As International Air Routes Open, Cases of Overseas Flight Ticket Fraud Surge

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] As demand for overseas travel surges ahead of the summer vacation season, cases of damage related to international flight tickets are also increasing.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency on the 4th, a total of 129 consumer consultations related to overseas flight tickets were received on the International Transaction Consumer Portal from January to May this year, marking an increase of over 70% compared to the figures from January to March.

Analyzing the 129 cases by reason for application, complaints related to contract cancellation such as 'refund delays and refusals,' 'excessive cancellation/change fees,' or 'inducing refunds in the form of credit instead of cash' accounted for 103 cases (79.8%), making up the majority. Other complaints included delays in processing consumers' schedule change requests or inability to contact the company (9 cases, 7.0%), and flight cancellations or unilateral schedule changes (7 cases, 5.4%).

By purchase channel, 65 cases (50.4%) were purchased directly from foreign airline websites, and 64 cases (49.6%) were purchased through global OTAs.

The Consumer Agency explained, "In cases where flights become unusable due to airline circumstances, some global OTAs prioritize their own terms and conditions even though the airline does not charge fees," adding, "there are cases where cancellation fees are charged to consumers, so caution is needed."

They also urged consumers to ▲check flight ticket transaction conditions and terms ▲search for user reviews ▲confirm boarding pass issuance and flight cancellations before the departure date ▲verify if refunds are being induced in the form of credit ▲and seek help from the International Transaction Consumer Portal if damage occurs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.