It has been revealed that a new Korean airline, Air Premia, is accelerating its preparations for service to LA. It aims to operate the LA-Incheon passenger route as early as the end of May or early June, but the airline industry has expressed doubts about the possibility of service within two months, so the specific timing of the start of the operation is drawing attention.
According to Korean media on the 5th, Air Premia announced that it is in the process of establishing a branch and licensing a branch for passenger operation on the LA-Incheon route and is in the final stage. An Air Premia official said, “In line with the easing of distances and the trend of exemption from quarantine for overseas arrivals, we are preparing a route to Los Angeles in the US as a top priority for mid- to long-distance airlines.” he said.
Regarding the timing of service, according to the Korean media and the airline industry, it is known that Air Premia is planning to start the LA-Incheon route at the end of next month or early June at the earliest. This is because the LA-Incheon route is a liberalized flight route, and it is possible as long as an airport slot (the right to take off and land at a specific time) is secured without securing a separate transportation right.
It has been found that Air Premia has already been in contact with multiple travel agencies since last month in relation to ticket sales rights, centred on Korean travel agencies in Los Angeles. An official from a Korean-American travel agency said, “We are working with travel agencies to select a company that is in charge of selling airline tickets between LA and Incheon. ” he said.
Even among Korean investors in Los Angeles who made an initial investment in Air Premia, the possibility of starting the service in early June is being mentioned in relation to the timing of the LA-Incheon route.
In the process of gathering Korean American investors in LA at the initial stage of its establishment, Air Premia put forward the route between LA and Incheon as a prerequisite. Here, Air Premia is also a route that differentiates and identifies a hybrid airline (HSC) that combines the advantages of a low-cost carrier (LCC) and a large-scale carrier (FSC). To this end, Air Premia has already introduced the Boeing 787-9 medium and large aircraft and plans to introduce three more aircraft this year.
National airlines such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are also closely monitoring the preparations for Air Premia’s LA-Incheon route. Although they are somewhat sceptical about the target timing of Air Premia’s flight to LA at the end of May or early June, they are looking at trends such as changes in the future situation.
An official of the national airline said, “If the flight to LA starts in early June, there should already be a pre-sale of tickets, but no meaningful movement has been detected.” he said.