Fly from Korea to Japan and back just to buy duty-free goods

The new service exploited by airlines helps them to improve their profits somewhat during the time when the epidemic is still complicated.
Last month, Hyun Jung-a boarded a plane from Incheon Airport (Korea). About two hours later, the plane brought her and the other passengers back to the same airport. Everyone who came down did not look angry but on the contrary, very excited. Obviously, it wasn’t an aviation incident…

The destination is also the starting point In fact, Hyun and other passengers bought air tickets of Air Busan to make a non-destination flight and buy duty-free goods organized by Lotte Duty Free. The purpose of the flight is not to travel from Incheon to any other country. It simply flies around in the sky, taking 130 guests through a Japanese island to legalize shopping conditions at duty-free stores in Seoul (usually only for international tourists). . Flights for duty-free purchases are becoming popular. Photo: Bloomberg. These types of flights are being talked about a lot in Korea recently. Correspondent of Korea JoongAng Daily The depiction of the scene at Incheon International Airport doesn’t look much different. However, when you look closely, you will see that none of the passengers have hand luggage. “They brought a lot of bags from duty-free shops. Some passengers even used multiple trolleys to move all the paid goods,” said Haley Yang, writer of Korea JoongAng Daily to speak. She chose the service of Korean Air, took off at Incheon International Airport and landed here too. Tickets range from 142 USD/person, the most expensive up to nearly 500 USD/person. “I haven’t been on a plane for over a year now because of the pandemic. Then I read about this flight in the newspaper. Since it’s my birthday, I thought getting on a plane again would be a fun way to eat. happy,” a woman surnamed Kim in her 30s shared. Lee Eun-kyung, 55, from Yeoksam, south of Seoul, also said she hasn’t flown for a long time. “I often traveled abroad before the epidemic. But now that it’s been over a year, at least I want to feel like I’m going on a trip,” Lee confided. In addition to the feeling of “craving to fly”, the bargain prices from duty-free items also motivate Koreans to buy this type of plane ticket. According to the Korea JoongAng Daily , domestic flights usually don’t come with duty-free purchases. However, by passing through Japanese airspace as above, people were eligible for tax exemption on goods worth up to 600 USD. Airfares can be offset by the difference in tax-free purchases. Photo: Nikkei. Passports are required for all passengers as this is technically an international flight and is only available to Korean citizens. “Destination-free flight is a new concept. However, without tax-free shopping incentives, I don’t think I would book a ticket,” Kim said. 46-year-old Seo Young, from Bundang, Gyeonggi (South Korea), explained that the value of the goods made up for the airfare. With an order worth more than 1,100 USD, the amount he and his companion had to pay was only 608 USD, or nearly 50%. “A great policy, we saved quite a bit of money,” said Seo as he pushed a cart loaded with duty-free merchandise. A special card for passengers on the flight. Photo: Korean JoongAng Daily. In terms of procedures, basically, guests flying this type will have to wear a card that says “international tourist flights do not land at Incheon International Airport”. This helps airport staff distinguish them from guests coming from abroad (must be quarantined upon entry). According to the pen of Korean JoongAng Daily , everything on the flight is relatively similar to other flights. The staff remind guests to wear masks, leave empty seats to implement social distancing… However, the most interesting point is that sometimes, the pilot gives information about the current position of the plane. “Attention passengers, we are flying over Gangneung, Gangwon. On the right, you can see the Taebaek mountain range and on the left is the East Sea”, “We are flying in Japanese airspace, near Tsushima island. will re-enter Korean airspace in about three minutes”…, the occasional sounds rang out. Recovery efforts These non-destination flights are an effort to save the duty-free industry, which is shrinking because of the Covid-19 epidemic. Before the pandemic, the global duty-free market was worth $85 billion in 2019. It is expected to reach $139 billion by 2027. However, the pandemic appeared and countries began to close international flights. With few passengers flying, the revenue of companies in this field also dropped sharply. Dufry AG, a Swiss company that operates duty-free shops globally, admits revenue has fallen by as much as 71%. “Many of my guests accompanied me carrying bags full of duty-free goods. I told my friends this trip was really worth it because of the opportunity to shop duty-free,” Hyun shared. According to the Bloomberg , people like Hyun can’t cover the financial loss. But at least they benefit some businesses. Sung Junewon, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp. in Seoul, said: “Contributions from non-destination flights are small but better than nothing. Every little bit counts.” Currently, seven Korean airlines are operating this type of flight with a total of 8,000 passengers. Authorities are also planning to allow foreign flights to land in Incheon. Passengers can spend several hours shopping without leaving the airport before returning to their first destination.