EVA Air faces backlash after texting deceased flight attendant to ‘justify’ leave during her funeral

EVA Air sparks outrage after texting employee who passed away about leave

Taiwanese airline EVA Air is under fire after reportedly sending a message to a deceased flight attendant, on the very day of her funeral, demanding that she provide documentation to justify her hospitalisation leave.

EVA Air asks deceased cabin crew to justify leave

According to Taiwanese outlet Formosa News on Instagram on 16 Oct, the shocking incident occurred after the airline contacted the late crew member via text, asking her to “submit proof for “family care leave” taken on 27 Sept and to send a photo of the document “the soonest possible.”

The message came despite the fact that the flight attendant had passed away days earlier while hospitalised.

Her grieving family, upon receiving the text, responded by sending the company her death certificate, reportedly attaching it as a PDF file titled “Death Certificate.pdf.”

They then replied with a curt message: “I just submitted it ‘the soonest possible’ as you wished. Take your time now, there’s no rush.”

Netizens feel airline should be more sensitive

A netizen said that “people working in HR are those with no empathy at all.”

A commenter felt that the Human Resources (HR) department acts in the company’s interest rather than for its employees.

An Instagram user clarified that the messages were supposedly from a crew manager and not HR.

Another netizen defended EVA Air, saying they wouldn’t have known that the staff member had passed on.

The union condemned the incident as “deeply inhumane,” stating that it reflected broader problems within the company’s management system.

They said that strict and punitive leave policies had created an environment where employees often feared applying for medical or personal leave.

EVA Air told the BBC it kept in contact with her family while she was in hospital and was “deeply saddened” by her death.

The airline said that the health and safety of its employees and passengers remain its top priorities, adding that it is conducting a thorough review of the incident.

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Featured image adapted from @formosa.news.taiwan on Instagram & EVA Air on Facebook.