Japan Airfare '0 Won' Event, What's Happening to LCCs?

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) are flooding the market with special fare tickets. This is interpreted as an effort to attract travelers amid the seasonal low-demand period.

On the 19th, according to the Air Portal, an aviation information portal system, a total of 4,732,000 passengers used international flights last month. This represents a 10.41% increase compared to the same period last year and a 3.5% increase compared to the previous month.

However, the average daily number of passengers recorded 153,000, a 7% decrease compared to the previous month. Among LCCs, the decline in international passengers was significant. Jin Air transported 375,139 passengers last month, a 14.35% decrease compared to the previous month. Jeju Air also saw a 1.69% decrease to 562,566 passengers, and T'way Air dropped 3.75% to 408,348 passengers, indicating a decline in travelers using international flights since March.

This marks the entry into the seasonal low-demand period. Typically, summer and winter are considered peak seasons due to overlapping school vacations and holidays. Conversely, other seasons are classified as off-peak. Soo-young Park, a researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities, said, "Traditionally, there is a tendency to enter the off-season starting in March when the seasonal demand for winter vacations is exhausted, but this year the trend is more pronounced."

The view of Incheon Airport. Photo by Incheon Airport Corporation

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As the off-peak season begins, airlines are strengthening their promotions. Especially in May this year, with holidays such as Labor Day and Children's Day creating potential long weekends, LCCs are actively seeking to secure overseas travel demand.

First, Air Seoul is running a 'Fare Free' special promotion on all international routes. The airfare for the promotional tickets is 0 KRW. Only fuel surcharges and airport facility fees must be paid. Consumers can purchase tickets for Japan routes starting from 50,000 KRW and Vietnam routes from the high 60,000 KRW range. The travel period is from now until July 20.

Jeju Air is also conducting 'JJ Members Week' targeting travelers departing between June and August. Domestic routes such as Jeju and Busan start from 30,000 KRW, while Japan and Taipei routes start from 60,000 KRW and 100,000 KRW respectively. These tickets can be used from June 1 to August 31.

Along with this, Jin Air is running a family-tailored promotion for Guam routes on flights departing from and arriving at Incheon and Busan until the 23rd. When booking round-trip tickets through Jin Air’s online channel, adults receive a 10% fare discount and children receive a 20% discount. Additionally, until the 30th, new members who sign up on the website will receive a 30,000 KRW discount coupon applicable to fares on the Gimpo~Pohang·Gyeongju routes.

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