Korean national carrier's goal to become one of the world's Top 10 airlines by 2010 is not unrealistic. Mike Toynbee reports Korean Air’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yang Ho Cho is a man with a mission. His goal is to see the national carrier established among the world's top 10 by 2010. Ambitious, perhaps, but the way things are going, quite feasible.
The airline, which last year carried over 23 million passengers with a fleet of 117 aircraft, including 24 Boeing 747-400s and 15 777s, currently serves 93 destinations worldwide – Istanbul having been added last month.
Endorsement of its growing success has come in the shape of a number of significant awards in recent months, most notably Air Transport World's Phoenix accolade for overcoming the challenges faced by major growing airlines in the global arena. “In the late 1990s, Korean Air’s management decided a complete overhaul was needed and the company began to methodically move in the right direction,” said ATW in its citation, adding that the airline's ambition to become one of the world’s leading 10 carriers by the end of the decade was highly credible.
In March, Korean Air picked up a prestigious Mercury Award from the International Flight Catering Association (IFCA) for the development and service implementation of bibim noodles, one of Korea's traditional dishes, as part of the in-flight menu. The carrier was awarded gold in the Food & Beverage category – the second time Korean Air has won the award for the high standard of its in-flight cuisine.
Towards the end of last year, readers of Time magazine ranked Korean in the top three in almost every airline category in a travel choices poll. And just to underline the fact, a worldwide survey, also carried out in 2005 by Boeing and Airbus, put Korean at the forefront of operational performance with three of the six aircraft types it operates scheduled services, with the other three ranked second and third. All of which suggests the airline is getting it right.
The latest generation of lie-flat sleeper seats is currently being phased in on its long-haul fleet, with the upgraded cabins already in service on transpacific routes, plus Frankfurt, Paris and, by the end of the year, London. Improvements extend to audio visual on demand in-flight entertainment, including four live TV channels for passengers with web-enabled laptops using the high-speed With a string of recent awards to its credit, the internet connections available on board. Additionally, they can send and receive e-mails and text messages. There are also new First and Economy class cabins being introduced at the same time across the fleet.
Korean is one of the launch customers for the Airbus A380 super-jumbo, with up to eight on order and deliveries due to start in 2008. It was also among the first to place an order for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which it plans to deploy on mid-range destinations in the US and Europe. It has orders for 10 of the new, super-efficient aircraft with options on a similar number.
Korean was a founder member of the SkyTeam alliance, which now has 10 full members and a further five associates.
Prestige Class round-up
Seat: new generation shell-type, lie-flat seat currently being phased in, with 170 degree recline, extending to 152cm (60in), with a similar pitch; moveable armrest provides up to
26in width; massage function; laptop power point; individual reading light; 10.4in LCD screen
Cabin amenities: pre-flight Champagne, newspapers, magazines, wardrobes
In-flight service: local menus of destination countries as well as Korean cuisine, including bibim noodles; good choice of quality wines and Champagne
In-flight entertainment: 10.4in screen with noise-canceling headset; audio visual on demand (currently being introduced) with choice of 36 movie channels and over 1,000 music choices, plus four channels of live global television which can be accessed, along with the internet, via laptops; high-speed connectivity is available on international flights
On the ground: lounges at Seoul's Incheon Airport and five domestic gateways, and at a dozen key international destinations; separate check-in; priority boarding, disembarkation and baggage handling
Frequent flyer program: Skypass (Morning Calm Club, Morning Calm Premium Club and Million Miler Club), with varying levels of membership qualifications and privileges. As a founder member of the SkyTeam alliance, Korean Air also has reciprocal frequent flyer program arrangements with Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air France/KLM, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta and Northwest
Website: www.koreanair.com
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