Air carriers offer special promotions for popular travel spots

A luxury resort in Cebu of the Philippines / Courtesy of Philippine Department of Tourism

By Jun Ji-hye

Air carriers are offering deeply discounted fares to popular destinations for winter vacationers.

Jin Air, the budget affiliate of Korean Air, is holding special promotions until Feb. 2 for those who want to enjoy their winter holidays in warm countries.

The promotions cover the Incheon-Cebu, Busan-Cebu, Incheon-Macao, Incheon-Okinawa and Busan-Okinawa routes that operate until March 28.

Fares for round-trip tickets from Incheon to Cebu start as low as 270,300 won ($232), while the Busan-Cebu route is priced at as low as 245,300 won.

Fares for the Incheon-Macao, Incheon-Okinawa and Busan-Okinawa routes start as low as 209,400 won, 130,800 won and 195,800 won, respectively.

The budget carrier noted the fares are changeable in accordance with changes in exchange rates, airport tax and fuel surcharges.

Those who depart for warm countries from Incheon International Airport can use a “coat room” service at a discounted rate, in which they can leave their winter coats. Details of the service are available at Jin Air's homepage.

“Many tourists are expected to choose warm countries as their travel destinations during winter holidays. We hope they will be able to forget the biting cold for a while and enjoy a variety of activities at vacation spots,” a Jin Air official said.

Air Seoul, a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines, is also selling tickets for Southeast Asian countries at specially reduced prices until Jan. 31.

The carrier is holding special promotions for round-trip tickets from Incheon to Boracay, and from Incheon to Kota Kinabalu, costing as low as 82,400 won and 83,500 won, respectively.

The promotions cover flights operating until March 28.

Members of the Air Seoul homepage can enjoy various services and discount benefits including unlimited 4G Wi-Fi in the Philippines and a pickup service at Kota Kinabalu International Airport in addition to snorkeling and sunset tours.

Details of the discount benefits are available at the Air Seoul homepage.

“As January and February is a good season to travel to Southeast Asian countries, we have selected the most popular vacation spots there and prepared special promotions,” an Air Seoul official said. “We hope tourists can make the most of our promotions to enjoy their winter holidays at cheaper prices.”

T'way Air has held a one week long “t'way travel week” event on every third Monday of the month, beginning this month's event on Jan. 20 at its homepage and mobile phone application for winter holidaymakers.

The latest promotions cover three domestic routes ― Gimpo-Jeju, Daegu-Jeju and Gwangju-Jeju ― and 45 international routes that depart from Incheon, Daegu, Busan and Jeju.

Fares for routes to Jeju Island start as low as 8,300 won, while the Incheon-Qingdao and Daegu-Cebu routes are priced at as low as 51,500 won and 76,200 won, respectively.

Prices for the Busan-Hanoi and Incheon-Saipan routes begin from 71,200 won and 104,920 won, respectively.

“Tourists can check our additional services such as one-click traveler's insurance and pre-orders of in-flight meals at our homepage,” a T'way Air official said.