Korean Airlines
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL) or Korean Air is a national and largest airline in South Korea. Its headquarters are located in Seoul, Korea and its hubs are at Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport. Its focus cities are Gimhae International Airport and Jeju International Airport.
Korean Air was founded in 1962 by the South Korean government to replace Korean National Airlines. In 1969 it was privatised when Hanjin Transport Group acquired the airline. Soon after, long-haul freight operations commenced in 1971 and in the next year, passenger services to Los Angeles were introduced.
KAL flies to 14 destinations in the United States, the most from any Asian airline. Its subsidiary is Jin Air, a low-cost South Korean airline that services regional destinations which include Malaysia and China.
As of 2007, Korean Air employs around 16,000 employees. Its slogan is “Excellence in Flight.”
Domestic and International Destinations
Korean Air flies to 116 destinations (including cargo) in 45 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. It has a fleet size of 128 aircraft.
It has current flight operations to Cairo in Egypt; Navoi (cargo only) and Tashkent in Uzbekistan; Beijing, Changsha, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Jinan, Kunming, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Urumqi, Weihai, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xian, Yanji, Yantai and Zhenghou in People’s Republic of China; Taipei; Akita, Aomori, Fukuoka, Hakodate, Kagoshima, Komatsu, Nagasaki, Nagoya, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Osaka, Sapporo and Tokyo in Japan; Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia; Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai in India; Kathmandu in Nepal; Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia; Bali-Denpasar and Jakarta in Indonesia; Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia; Cebu and Manila in the Philippines; Singapore; Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket in Thailand; Da Nang, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam; Tel Aviv in Israel; Dubai in United Arab Emirates; Vienna in Austria; Brussels in Belgium; Prague in Czech Republic; Copenhagen in Denmark; Mulhouse and Paris in France; Frankfurt and Munich in Germany; Milan and Rome in Italy; Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Oslo in Norway; Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Vladivostok in Russia; Madrid in Spain; Stockholm in Sweden; Basel and Zurich in Switzerland; Istanbul in Turkey; London in United Kingdom; Toronto and Vancouver in Canada; Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. in United States; Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia; Nadi in Fiji; Hagatna in Guam; Auckland in New Zealand and Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Within Korea, it has services to Busan, Cheongju, Daegu, Gwangju, Gunsan, Jeju, Jinju, Mokpo/Gwangju/Muan-gun, Pohan, Seoul, Ulsan, Wonju and Yeosu.
SKYPASS
Korean Air’s frequent flyer programme is called SKYPASS. It’s free to join this loyalty programme and is open to all Korean Air customers. Mileage is the unit used to calculate distance travelled in miles. Miles accrual is easy. Just fly with Korean Air and SkyTeam airlines, or use the services and products of its other partners such credit cards, hotels and car rental companies.
You may redeem points for award tickets, upgrades, discounts and privileges with Korean Air and partner establishments. There is also a Family Plan where members with insufficient miles can be supplemented by miles of immediate family members.
SkyTeam
Korean Air is a member of SkyTeam, the second largest airline alliance in the world. Depending on member airline’s frequent flyer programme, benefits may include priority reservations waitlisting, priority airport standby, priority boarding, priority check-in, preferred seating, priority baggage handling, additional checked luggage allowance, guaranteed reservations on sold out flights, express airport security (where applicable) and airport lounge access.
SkyTeam has a two-tier membership, Elite and ElitePlus.
Travel Classes and Entertainment
Korean Air offers three travel classes, First Class (Kosmo Sleeper Seat), Business Class (Prestige Plus Seat) and Economy Class. Each seat has personal LCD touch-screen that features the AVOD (Audio Visual on Demand) system. Movies, music and games are available for the passenger’s viewing and listening pleasure.