A passenger and her pet sit together inside Jeju Air's pet-friendly flight on the Gimpo-Jeju route, operated in April and June. Courtesy of Jeju Air By KTimes Korea's budget airliners, better known as LCCs in the country, are increasingly accommodating pets. This shift is significantly impacting the airline industry, reflecting a growing trend among pet owners wishing to travel with their furry companions.
Jeju Air reported that from January to July this year, 11,324 passengers traveled with pets, a 10.9 percent increase compared to the same period last year (10,210 instances). This figure is nearly 2.
7 times higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of Jeju Air's pet-inclusive flights are domestic, with 95.1 percent (10,772 instances) of these trips being on domestic routes, compared to only 4.
9 percent (552 instances) on international flights. Another LCC, Eastar Jet, expanded on July 15 its pet-friendly policy from domestic routes to international flights. The airline has seen the number of 'paw'ssengers more than double from an average of 200 to 300 cases per month last year to 600 to 700 cases this year.
In response to this growing demand, Eastar Jet has extended its pet-friendly services to most of its international routes. More pets traveling on international routes The trend is similar among full-service carriers. Korean Air recorded 33,252 cases of pets traveling in passenger seats from January to July this year, a 19.
2 percent increase from the same period last year. Korean Air has observed that more pawrents are choosing to travel with their pets on international routes than domestic ones, with 63.6 percent, or 21,141 cases, of pet-inclusive flights being international, compared to 36.
4 percent, or12,111 cases, on domestic flights. It's important for pet owners to note that each airline has slightly different policies regarding pets on board. Jeju Air, Korean Air and Eastar Jet all limit in-cabin pets to dogs, cats and birds.
Pets must remain in carriers placed under the seat in front of the passenger and cannot be taken out during the flight. Exceptions include Jeju Air's special pet-only flights from Gimpo to Jeju, operated in partnership with LG Uplus and the Korea Tourism Organization in April and June, with another scheduled for the end of this month. Weight limits for pets, including the carrier, vary by airline, with Jeju Air and Korean Air allowing pets weighing up to 7 kilograms, while Eastar Jet allows up to 9 kilograms.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff at The Korea Times..
