Inflight Review : Air Busan

Inflight Review by : Gan Yung Chyan
                              / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to Everyone

The reporter of this travel news medium embarked on his inaugural domestic Korean flight to Busan Gimhae Airport from Seoul-Gimpo, the city airport of Seoul, with Air Busan on Christmas 2015.

Airline and Routes : Air Busan is the first domestic and regional flight subsidiary of Asiana Airlines. Domestically, it flies to Seoul-Gimpo, Busan, Daegu and Jeju. Regionally, it flies to Sapporo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo-Narita, Qingdao, Yanji, Zhangjiajie, Sanya, Xi'an, Hohhot (charter), Hong Kong, Huangshan (charter), Macau, Cebu, Danang (charter), Siem Reap, Taipei, Kaohsiung and Ulaanbaatar. Air Busan is the only low-cost airline to fly to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, from a city outside Mongolia, Busan. It operates long-haul flights to Guam, the US, using Airbus A321-200 aircraft. Its fleet formerly consist of B737-400 and Airbus A321 aircraft. 

News : Air Busan nowadays operates a full fleet of 6 Airbus A320-200 and 12 Airbus A321-200 aircraft. The A320-200 aircraft replaced the B737-400 aircraft in 2016 which were in use from 2008 to 2015. Air Busan first launched flight operation between Busan and Jeju using B737-400 aircraft in December 2008.

Livery : The airline logo is an outline of the seagull. It is simple.***

Aircraft : The B737 seat legroom is spacious. **.

Baggage Requirements :A carry-on baggage measuring 115 cm in total to be stowed in the overhead compartment and a small item to be stowed under the seat are accepted.***

Safety Demonstrations : Adequate.  *****

Inflight Magazine  : Fly Smart Fly & Fun is the only official inflight magazine of Air Busan. ***

Inflight Service / Entertainment / Onboard Meals and Refreshments : The crew provide very good service for a budget flight. Only free orange juice or mineral water is served during the 55 minutes flight. *** 

Postcard / Stationery : None.  Write on the barf bag.** 

Sky Shop : Available on regional flights, not on domestic flights.***

Surcharges :  No. *****

Bookings : Air Busan offers the simplest on-line booking web-site at www.airbusan.com. There are no vague ticketing clauses such as requiring the passenger to have a valid visa while booking a domestic air ticket. Passengers are required to present the relevant credit card, the itinerary and passport for check-in verification. A refund charge at the airport or on-line will be imposed for a on-line ticket refund. For special price tickets (80 per cent or more), itinerary change and refund are not allowed although fuel surcharge and airport facility fee can be fully refunded for a Korean flight. Passengers can reserve seats on-line free-of-charge.***

Check-In and Departures : Check-in at the relevant airports two hours before departures. Check-in counter closes 20 minutes before departure. The boarding pass looks like a shopping receipt. Flights depart on time.***

Ground service in  response  to passengers' requests and enquiries : Nothing to distribute on the ground in South Korea. Air Busan's inflight magazine is obtainable at Cebu's international airport. However, passengers are asked to check everything about Air Busan on-line.**

Overall Impression :  Air Busan needs to improve its public service image and provide marketing products on the ground in South Korea. The airline is a three-star airline.

** Poor / two-star
*** Good / three-star
***** Very good / five-star
****** Excellent / six-star (the highest category)