KAL opened two new customer support offices yesterday at Kimpo International Airport with KAL President Shim Yi-taek attending the opening ceremony.

At the same time, another customer service center was launched at the KAL building in downtown Seoul.

A KAL spokesman said the new customer service procedures are different from existing ones in that they aim to deal with customer problems complaints, ranging from ticket reservations to flight delays, "on the spot".

While the current customer support mechanism is limited in that it merely receives customer complaints via the telephone, email, letters etc, well-informed staff at the new service centers will be on hand to give advice as soon as problems crop up.

The spokesman said KAL expects the new customer support system will help improve the corporate image of the national flag carrier that has been troubled recently by poor safety records.

KAL is closely watching the developments of the new customer support services with a view to establishing additional centers in Pusan and Cheju Province. The company is also planning to implement the new systems in foreign cities including Los Angeles, New York, Osaka and Tokyo, next year.