South Korea’s airlines are elevating the competition for the best in-flight dining experience, with low-cost carriers joining the fray by introducing innovative menus and partnering with renowned chefs and brands to meet the growing demand for international travel.
Traditionally, in-flight meal services were considered the exclusive domain of large airlines. However, recently, low-cost carriers (LCCs) have been introducing new in-flight menu items one after another. This shift is due to the increased demand for international flights on LCCs as they expand their operations to medium- and long-haul routes, which were previously dominated by large airlines.
Air Seoul, a domestic LCC, launched new in-flight meal options like ‘Creamy Udon with pollack roe’ and ‘Curry Udon’ earlier this month. These dishes were created in collaboration with Chef Jeong Ho-Young, who gained fame through TV variety shows.
Last year, Air Seoul also introduced dishes using Chef Jeong’s recipes, such as ‘Soy Sauce Egg Butter Udon’ and ‘Maze Udon with meat on top,’ selling about 200 units per month on average. Jeju Air, another LCC, collaborates with Samwon Garden, a restaurant selected for the Michelin Bib Gourmand, to offer menu items like Braised Short Ribs and Grilled Short Rib Patties.
There is also an increasing trend of partnering with major food corporations or franchise brands to jointly develop and launch new menu items.
T’way Air worked with CJ CheilJedang to develop ‘Beef Mushroom Porridge’ and ‘Sausage & Egg Brunch.’ Another LCC, Eastar Jet, collaborated with the family restaurant VIPS to offer a ‘Pepperoni Pizza’ in a casserole-style, making it easy to eat with a spoon, and with BBQ to launch ‘Jamaican Chicken.’ The in-flight meals provided by LCCs typically range from 10,000 to 30,000 won ($7.21 - $21.62).
To stay competitive, major airlines conduct demand surveys and analyze food trends every three months to update their menus. Asiana Airlines recently introduced new dishes such as Chicken Kimchi Stew and Beef Bulgogi with Japchae. They also offer premium health foods like Barley Porridge with Korean Beef and Chicken Porridge to differentiate. They periodically change their menus according to the season to add variety. For the summer season, Korean Air offered notorious bap, a S. Korean delicacy of rice with acorn jelly in cold broth.
While LCCs focus on single main dishes, major airlines differentiate and upgrade their services by offering full-course meals that include side dishes, salads, desserts, beverages, and alcoholic drinks.
For instance, two South Korean airline giants, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, focus on developing their wine collections.
Korean Air collaborates with world-renowned sommelier Marc Almert to offer more than 50 new types of wine, and Asiana Airlines provides a variety of wines from different regions such as France, Chile, Spain, and South Africa, depending on the route.
LCCs have entered the in-flight meal competition because the number of new or resumed medium-and long-haul routes to Southeast Asia and Central Asia has increased after the pandemic. More cost-conscious travelers are choosing LCCs for international travel.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, from January to May this year, 12.73 million passengers flew internationally with LCCs, surpassing the 11.80 million passengers who used large airlines. For medium- and long-haul routes, flight times can range from 4 to over 8 hours, increasing the demand for in-flight meals.
An LCC official mentioned, “When flights exceed three hours, even passengers who did not initially plan to eat in-flight meals often end up ordering them, leading to increase in-flight meal sales.”
