Ex-China Eastern flight attendants from S. Korea win unfair dismissal case

Former China Eastern Airlines flight attendants from South Korea who were laid off before their expected employment regularization have won in a first-instance court trial.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the 70 flight attendants who sued the Chinese airline’s South Korean unit to annul their dismissal.

China Eastern Airlines unilaterally informed 73 flight attendants in March 2020 that they would be let go when their two-year contracts expired.

The airline did not lay off any other foreign flight attendants, according to the court, supporting the argument that the company's choice to not extend the contracts of the Korean employees lacked justification and was an unfair dismissal.

The airline's claim that the flight attendants were let go as a result of management issues brought on by the epidemic was also dismissed.

In addition, the court mandated that the defendant reimburse the flight attendants for their lost wages by paying them 3.5 billion won.