Korean Air to Resume Non-Stop Service to Las Vegas

Korean Air is to resume non-stop flights between Seoul Incheon and Las Vegas this winter to support a recovery in demand on the route. The South Korean flag carrier currently flies the route with an intermediate stop in Los Angeles on the inbound leg, but had previously offered non-stop flights in August 2008.

The airline carried an estimated 25,000 O&D passengers on the route in the past year, giving it a 52 per cent share of the market. It is the sole airline to offer ‘direct’ flights but there is a large amount of leakage, particularly via San Francisco on the flights of United Airlines.

Demand has been relatively stable over the past couple of years but grew over the last 12 months and Korean Air will hope the return of the non-stop offering on both outbound and inbound flights will help stimulate the market further. When the airline last flew the route with non-stop services it was carrying around 36,000 O&D passengers. It will use a Boeing 777-200ER on the new service, which will operate three times weekly.

Image: Korean Air