Jin Air could well be the first of several Korean low-cost carriers to step into the world of long-haul operations. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Korean Air announced at a press conference this week that it will launch long-haul services in the second half of , using Boeing ERs.
Asiana Airlines, who has said it is considering starting up yet another LCC, could now possibly contemplate a long-haul model to take rival Korean Air head on.
Jin Air on its part operates services to leisure destinations in North and Southeast Asia, with its sole domestic service being the Seoul-Jeju route.
The carrier has yet to decide on its long-haul destinations, but has listed Europe and North America as possibilities. Shahane believes that Jin Air could also provide connectivity to leisure destinations such as Phuket, Langkawi and Bali, which would exceed six hours of flight time. As expected, Korean Air dominates capacity to those destinations, accounting for Asiana Airlines comes in second with a The long-haul field will prove to be a different ball game, but the good news is Jin Air at least have years of LCC experience to aid in its path.
Looking at the experience of AirAsia and Cebu Pacific however, both of which have ventured into the long-haul terrain, it will take deep pockets, plenty of hard work and sweat before Jin Air can score. Frontier Airlines has made a second attempt to acquire Spirit Airlines, in a proposal that its struggling rival has already rejected. We provide news, data, analytics and advisory services to connect the aviation community globally and help organisations shape their business strategies, identify new opportunities and make better decisions faster.
