Korean Air celebrated its 50th anniversary serving the United States on April 19: the company’s first service was from Seoul – Gimpo (GMP) to Los Angeles (LAX) with stops in Tokyo and Honolulu, operating with a Boeing 707. It now operates 13 destinations from its main hub at Incheon Airport (ICN).
Transpacific market leadership
Since launching its first destination in the United States, Korean Air has become one of the leading carriers in the transpacific market.
In 1972, Korean Air moved 43,800 passengers between the United States and South Korea, and has since grown to move more than 3 million passengers between the two nations in 2019.
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium, prior to Covid, the South Korean flag carrier during the summer season had an offer of 72,114 seats per week in 258 air operations.
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The company began its transpacific operations with 171-passenger Boeing 707 aircraft, then with the introduction of the first generation of Boeing 747, it made non-stop flights between South Korea and the United States. The company currently operates its routes to North America with Boeing 787 and 777 and is awaiting the reactivation of the Boeing 747-8i and Airbus A380.
Service between Seoul–Incheon (ICN) and Los Angeles (LAX) in 2019 was the fourth busiest route between the United States and South Korea. According to information compiled by Aviacionline through the US Department of Transportation (DoT), 997,058 passengers moved between both airports. Korean Air led the market with an operation of two daily flights in Airbus A380 and an offer of 11,396 seats per week.
Contribution to the US economy
For the past 50 years, Korean Air has contributed to the US economy by promoting economic, social and cultural exchange between the two nations through its passenger and cargo operations.
Before the pandemic, 1.1 million South Koreans traveled on Korean Air flights to the United States annually and it is estimated that they spent around 4 billion dollars during their stay.
Dedicated terminals in Los Angeles (LAX) and New York (JFK) support the company’s cargo operations, as well as that of other airlines. Korean Air is estimated to have created 100,000 jobs and generated an economic effect of 17 billion dollars in the last half century.
Korean Air, a global airline
Since its launch to the United States, Korean Air has become one of the largest global airlines, serving more than 120 destinations in 43 countries. The company also founded the Skyteam alliance together with Aeroméxico, Air France and Delta, the latter being its partner in the transpacific Joint Venture through which it connects all its customers with 290 cities in the United States and 80 in Asia.
“As a proud Joint Venture partner, we want to congratulate Korean Air on the significant milestone of connecting the US and Korea for half a century,” said Matteo Curcio, Delta Air Lines vice president for Asia Pacific.
“We look forward to working together to seamlessly connect more customers between the Americas and Asia through our Incheon hub in the years to come,” added Curcio.
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through the DoT, in 2019 between the US and Seoul – Incheon (ICN) 5,732,598 passengers were mobilized, which positions it as the tenth busiest international and second Asian destination in the United States.
Korean Air schedule in North America for the summer season of 2022.
With the opening of the borders in South Korea, Korean Air by the summer of 2022 will restore all destinations operated before COVID.
From Seoul – Incheon (ICN)
- Atlanta (ATL) daily flights on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
- Boston (BOS) daily flights on Boeing 777-300ER.
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) five weekly flights on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
- Honolulu (HNL) daily flights on Boeing 747-8i.
- Washington Dulles (IAD) daily flights on Boeing 777-300ER.
- New York (JFK) two daily flights on Boeing 777-300ER.
- Las Vegas (LAS) three weekly flights on Airbus A330-200, (restarts on July 10).
- Los Angeles (LAX) two daily flights on Boeing 777-300ER.
- Chicago O’Hare (ORD) daily flights on Boeing 777-300ER.
- Seattle – Tacoma (SEA) daily flights on Boeing 777-300ER.
- San Francisco (SFO) two daily flights on Boeing 777-300ER.
- Vancouver (YVR) daily flights on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
- Toronto – Pearson (YYZ) daily flights on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
From Tokyo Narita (NRT)
- Los Angeles (LAX) daily flights on Airbus A330-300.
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