Expanding Exclusive International Routes from Busan with Eastar Jet
Jeju Air Launches Independent Incheon-Guilin Service
The low-cost carrier (LCC) industry, which has been struggling with poor performance due to overheated competition, is working to improve its results by expanding its exclusive routes.
Eastar Jet announced that it will begin operating flights from Busan to Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo starting October 26, with ticket sales opening on the 20th.
The Busan-Osaka and Busan-Fukuoka routes will each operate two round-trip flights daily, while the Busan-Sapporo route will operate one round-trip flight daily. As a result, the number of routes departing from Busan will increase to a total of 10 for the winter schedule, accounting for 30% of the airline's total routes.
With the increase in Busan routes and flight operations, Eastar Jet began recruiting Busan-based cabin crew for the first time on the 12th. In addition, to commemorate the launch of the new routes, the airline plans to hold a promotion for all Busan-departing routes starting next week.
An Eastar Jet representative stated, "Since the end of last year, we have steadily expanded Busan-departing routes to destinations such as Taipei, Chiang Mai, Phu Quoc, Okinawa, and Kumamoto, contributing to improved air travel convenience for residents of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region. We will actively conduct various promotions and brand marketing activities in the Busan area."
Jeju Air will also begin operating the Incheon-Guilin route independently four times a week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) starting October 1.
Jeju Air announced on the 20th that it will begin operating the Incheon-Guilin route independently four times a week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) starting October 1. Jeju Air
Guilin, located in southern China, is a major tourist destination famous for its natural scenery such as Guilin's karst landscape and the Li River. It is also popular among independent travelers in their 20s and 30s due to opportunities for outdoor activities like cycling tours, hiking, and rafting.
The airline has also resumed exclusive routes departing from regional airports, such as the Jeju-Xi'an route in May and the Jeju-Bangkok/Macau routes in June, further improving travel convenience for passengers departing from regional cities.
Currently, Jeju Air operates a total of 15 exclusive routes: 10 routes departing from Incheon to Japan, Greater China, and Southeast Asia, and 5 routes departing from Busan and Jeju. These include five routes from Incheon to Hiroshima, Matsuyama, Shizuoka, Oita, and Hakodate; six routes including Incheon-Weihai, Incheon-Jiamusi, Incheon-Shijiazhuang, Busan-Shijiazhuang, Jeju-Xi'an, and Jeju-Macau; and four routes including Incheon-Vientiane, Incheon-Batam, Jeju-Bangkok, and Busan-Singapore.
Meanwhile, all four LCCs listed on the stock market (T'way Air, Jeju Air, Jin Air, and Air Busan) recorded operating losses. Jeju Air posted an operating loss of 41.9 billion won, and T'way Air's operating loss reached 79 billion won. Jin Air and Air Busan also reported losses of 42.3 billion won and 11.1 billion won, respectively.
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