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| Jeju Air employed 10 Vietnamese flight attendants, who started to provide services on the airline's four routes to Vietnam, Wednesday. Courtesy of Jeju Air |
By Kim Hyun-bin
Korea's low-cost carriers are starting to employ foreign flight attendants from Southeast Asian countries to provide better communication with foreign customers from the region.
The country's largest budget carrier Jeju Air began deploying Vietnamese flight attendants, Wednesday, the first time for the airline to introduce foreign cabin crew.
Starting March 19, 10 Vietnamese flight attendants went through two months of training including aviation security, use of emergency equipment, ground training as well as services and flight manner, according to the airline.
Currently, Jeju Air provides 49 flights a week to four destinations in Vietnam ― Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang and Nha Trang.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, there has been a drastic surge in Vietnamese tourists visiting Korea in recent years. Last year alone, about 457,800 Vietnamese visitors came to Korea, a 3.2-fold increase from 2014's 141,500.
"Through the Vietnamese flight attendants, we want to differentiate our services and increase the satisfaction of foreign passengers. We also want to expand our presence in the local market and use it to construct a basis for continuous growth," an official from Jeju Air said.
Jeju Air provides flights to 72 cities in 43 countries and the airline has continuously recruited foreign workers. In 2016, there were only 45 foreign employees, but that number rose to 150 by April this year.
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| T'way Air's six Vietnamese flight attendants are scheduled to provide communication services to Vietnamese passengers starting next week. Since last year, the airline has recruited a total of 14 Vietnamese flight attendants. Courtesy of T'way Air |
T'way Air was the first among the country's low-cost carriers to hire Vietnamese flight attendants last June.
In late March, the second batch of six Vietnamese flight attendants was recruited and went through eight weeks of training.
"The second group will finish their training this week and will be serving on flights starting next week," an official from T'way Air said.
The airline operates nine routes between Korea and Vietnamese cities, the largest number among any local low-cost carriers.
Through the recruitments, T'way Air aims to provide more Vietnamese culture-friendly, safe and comfortable services for Vietnamese passengers.
The eight flight attendants recruited last year have been in charge of communication services to Vietnamese passengers mostly flying to and from Ho Chi Minh.
Starting next week, six new members hired this year will be placed mostly on Hanoi flights.
"We have the largest number of Vietnamese routes, so we want to be in the forefront to provide a higher level of services to locals there," the T'way Air official said.
