An Air Premia aircraft [Air Premia]
An Air Premia aircraft [Air Premia]

Air Premia said Wednesday it is refining its "hybrid service carrier" (HSC) business model by strengthening service quality and network competitiveness on its long-haul Americas routes.

The airline has been focusing on seat upgrades to improve comfort for long-haul travelers. It is expanding legroom on some economy seats from 31 inches to 33 inches through a row-change program, and operates a Wide Premium cabin that offers more space than standard economy.

Air Premia is also enhancing in-flight meals, baggage allowances and entertainment. Free Wi-Fi — currently available for one hour on three aircraft — is set to be extended to the entire fleet.

Building on customer experience, the airline has expanded its long-haul Americas network to cover major cities on both coasts — Los Angeles and San Francisco in the west, New York and Washington, D.C. in the east — as well as Honolulu. Foreign passengers make up about 55.3% of travelers on US mainland routes, excluding Honolulu, giving the carrier a stable base of global demand.

Cargo volumes on its long-haul network are also growing. Last year, Air Premia carried 34,546 tons of cargo, up 47.5% from the previous year. Services such as the "Aloha Express" connecting Incheon Airport and Honolulu allow the airline to carry both passengers and freight, boosting utilization of its long-haul routes.

As the airline extends its long-haul network into an Incheon-centered transit hub, transit and interline demand is rising sharply. Transit passengers in the first half of this year reached 39,110, a 454.2% increase from the same period last year.

"Air Premia's HSC model is built on long-haul routes and aims to improve both the services customers actually need and their connectivity," an Air Premia official said. "We will continue to expand transit and interline services centered on the Americas network, invest in the customer experience, and build a differentiated HSC model."

Meanwhile, Air Premia is also actively adding routes that reflect passenger demand. The airline plans to resume service on the Incheon–Ho Chi Minh City route starting Nov. 5.


likehyo85@heraldcorp.com