Low-cost Carriers Take ‘Second Jobs’ amid Travel Slump

Jeju Air flight attendants serve in-flight meals at the airline’s cafe in Hongdae area in western Seoul. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 22 (Korea Bizwire) — With airlines continuing to struggle with the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak, low-cost carriers are beginning to take on ‘secondary jobs’.

Jeju Air Co., South Korea’s biggest budget carrier by sales, is running an ‘in-flight meal cafe’ at a shopping mall complex in Seoul’s Hongdae area until July 28. The drinks are made by flight attendants themselves with popular in-flight offerings on sale.

Jin Air Co., the budget carrier unit of Korean Air Lines Co., opened up an online shopping mall last December, selling a wide variety of merchandise including air purifiers, cosmetics, fruits, and other products normally sold onboard.

Air Seoul Co. signed an agreement with home shopping mall NS Home Shopping to place the latter’s catalogs in aircraft used on domestic routes.

Passengers can order items onboard and receive them at a desired destination. They will also be entitled to additional discounts.

T’way Air’s flight attendant training program for college students in related fields, which began in March this year, will now be opened to the public.

H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)