The U.S. Department of Transportation has smacked Asiana Airlines with a never done before fine of $500,000 because of its poor procedures following the 2012 crash.
According to The Associated Press, the Korean-based airline took five days before informing the families of those involved in the Flight 214 crash in July last year and a set up hotline routed callers to a reservations line.
The airline has agreed to pay $400,000 and the DOT will credit them for $100,000 for conferences and training sessions for the next year.
NBC News reports that Asiana broke what is known as the "family assistance plan," where the airline is supposed to set up a toll-free number and promptly contact the families of those in the crash.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement, "The last thing families and passengers should have to worry about at such a stressful time is how to get information from their carrier."
Of the 307 on Flight 214, only two were killed in the actual crash, but an injured Chinese teen that survived falling out of the plane ended up being run over by an emergency vehicle responding to scene.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
