In Person
and are planning to increase our capacity by 15% in the near future. Because of the rapid Chinese market growth, we also plan to operate our new generation aircraft to some of our Chinese destinations to focus on the high- end market. Also, the Asian Pacific market is constantly showing healthy growth.
You took delivery of your first A380 early last year with a dedicated Business class on the upper deck. How well has this been received by your passengers? Are you planning to create the same layout on your entire A380 fleet of ten aircraft, as they come into service? What about Economy? Our main goal was to achieve a Business class cabin design which would maximize the sense of comfort and to provide the feeling of a private jet exclusivity for our business passengers. We have installed 94 fully lie-flat Prestige Sleeper seats on the A380 upper deck, becoming the first carrier worldwide to devote the entire upper cabin to a single class of service. With the introduction of the Prestige Sleeper, we increased the seat pitch by 14 inches and increased recline to a fully flat 180 degrees. Korean Air’s A380 operates with 407 seats, the least seat configuration for any A380 in
Prestige class comfort on Korean Air
the world. From the passenger’s point of view, the tremendous amount of space, comfort and unique amenities make Korean Air’s A380 stand out as an industry leader. The reactions that we have seen from our passengers are simply fantastic. They loved our idea of a whole deck dedicated to Prestige class. The Celestial bar and the Duty Free Showcase have also been very popular. Korean Air has always aimed to be a leader
in Economy class travel and this has been perfectly illustrated by the latest seating products in that cabin. A 34 inch seat pitch has been retained on the A380, making our Economy class product the most comfortable of any A380 operator so far! The ergonomically designed ‘New Economy’ seats have a slimmer seat back to give extra leg room. To maximize passenger comfort, the seat has also been specially designed so that the bottom cushion will slide forward when the seat is reclined. We have installed wider screens, USB ports and laptop power too. As mentioned previously we are getting very positive feedback from our passengers and see no reason to change our configuration so far.
Can you comment generally on the aviation business in Asia and how you see growth in the future? The global and Asian economy forecast has given many insights to airlines on how to shape their future businesses. The world
economy overall is expected to grow at 3.3% annually, with Asian economy predicted to grow at 4%, much faster than any other region. Likewise, the Asian airline market will grow
faster than other markets. Whereas world traffic is expected to grow at 5.1% annually, Asia Pacific will have more than 7% passenger traffic growth. On the other hand, the slow economy growth of North America and Europe will cause low growth of passenger traffic. It is worthy to note that the Asian market is
“Korean Air has always aimed to be a leader in Economy class travel and this has been perfectly illustrated by the latest seating products in that cabin ”
not only sizable but also has more premium passengers every year. In 2010, premium class demand increased by 20%. Korean Air is dominating the intra Asia and trans-Pacific routes as we are ranked No. 1 carrier intra Asia and no. 2 on trans-Pacific, next to Delta in terms of flight frequencies. To sustain our growth in the global market,
we will not only strengthen our current network but also develop new markets in South America, Africa and Central Asia.
Korean Air has been very supportive of IFSA and now APOT in the Asian region. Can you tell us about your involvement with APOT and how you see the Association growing in the future? Korean Air supports all international organisations related to the industry, including IFSA and
Apot.Asia. We believe we can seek for a better future
of the in-flight and tourism industry through these organisations. APOT is designed to focus and promote high standards of In-flight service in the Asia Pacific region. As the region’s importance grows, so would
the industry and Apot. Asia. We will work closely with other international organisations for an extended partnership and have exciting plans to shape the future together.
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