Annyeong haseyo everybody,

Here's a small report about a roundtrip flight I've taken to Jeju Island with Jeju Air last October. At that time I was a student in Seoul, and with 2 other mates we decided to take a small break to Jeju Island. There are TONS AND TONS of daily flights between Seoul and Jeju. We had the choice between Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jin Air (KAL's low cost subsidiary), Jeju Air (OZ's low cost subsidiady), and Hansung Airlines (a small airline operating ATRs, and which has gone bust recently). Jeju Air was the cheapest option, so that's the airline we picked even though I was more keen on trying Korean Airlines or Asiana Airlines. Jeju Air is a low cost airline. At that time, it operated a mixed fleet of B738 and Dash 8, flying from Jeju to Seoul Gimpo and Busan Gimhae.

What makes Jeju Air so special ? Well, as you're about to find out, the flight attendants to their best to entertain the passengers...

We had a hard time buying our tickets, because for some reason all of our Visa credit cards were rejected as we tried to pay online on the Jeju Air website (which exists only in Korean language btw). Eventually we had to go through a travel agent who accepted to buy the tickets online for us.

The three of us living in Sinchon, taking the subway was the easiest way to reach Gimpo airport. Gimpo is not very far from the city center, therefore it's far more convenient than Incheon, even though there's no comparison to be made between Gimpo and Incheon. Gimpo looks a bit dated, but there are a few restaurants and shops, and we went through security in no time so there's no reason to complain.

Flight 1
1st October 2009
Route: Seoul Gimpo (GMP) - Jeju Island (CJU)
Flight number: 7C115
Aircraft type: B737-800
Registration: HL7779

The flight left in the early afternoon. We were bussed to a remote stand, Jeju Air does not seem to use jetways. Two very friendly Korean flight attendants welcomed us on board, and we made our way to our seats. We were seated one row ahead of the exit rows, which means we had a very limited legroom and no seat recline. It's not too bad for a 1-hour flight though.

After take-off, we were offered a free refreshment: orange juice, water or Coke. Then, the flight attendants walked down the aisle, inflating balloon animals for kids ! My friends and I could not believe it ! That's the first time we saw such an attentive service. As we were the only foreigners on board, we caught the flight attendant's attention and she offered my friends a balloon animal. I had never met such friendly flight attendants, we were speechless. Asian airlines do know how to provide a good service.



Jeju Air advertisement as we exited from the subway station at Gimpo airport


Check-in desks at Gimpo Airport


Jeju Air check-in desks


Inside Gimpo Airport terminal, in the public zone


Jeju Air desks after we had passed security


Gimpo terminal, airside


Tons of flights to Jeju, as you can see. Don't you love the "weather at destination" feature on the electronic board ?


Asiana and KAL are dominating the place


My ride, behind the Dash 8


Climbing the stairs


View of the cabin. This aircraft used to be based in France, flying for the charter airline Euralair (which is now history).






Gimpo's international terminal, with flights to Japan and China.


In the air !


Two great flight attendants


Inflight mag + safety card + OJ






A testimony of this aircraft's former life as an Euralair 738.

Let the show begin ! Balloon animals for all !










Approaching Jeju. You can see the Halla-san volcano in the background.


Jeju City


Holidays !


Jeju airport


The best flight attendants I've ever met.

All in all, we had a very good flight. Even though the seats were tight and the legroom limited, the flight attendants helped make this flight an enjoyable experience. I was also pleasently surprised to be served a refreshment, as I didn't expect that kind of service from a low cost airline.

And now, here are some pictures of Jeju. We had a really good time on the island. Beaches are nice and relaxing, and local people were friendly and helpful. We had no problem hitchhiking around the island. Unfortunately we couldn't clim Halla-san due to the bad weather.








































































Flight 2
6th October 2009
Route: Jeju Island (CJU) - Seoul Gimpo (GMP)
Flight number: 7C112
Aircraft type: Dash 8 Q400
Registration: HL5254

This flight was my first flight on a Dash 8. Jeju airport is undergoing a major extension project. The terminal was nice, and it will be even better once the construction work is finished (which might be the case by now). Once again, we were bussed to our Dash 8 and welcomed onboard by a bunch of friendly female f/as. This time, instead of inflating balloon animals, the f/as walked down the aisle with the pilots' caps, offering to take pictures of passengers wearing the caps. We had to say yes...


Jeju Air check-in desks at Jeju


Inside the controlled area.


Our plane !


Jeju Air's gate.


















Bye bye Jeju...we had a great time !






Drink service ! Orange juice, water or Coke.


Jeju Air's newest pilots !


Descending over South Korea


Approaching Seoul













Once again, Jeju Air surprised us in a positive way.

I hope you enjoyed this report about this small airline. I feel very nostalgic about my stay in Korea. I've loved every minute I've spent in Seoul and around.