Korean airlines step up efforts to attract travelers with pets

[Photo by Park Hyung-ki]

As the number of South Koreans traveling with their pets grows, airlines are stepping up their marketing efforts to attract these so-called petfam travelers.

According to a report by Korean Air Lines Co. on Monday, the total number of international and domestic flights with pets in the cabin last year totaled 28,240. That’s a 12.1 percent increase compared with 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic. Asiana Airlines Inc. had 18,364 such cases last year, up nearly 4 percent from 2019. Petfam is a combination of the words, pet and family.

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) have seen a steep increase in the number of petfam customers. In fact, JejuAir Co. nearly tripled its pet transportation volume to 27,230 last year from just over 7,000 in 2019.

The number of international and domestic passengers fell to 55.83 million last year from 123.37 million in 2019 due to the pandemic. Despite this, airlines are stepping up their marketing efforts to target petfams, as the number of boardings with pets has increased significantly.

Korean Air Lines operates the Sky Pets service, which allows passengers to register their pets and collect stamps each time they travel with their pets to receive discount or free boarding. JejuAir launched a similar Pet Pass service last week. Asiana Airlines is offering a kit of food and treats for customers traveling with their dogs on board its aircraft until Sept. 25. T’way Air Co. also offers a commemorative boarding pass for pets.

However, airlines have been cautious about increasing the number of seats available for pets. Korean Air Lines has only four seats for petfams available on its superjumbo A380, one in business class and three in economy. Asiana Airlines has 11 seats on the same aircraft.

JejuAir increased the maximum number of pets per flight from three to six at the end of 2021 but is not considering further expansion.