Budget carrier Jin Air launched in Korea
Jeans-wearing, plane cleaning youth-orientated cabin staff will be the face of Korean Air’s new budget carrier Jin Air.
The Korean flag carrier launched its low-cost offshoot on Sunday, brandishing the blue and violet butterfly logo as symbolic of its “fly light†ethos which it hopes will speak directly to the youth market which is looking for cheaper fares and a departure for the traditional airline model.
Jin Air will begin flying between Seoul and Jeju from July 17. Seoul-Busan and Busan-Jeju flights will start by April. The carrier also plans to add services to China, Japan and Southeast Asia from the second half of next year.
Staff will be dressed in t-shirts and blue jeans and will, says Korean Air’s chief executive officer Kim Jae Kun, clean the cabins in a bid to keep costs down and allow for the 20% cheaper fares that he intends to offer.
He told reporters at the launch: “Our focus will be on mid-to-short-haul demand from tourists keen on good fares.” He added that the carrier wouldn’t levy surcharges unless fuel prices “rise beyond a level it can tolerate.â€
Flights will only be bookable online.
By Dinah Hatch
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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