Budget airlines add poke bowls, grilled eel and beer sets to entice passengers

Korea's budget airlines are adding to their in-flight menus, from chicken breast poke to grilled eel, in an effort to win over passengers.

Eastar Jet announced on Sept. 16 that it added four dishes to its preorder menu: a spicy stir-fried pork rice bowl, fried chicken, a chicken breast poke bowl and a bulgogi ciabatta sandwich. Passengers who want a filling meal and those who want something light can each find an option.

Eastar also added jajang rice, rice topped with black bean sauce, which passengers can buy on board on some international routes. The dish is aimed at passengers who missed the preorder window or get hungry during the flight.

On medium- and long-haul routes, airlines are changing how a meal is put together as well as what is on the menu.

Trinity Airways, which took over from the T'way Air brand on Sept. 10, is serving economy passengers dishes developed with CJ CheilJedang, including gondre rice, made with a wild mountain thistle and served with a thick soybean paste, and a chicken cream stew. Korean and Western main dishes come with a salad and bread. The airline now bills itself as a so-called selective service carrier, a model that sits between budget and full-service airlines.

Business class passengers get dishes such as grilled eel and truffle cream chicken pasta along with seasonal fruit and yogurt. Trinity serves two free meals on long-haul routes to Europe, Sydney and Vancouver, and one on medium-haul routes to Jakarta and Singapore. Because these meals come with the ticket rather than as an extra purchase, the menu and the number of meals served set the airline's service apart.

Trinity is also working with Sono International on its own drinks and in-flight meals, marking its second food partnership after CJ CheilJedang.

Jin Air, the low-cost carrier subsidiary of Korean Air, has added noodle dishes and snacks alongside its rice-based meals. In June, it launched fried chicken, seasoned chicken, pizza and whelk bibim noodles, sold on their own or in sets that come with a can of beer.

The carrier has also given passengers more time to order. Jin Air moved its preorder cutoff deadline from 72 hours before departure to just 48 hours, so passengers who once had to decide their meals three days out can now wait until just two days before their flight to order.

With all the changes, in-flight meals at budget carriers now range from dishes passengers pay extra for to meals included in the fare. Eastar Jet's and Jin Air's paid menus let passengers buy the food and drinks they want on top of their ticket, while Trinity's medium- and long-haul meals focus on what passengers are served during the flight.

Passengers have different things to check depending on the airline. For paid meals, they should confirm whether the dish they want must be preordered and when the deadline is.

What is sold on board can also vary by route. On routes where meals are included, the number of meals may differ depending on flight time and destination.

BY PARK YOUNG-WOO [[email protected]]