By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Air Busan will focus on safety, essential services and close cooperation with Asiana Airlines to differentiate itself from other rivals, said the head of the regional budget carrier.
President and CEO of Air Busan Kim Soo-cheon said the new carrier, which started operations on Oct. 27, is managing quite well despite low recognition of its brand name.
Air Busan's flights on the Busan-Seoul route are filling about half of their seats, while those on the Busan-Jeju, more than 70 percent, since the launch of service on Dec. 1.
``In the last 45 days, we operated 906 flights. We recorded not a single cancellation and about 95 percent of them operated on schedule, which is a higher ratio than that of full-service carriers. Such punctuality and our effort for safe operation will have customers trust Air Busan and create a distinctive value from other budget airlines,'' Kim said in a press briefing in Seoul, Thursday.
Air Busan's fare is about 70 to 85 percent that of full-service airlines, which does not equate to low-quality service, Kim said. ``We cannot satisfy all passengers as we cannot provide all types of services. But we focus on services essential to customers, such as offering newspapers on the Seoul-Busan route, the main customers of which are businesspeople.''
Cooperation with its parent company, Asiana Airlines, also helps the carrier save costs by sharing maintenance facilities. Air Busan has a code-sharing operation with Asiana. ``Passengers on Air Busan can get Asiana mileage through code sharing. We are the only low cost carrier offering mileage,'' Kim said.
Air Busan plans to increase the frequency of the two routes next year and launch international services after one year of domestic operation, mainly services between Busan and Japan.