yahoo – AFP, Odd Andersen with Simon Morgan in Frankfurt, 23 Sep 2015

Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn has headed the German

auto giant since 2007 (AFP Photo/Daniel Roland)

Wolfsburg (Germany) (AFP) - Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned Wednesday over a pollution cheating scandal that has sparked a US criminal investigation and worldwide legal action with unfathomable financial consequences for the auto giant.

"I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group,"Winterkorn said in a statement issued by the carmaker.

"Volkswagen needs a fresh start -- also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation."

Volkswagen has admitted that as many

 as 11 million cars are equipped with 

software capable of fooling pollution

tests (AFP Photo/Odd Andersen)

The stock market barely flinched at the news.

Following a two-day free fall that had axed 35 percent -- or 25 billion euros ($28 billion) -- off the company's market value on Monday and Tuesday, the shares had bounced back on Wednesday closing 5.19 percent higher at 111.50 euros after Winterkorn's announcement.

Even if the haemorrhage on the markets may have abated, Volkswagen, the world's largest auto manufacturer by sales in the first half of this year, still faces a growing tangle of legal threats after it admitted that as many as 11 million of its diesel cars worldwide are equipped with software capable of fooling official pollution tests.

In addition to investigations from France to South Korea, public prosecutors in Germany also said they were examining information and evaluating legal suits already filed against the company by a number of private individuals to decide whether to launch a full criminal inquiry against those responsible at VW.

Winterkorn 'takes responsiblity'

A day after Winterkorn had offered his "deepest apologies", the 68-year-old said he accepted his "responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines".

But he also insisted: "I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part."

His widely predicted departure came after a meeting of the supervisory board's six-member steering committee in Wolfsburg.

A new chief executive is to be named Friday, and other personnel changes were expected, the board said.

According to the US authorities, VW has admitted that it equipped about 482,000 cars in the United States with sophisticated software that covertly turns off pollution controls when the car is being driven.

It turns them on only when it detects that the vehicle is undergoing an emissions test.

With the so-called "defeat device" deactivated, the car can spew pollutant gases into the air, including nitrogen oxide, in amounts as much as 40 times higher than emissions standards, said the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA, which announced the allegations Friday along with California state authorities, is conducting an investigation that could lead to fines amounting to a maximum of more than $18 billion.

The US Department of Justice has also launched a criminal inquiry led by its environment and natural resources division, a source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Volkswagen Golf at the company's assembly plant in Wolfsburg, central Germany

(AFP Photo/Tobias Schwarz)

The California Air Resources Board, too, is investigating Volkswagen's pollution violations.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he had launched his own probe of Volkswagen and would work on it with prosecutors from other states across the United States.

Billions in provisions

Private law firms are lining up to take on the German company, with a class action suit already being filed by a Seattle law firm.

VW has halted all diesel vehicles sales in the United States during the investigations.

The scale of the exposed deception expanded dramatically Tuesday when Volkswagen said that as many as 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide may have the same "anomalies."

The full impact on the reputation of Volkswagen, which was founded in 1930 to build an affordable family car, is hard to measure.

The scandal has already hit the share price of other car makers, buffeting international stock markets.

Volkswagen, whose parent company also owns brands including Audi, Skoda and Lamborghini, has set aside 6.5 billion euros in provisions for the third quarter to cover the potential costs of the revelations.

While the scandal has been restricted to Volkswagen so far, environmental protection groups, particularly in Germany, suspect other car makers may be using similar technology.

The European carmakers' association ACEA said that while it recognised the gravity of the affair, "there is no evidence to suggest that it's a problem across the whole industry."

And the German carmakers' federation VDA insisted that diesel engine technology itself was not in question.

A Volkswagen Golf TDI diesel car undergoes an emissions inspection at a garage

in Frankfurt, eastern Germany, on September 21, 2015 (AFP Photo/Patrick Pleul)

'Extremely troubling'

But the EPA has said it will screen for defeat devices in other manufacturers' diesel vehicles now on the road, although it declined to identify which brands would be tested.

German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said a special commission of inquiry had travelled to VW's headquarters on Wednesday.

France, Britain and other nations have called for a Europe-wide investigation.

South Korean officials summoned VW representatives for explanations on Tuesday, saying tests would be started by "no later than next month."

The United Nations has described the revelations as "extremely troubling."

The German company is likely to face tough questioning in the US House of Representatives' energy and commerce committee, which announced plans for a hearing in the coming weeks.

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Volkswagen CEO apologizes for cheating on US auto emissions tests

Volkswagen CEO apologizes for cheating on US auto emissions tests

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has apologized for manipulating US diesel emissions tests. Fines and recalls loom on the horizon. But the biggest price to pay is VW's loss of face - and that of the German auto industry.

Deutsche Welle, 20 Sep 2015

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has been forced to apologize after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that the firm had been using software to trick regulators into thinking the carmaker was complying with clean air laws.

Fresh from presenting the Volkswagen Group's latest models to champagne and flashing lights at the Frankfurt International Motor Show earlier this week, Winterkorn on Sunday avoided directly admitting willful deception. But the EPA's evidence was presumably strong enough to merit an apology.

Long winter ahead?

"I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public," said Winterkorn in a statement. "We will cooperate fully with the responsible agencies, with transparency and urgency, to clearly, openly and completely establish all of the facts of this case."

He added that VW has also ordered an external investigation. And in the spirit of further damage control, the carmaker has pulled from YouTube its ads marketing the diesel-powered cars as being better for the environment.

VW is facing fines of up to $18
billion in the US

The technology used by VW in the EPA tests allowed its diesel cars to release fewer smog-causing pollutants during tests than in real-world driving conditions.

Environmental, consumer health hazards

Despite the apology, things are already looking grim for the carmaker. The EPA said VW installed the software in nearly half a million cars in models from the last seven years, including the Audi A3, VW Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat - and that the software may have hidden up to 40 times the acceptable level of harmful pollutants, causing both environmental and consumer health hazards.

VW is facing fines of up to $18 billion (15.9 billion euros). It will also have to fix the cars at its own expense. But the bigger cost of the EPA's discovery is to VW's image - and potentially that of the German car industry as a whole.

Daimler, which shares the German auto industry's Big Three label along with VW and BMW, commented sparingly on the issue.

"I know too little about the case to judge just how justified the accusations against Volkswagen are, and whether we can be a 100 percent certain of them in every way," said CEO Dieter Zetsche.

Coming clean

But a transparent approach to an impending crisis is key, said Stefan Bratzel, a professor specializing in innovation research at the Bergisch Gladbach University of Applied Sciences.

"This is obviously negative for the German car industry, but speculation has to be kept in check," Bratzel told DW. "Volkswagen and - if it comes to it - other German carmakers have to be proactive and transparent and say whether this was an isolated problem in the US, or whether this is a pattern."

Volkswagen will also eventually have to make clear who within the organizational structure is responsible, and just how high up they are.

"An administrator didn't just decide this on his own," said Bratzel. "Somebody would have signed off on this."

Trouble on the homefront

Calls for an investigation have already come in VW's native market. Germany's Green Party wants a probe to determine whether emissions test manipulation has also taken place in Germany.

"We will emphatically demand an investigation in parliament and examine whether German authorities have helped along illegal activities by deliberately looking the other way," said Bärbel Höhn, the chair of the Green Party's environmental committee.

All this comes at a time when the biggest threat to the German car industry was thought to be the Chinese economic slowdown. But as VW's shareholders are bound to learn when markets open on Monday, what's bad for the environment and for health will likely end up being bad for business.

(dpa, AP)

US government has expanded its investigation of pollution-skirting devices in

 diesel vehicles to other manufacturers after Volkswagen admitted it used them

to thwart environmental standards (AFP Photo/Thomas Samson)

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Korean Air heiress jailed in 'nut rage' case

Yahoo – AFP, Jung Ha-Won, 12 Feb 2015

Cameramen take images of a prison bus carrying Korean Air heiress Cho Hyun-Ah

as she arrives at a court for her trial in Seoul on February 12, 2015 (AFP Photo/

Jung Yeon-Je)

The daughter of Korean Air's chairman was jailed for one year Thursday over a now notorious "nut rage" incident that triggered an uproar over the behaviour of South Korea's elite business families.

The district court in Seoul convicted Cho Hyun-Ah of violating aviation safety law by forcing a taxiing New York-Seoul KAL flight to return to its departure gate on December 5.

Cho, who was the airline's executive vice president at the time, had insisted on expelling the chief purser from the plane after taking exception to being served macadamia nuts in a bag, rather than a bowl.

Cho Hyun-Ah, the daughter of Korean Air's

 chief executive, has been found guilty of 

violating aviation safety law in a now

notorious on-board "nut rage" incident

(AFP Photo/Jung Yeon-Je)

The 40-year-old had treated the flight "as if it was her own private plane", Justice Oh Sung-Woo said, adding that the case had become the object of international ridicule and "damaged the dignity" of the country.

"It is doubtful that the way the nuts were served was so wrong," Oh added.

Cho was also convicted of assault on the cabin crew.

The chief steward, Park Chang-Jin, had testified that Cho had made him kneel and beg for forgiveness while jabbing him with a service manual.

Prosecutors in the trial had asked for a three-year sentence, but Oh said he had taken into account that no lives had been jeopardised in the incident, as well as the fact that Cho had two young children and that her personal and professional reputation had been shattered.

Dismissing defence arguments to the contrary, the court ruled that an aircraft should be deemed "in flight" from the moment it begins to move and that Cho was therefore guilty of illegally altering the course of a plane.

Spoilt and arrogant

She was acquitted of obstruction of justice charges related to allegations that she had pressured KAL staff to lie about the incident.

Another defendant, also a KAL executive was convicted of forcing the flight crew to give false testimony and was jailed for eight months.

Although Cho had submitted letters to the court expressing repentance for her behaviour, Oh questioned whether she was truly remorseful.

Cho, who has been in custody since her arrest on December 30 and attended the court in a green prison outfit, stood silently throughout the ruling, her head bowed.

The case triggered a huge public backlash.

Cho was seen as emblematic of a generation of spoilt and arrogant offspring of owners of the giant family-run conglomerates, or "chaebols," that dominate the South Korean economy.

Like Cho, many are given senior positions in the family business, sometimes after a token period "learning the trade".

In the past, chaebol owners have appeared to be above the law. Those convicted of gross fraud have either received lenient sentences or been granted pardons after just a short time in jail.

Cho resigned from all her posts and publicly apologised for her behaviour, which her father and KAL chairman Cho Yang-Ho also criticised as a "foolish act".

South Korea's Korean Air plane, center, sits on the tarmac at 

Gimpo airport in Seoul on Dec. 9, 2014. (AFP Photo/Jung Yeon-je)

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South Korean heiress apologizes to flight attendants for 'nut rage'

South Korean heiress apologizes to flight attendants for 'nut rage'

The daughter of Korean Air Lines chairman has apologized to the two flight attendants she harrassed about improperly served macadamia nuts. One steward described her allegedly outlandish behavior on South Korean TV.

Deutsche Welle, 14 Dec 2014

Cho Hyun-ah, daughter of Korean Air Lines Chairman Cho Yang-ho and former head of cabin service for the company, apologized personally on Sunday to two flight attendants she admitted insulting and humiliating in an incident dubbed "nut rage" by the media.

Cho made headlines last week over her behavior on a Korean Airlines jet, in which the 40-year-old executive delayed the New York-Seoul flight because she was dissatisfied with the way an attendant served her macadamia nuts. New details about the events have emerged, with the flight attendant in question claiming he was asked to lie to investigators and forced to kneel by Cho.

"People who haven't experienced [this] will not understand that feeling of being insulted and shamed," said senior flight attendant Park Chang-jin on South Korea's KBS television network. After Cho became enraged that the first-class steward brought her the nuts, which she had not ordered, in a packet instead of a bowl, Park says he and his colleague were made to kneel in front of her, before being called names and pushed into the cockpit door.

According to Park, Cho shouted to the cabin crew to "call right now and stop the plane. I will stop this plane from leaving." In his KBS interview, Park said he feared to "disobey the daughter of the owner."

Cho vehemently denies forcing anyone to kneel, saying on Sunday: "I've never heard of such a thing. I don't know anything about it."

She went to the homes of both Park and his unnamed colleague, but as neither of them was home she left notes of apology.

Privilege and arrogance

She resigned her post as head of cabin service for Korean Air Lines shortly after the incident, and both Cho and her father made public apologies at press conferences. Cho told journalists, "I sincerely apologize. I'm sorry," a few hours after her father had bowed to members of the press corps and taken responsibility for failing "to raise the child properly."

The drama has captivated South Korea, where Cho has been called a "princess" and chided by the media. Amid growing criticism of such displays of entitlement, many point the finger at a culture in which business dynasties were credited with leading the country to modernization and wealth.

Cho is being questioned by state authorities about whether she violated aviation law.

es/tj (AP, AFP)

Related Article:

Korean Air CEO's daughter resigns over 'nut rage' row

Korean Air CEO's daughter resigns over 'nut rage' row

Yahoo – AFP, December 10, 2014

Korean Air apologises over VP's nuts incident

Seoul (AFP) - The daughter of Korean Air's CEO resigned Tuesday after being widely criticised for having the chief purser kicked off a plane because of the way she had been served some nuts.

Cho Hyun-Ah, a top executive in Korean Air's in-flight service, forced the New York-Seoul flight to return to its gate last Friday to remove the most senior member of the crew, causing the plane to be delayed.

Her behaviour attracted heavy criticism in South Korea, where she was accused of being petty and arrogant, and even prompted a state probe over a possible breach of aviation safety laws.

"I feel so sorry for our customers and South Koreans for causing such trouble... and seek forgiveness from the people who might have been hurt by me," Cho, 40, said in a statement released by Korean Air.

"I will resign from all my posts at Korean Air to take responsibility for the incident," she was quoted as saying.

Korean Air CEO Cho Yang-Ho immediately accepted her resignation, according to the statement.

Korean Air's spokesman told AFP that Cho would retain the title of vice president even though she no longer had any official role in the company, adding it was not clear whether she would hold any responsibilities in the future.

The Seoul flight had just left its gate at New York's JFK airport on Friday when the incident occurred.

Cho, sitting in first class, took exception to the arrival of some macadamia nuts she had not asked for, and to the fact that they were served in a packet rather than a bowl.

She summoned the chief purser who, according to an earlier Korean Air statement, replied with "lies and excuses" when challenged over his crew's knowledge of in-flight service procedures.

Cho then decided the chief purser was "incapable" and the plane returned to the gate where he disembarked, causing an 11-minute delay in arrival.

Korean Air -- South Korea's flag carrier -- earlier apologised for causing "inconvenience" for passengers but defended Cho's action as a "reasonable" move to improve in-flight service.

It also argued that the final decision to deplane the employee was taken by the captain.

Transport Minister Suh Seoung-Hwan said earlier Tuesday the incident was being investigated and any regulatory breach would be "handled sternly".

'Ugly behaviour'

The media backlash against Cho has been extensive.

"This ugly behaviour by the Korean Air boss's daughter puts the entire nation to shame," Seoul's top business daily, the Maeil Business Newspaper, said in an editorial.

"This is a global embarrassment for South Korea... Korean Air should punish Cho, and she should apologise to the public for disregarding passengers' safety," it said.

The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper said Cho's action had exposed the "sense of entitlement and supercilious attitude" prevalent among the rich.

"Apparently some members of owner families like Cho see their companies like their own kingdom," it added.

Cho, one of the CEO's three children, joined Korean Air in 1999 and was promoted to vice president this year.

A major Seoul civic group joined the fray, saying it would ask prosecutors to investigate Cho for a potential breach of aviation safety laws and disruption of business.

"Given the suffering of the cabin crew who were subject to such insult and abuse... the prosecutors should launch an investigation immediately to prevent similar abuse by high-level company executives in the future," People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said in a statement.

A formal request for the probe would be filed Wednesday, it added.

Ranting bus passenger forced to make public apology

Want China Times, CNA and Staff Reporter 2014-08-09

Jackson Chu, right, apologizes to the bus driver he subjected to a verbal
assault, Aug. 8 (Photo/CNA)

A Taiwanese American man who recently threw a tantrum on a bus and verbally assaulted the driver in a foul-mouthed tirade in English made an open apology to the driver on Friday.

Jackson Chu called the Taoyuan Bus Co to say that he wished to apologize to the driver, Chen Chin-chi, in private, a request that was rejected outright by the company given the notoriety of the incident, which had been captured by a fellow passenger who uploaded it to the internet. The video swiftly went viral and pitchforks were out for the "foreigner," as the poster supposed him to be, as did the first media outlets to jump on the story.

The company insisted instead that Chu instead make an open apology at a police station, so he presented himself at a police station later that day where he read a statement in halting Mandarin Chinese interspersed with English.

Chu said it was not right for him to have used bad language and that he was "impolite." He apologized to Chen and the passengers on the bus.

Chu also asked Chen's forgiveness and expressed hope that he can continue to ride on his bus. He and Chen then shook hands and hugged, with Chen saying that he forgave Chu and welcomes him to use his bus again.

"We are a happy country, he is our guest and we welcome him to take our bus. He has said sorry and that will do," Chen said, adding that he did not want a minor dispute to turn into a big confrontation.

Chen said that although he did not understand all of Chu's Chinese, he felt his sincerity.

The bus company, which had earlier decided to file a lawsuit against Chu, said the incident "has come to a happy conclusion" and that it would drop the suit.

Chu lost his temper when the driver went past his stop — witnesses claim he pushed the bell too late — and swore and used intimidating body language as he demanded the driver apologize.

Chu's behavior was widely condemned online and internet users used a "human flesh search" to identify him and publish information about him and his wife, who was also present during the incident. The practice of seeking out and shaming people who break the rules of social conduct is common in China, but is not seen so often in Taiwan.

When identified as the ranter, Chu initially defended his outburst as "protecting" his pregnant wife, and later threatened to sue the college student who posted the video online, but later decided not to do so.

Singapore Airlines apologises for 'insensitive' MH17 post

Yahoo – AFP, 20 July 2014

A pro-Russia militant walks past a dead body near the crash site of Flight MH17 in
Grabove, in rebel-held east Ukraine, on July 19, 2014 (AFP Photo/Dominique Faget)

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has apologised for posting an "insensitive" comment on social media Singapore Airlinesabout the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crash in crisis-stricken eastern Ukraine.

Hours after the Boeing 777-200 passenger jet with 298 people on board went down on Thursday, believed shot by a surface-to-air missile, SIA posted a one-line statement on Facebook and Twitter.

It read: "Customers may wish to note that Singapore Airlines flights are not using Ukraine airspace."

The comment sparked anger among users of social media.

"How about at least acknowledging the terrible event and sending condolences to those families and friends involved instead of this cold, classless update?," wrote a Michael Reif in response.

Hundreds of others joined in the condemnation but some defended the airline, saying it was trying to reassure customers concerned about the safety of their flight route.

"We are aware that our Facebook and Twitter update on Friday morning may have come across as insensitive to some," SIA said in a Facebook posting late Saturday.

"We recognise that the information could have been better communicated and we sincerely apologise if it had offended our customers and anyone else in the online community," it added.

"The post was in response to many requests from our customers who had asked for information about our flight routes for their upcoming flights with us."

SIA acknowledged that prior to the crash it was flying the route taken by MH17 but has since re-routed flights.

World leaders are in agreement that MH17 was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile fired from rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine.

Kiev has gone a step further, saying militias using a Russian-supplied anti-aircraft system were responsible.