Fino a qualche mese fa si parlava soltanto, adesso , finalmente, hanno iniziato.
Uno al momento, naturalmente da KAL, a breve altri si aggiungeranno in flotta , con travaso di crew da Korean.
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean air carrier Jin Air Co. said Friday that it will nearly double the size of its passenger jet fleet by the end of 2015 and start long-haul flight services, becoming the country's first low-cost airline company to do so.
The company, the wholly owned subsidiary of full-service carrier Korean Air Lines Co., said in a news conference that it will increase its fleet size from 11 to 20.
At present, Jin Air operates 11 B737-800 jets, but this will be augmented by three B777-200ER wide-body planes in the coming months. The number of B737-800s will be increased to 17 with one jet to be added next month.
Jin Air's B737-800 passenger jet. (Yonhap file photo)
The company said the first B777-200ER jets will be incorporated into its fleet in mid-December, with two more to be leased next year. The jets are extended-range versions of Boeing's popular B777, and with a range of 9,700 kilometers, they can fly non-stop to parts of Europe, North America and Australia from South Korea.
Ma Won, the company's CEO said, the B777-200ER will be used initially for flights to Guam and Hong Kong, with services to destinations to places like Hawaii to be offered after the second wide-body planes arrive in July.
He said the move to the larger jets was debated for some time. The management took the step due to stiff competition from local and foreign low cost carriers (LCCs), Ma said.
"With rivals all having jets similar to the B737-800, competition has become too stiff in the short- to medium-haul markets," the executive said. The B737-800s have a range of 5,700 kilometers.
He said its B777s will be configured to carry 393 seats, with 30-40 seats being the "economy-plus" seats that offer more leg room for passengers. These plans will come with video streaming that will permit passengers to view movies during flights using their own mobile phones and tablet PCs.
To differentiate from the competition, it will expand online ticketing services that will permit people not only to book cheap tickets but make hotel reservations, according to Ma.
For the second half of 2014, Jin Air will increase flight services to 17 from 13 at present with new routes being opened to China, Japan and Malaysia.
Related to long-haul flights, Chung Hun-suk, director of flight operations said the initial use of B777s on short flights is to better train the crew and hire the necessary number of flight attendants. The company's manpower will surpass 1,000 next year from under 600 now.
He also said that for the longer term, Jin is examining the option of adding more B777s because the bare minimum to make planes profitable is five, with 12 the being optimum number. Increasing the size of larger jets can also permit it to compete with AirAsia X that operates long-distance flights and has a fleet of 20 A330s and A340s, he said.
The executive, who is also a flight captain, said that with the expansion, Jin will likely become South Korea's No. 1 LCC in the near future, usurping Jeju Air Co., the current title holder.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
Uno al momento, naturalmente da KAL, a breve altri si aggiungeranno in flotta , con travaso di crew da Korean.
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean air carrier Jin Air Co. said Friday that it will nearly double the size of its passenger jet fleet by the end of 2015 and start long-haul flight services, becoming the country's first low-cost airline company to do so.
The company, the wholly owned subsidiary of full-service carrier Korean Air Lines Co., said in a news conference that it will increase its fleet size from 11 to 20.
At present, Jin Air operates 11 B737-800 jets, but this will be augmented by three B777-200ER wide-body planes in the coming months. The number of B737-800s will be increased to 17 with one jet to be added next month.
Jin Air's B737-800 passenger jet. (Yonhap file photo)
The company said the first B777-200ER jets will be incorporated into its fleet in mid-December, with two more to be leased next year. The jets are extended-range versions of Boeing's popular B777, and with a range of 9,700 kilometers, they can fly non-stop to parts of Europe, North America and Australia from South Korea.
Ma Won, the company's CEO said, the B777-200ER will be used initially for flights to Guam and Hong Kong, with services to destinations to places like Hawaii to be offered after the second wide-body planes arrive in July.
He said the move to the larger jets was debated for some time. The management took the step due to stiff competition from local and foreign low cost carriers (LCCs), Ma said.
"With rivals all having jets similar to the B737-800, competition has become too stiff in the short- to medium-haul markets," the executive said. The B737-800s have a range of 5,700 kilometers.
He said its B777s will be configured to carry 393 seats, with 30-40 seats being the "economy-plus" seats that offer more leg room for passengers. These plans will come with video streaming that will permit passengers to view movies during flights using their own mobile phones and tablet PCs.
To differentiate from the competition, it will expand online ticketing services that will permit people not only to book cheap tickets but make hotel reservations, according to Ma.
For the second half of 2014, Jin Air will increase flight services to 17 from 13 at present with new routes being opened to China, Japan and Malaysia.
Related to long-haul flights, Chung Hun-suk, director of flight operations said the initial use of B777s on short flights is to better train the crew and hire the necessary number of flight attendants. The company's manpower will surpass 1,000 next year from under 600 now.
He also said that for the longer term, Jin is examining the option of adding more B777s because the bare minimum to make planes profitable is five, with 12 the being optimum number. Increasing the size of larger jets can also permit it to compete with AirAsia X that operates long-distance flights and has a fleet of 20 A330s and A340s, he said.
The executive, who is also a flight captain, said that with the expansion, Jin will likely become South Korea's No. 1 LCC in the near future, usurping Jeju Air Co., the current title holder.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)
