Never Mind: Asiana Airlines Won’t Sue Over Phony Pilot Names After All

Asiana Airlines has decided not to sue San Francisco television station KTVU and the government agency National Transportation Safety Board over the publication of bogus racist names for the pilots of the Boeing 777 that crash landed at San Francisco International Airport two weeks ago.

A San Fransisco anchor aired the names—including Captain Sum Ting Wong, Band Ding Ow, Ho Lee Fuk, and Wi Tu Lo—and then retracted it later in the show after the prank was revealed. KTVU said the names had been given to them by the NTSB, which blamed the whole thing on a summer intern.

“The reputation of the four pilots and of the company had been seriously damaged by this report,” Asiana said in a statement released over the weekend. “The company is reviewing taking legal action against both KTVU-TV and the NTSB.”

Cooler heads appeared to have prevailed since then. “Asiana Airlines has decided not to proceed with the case since KTVU has issued a formal apology and in order for us to focus all our efforts on managing the aftermath of the accident,” the airline said, again via statement, Wednesday morning.

Asiana has taken heat from the Daily Show and others for trying to claim the prank hurt the reputation of the airline, as opposed to, you know, the crash.

Read the full article HERE.

[h/t Reuters]

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