2023.06.16
Korean airlines step up efforts to attract travelers with pets
Pulse
by Maeil Business - As the number of South Koreans traveling with their pets
grows, airlines are stepping up their marketing efforts to attract these
so-called petfam travelers.
According
to a report by Korean Air Lines Co. on Monday, the total number of
international and domestic flights with pets in the cabin last year totaled
28,240. That’s a 12.1 percent increase compared with 2019, the year before the
Covid-19 pandemic. Asiana Airlines Inc. had 18,364 such cases last year, up
nearly 4 percent from 2019. Petfam is a combination of the words, pet and
family.
Low-cost
carriers (LCCs) have seen a steep increase in the number of petfam customers.
In fact, JejuAir Co. nearly tripled its pet transportation volume to 27,230
last year from just over 7,000 in 2019.
The
number of international and domestic passengers fell to 55.83 million last year
from 123.37 million in 2019 due to the pandemic. Despite this, airlines are stepping
up their marketing efforts to target petfams, as the number of boardings with
pets has increased significantly.
Korean
Air Lines operates the Sky Pets service, which allows passengers to register
their pets and collect stamps each time they travel with their pets to receive
discount or free boarding. JejuAir launched a similar Pet Pass service last
week. Asiana Airlines is offering a kit of food and treats for customers
traveling with their dogs on board its aircraft until Sept. 25. T’way Air Co. also
offers a commemorative boarding pass for pets.
However,
airlines have been cautious about increasing the number of seats available for
pets. Korean Air Lines has only four seats for petfams available on its
superjumbo A380, one in business class and three in economy. Asiana Airlines
has 11 seats on the same aircraft.
JejuAir
increased the maximum number of pets per flight from three to six at the end of
2021 but is not considering further expansion.
Source: https://pulsenews.co.kr/view.php?year=2023&no=445316