Jeju Air: Affordable, but worth the price?

Back in September 2024, my mom, who, by the way, filmed this flight due to my school classes, booked a short weekend trip to Seoul, the capital of South Korea, a popular tourist hotspot in East Asia. Although I have featured Cebu Pacific and AirAsia more frequently in my blogs, this is the first time that I featured a low-cost carrier that some of you never heard of: Jeju Air.

Jeju Air is South Korea’s first and largest low-cost airline. Operating an exclusive fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, it flies to forty-one destinations around the Asia-Pacific region from its hubs at Gimpo International Airport and Incheon International Airport in Seoul, as well as Busan and Daegu. In the Philippines, it flies to Clark in Pampanga, as well as Manila, Cebu, and Bohol.

Notes:

This is a personal blog on our travel experience and is neither promoted nor endorsed by Jeju Air.
The author of this blog did not board this flight. Rather, my mom represented me due to my school classes.

Booking process

Planning for my mom's short Korea trip involved two airlines: Jeju Air, and Cebu Pacific, in which the latter was used for the departing flight and the former for the return flight. While the one-way Cebu Pacific flight to Seoul only cost $66 (3,300 pesos) (watch the video here), this Jeju Air flight to Manila cost a little more than CEB, at $97 (around 5,700 pesos).

My mom did not book on Jeju Air's website, but on the AirAsia MOVE app, of which she's a member in the application. The app does offer options on non-AirAsia flights.

Main review: Monday, September 9, 2024

My mom first rode an Airport Limousine Bus from Myeong-dong, a popular district in Seoul for shopping and hotels, to Incheon International Airport. Jeju Air and a number of low-cost carriers flying to ICN operates at Terminal 1's satellite concourse, accessible via an underground shuttle train.

We then went past security checks to the airside, where I did a bit of plane spotting.

Flight information

Flight: 7C 2305

Route: Seoul (Incheon T1) - Manila (Ninoy Aquino T3)

Scheduled departure time: 19:10 (GMT+9)

Actual departure time: 19:53 (GMT+9)

Scheduled arrival time: 20:20 (GMT+8)

Actual arrival time: 20:44 (GMT+8)

Aircraft: Boeing 737-8JP

Registration: HL8333

Route map

Boarding commenced at 18:45 and was orderly enough.

HL8333 took my mom on her first-ever Jeju Air flight.

My mom was seated on 30A, a window seat. Jeju Air's 737 seats are 17 inches wide and have a pitch of 29 to 30 inches. The legroom was also fine and was quite better than AirAsia or Cebu Pacific.

After a major delay, the plane took off at 19:53 with no hitches.

Kimchi packs my mom ordered inflight

While the plane was cruising at its altitude, my mom bought on board ten packs of kimchi, each costing around 2,000 Korean won ($2, around PHP117). But why that many? Well, she decided to buy many for future use.

Because she rested while on the plane, there's nothing much to explore. No in-flight entertainment and other perks. The crew were friendly, by the way.

But what's great about this carrier?

Passengers have a 10-kilogram carry-on free baggage allowance (FBA), 3 kilograms more than the usual 7-kg limit, and 15 kilograms for the first checked baggage, depending on what fare type you choose upon booking.

The plane finally landed in Manila at 20:44, twenty-two minutes behind schedule. Jeju Air operates out of Terminal 3, which is also the hub of a variety of low-cost carriers, including Cebu Pacific (market leader), AirAsia (international flights only), the Jetstar Group, HK Express, and Greater Bay Airlines. Other low-cost carriers, like Royal Air Philippines' international flights and Japanese-based Zipair, operate at the smaller Terminal 1.

Verdict

Timing and frequency

Jeju Air flies once daily to Manila from Seoul. The Seoul-Manila flight is perfect for those ending their Seoul vacations early, since a flight leaving at seven o'clock was the most feasible option to end a short stay. No other low-cost carrier offers a spot this early, as Cebu Pacific only has a red-eye flight leaving at 1:00 and AirAsia's thrice-weekly red-eye flight (which complements is daily morning/afternoon flight to ICN), which leaves before midnight, was not operating at the time.

Overall service

The answer is simple: I recommend Jeju Air for its affordability and increased baggage allowances. The delay is just minor.

For an extensive review, watch my trip report here:

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