From Seoul to Jeju by Plane... Which Airlines?

When planing to go to Jeju Island from Seoul you basically have 2 choices. either you...

1. FLY to Jeju Island....quick, fast & less time consuming... or you go
2. By Train & Ferry... which can take up to 5-6 hours long journey...

After some research and consideration, I opt for the 1st choice.. because in terms of money/budget both method are not much different..both cost almost equal... but in terms of time, it makes a huge difference... if you fly to Jeju, it will only takes about 1 hour... And for me, Time Is Money sooo.. I opt for the 1st choice.. but if you would rather like to enjoy your journey just chill out and enjoy the ride then you probably want to opt for by train & ferry...


So if you want to fly from Seoul to Jeju Island, what should you know about??? which airlines is the best??? and which airport to take off??.. well look no further, I hope that what Im about to share will help you plan your journey to Jeju in advance....


Which airlines is the best??..cost less??
Well there are many airlines to choose from but what I will focus in this entry is from a backpackers' point of view (since Im a backpacker traveler my self). So when you're traveling backpacking, what you want to consider the most is you budget. You would want to take the most cost effective airlines.

Unlike malaysia, which only have like airasia & maswing, In Korea there are a few low-cost airlines you can choose from.

  There's Jeju Air, the very famous among backpackers! not because its the most low-cost among them all but because its easier to purchase flight tickets from the airlines if you plan to purchase them via online in advance. Also its easy to purchase the ticket online because it has an english website for foreigners to book their flights. And also another advantage is that you can purchase the tickets using your ATM Electronics VISA card or any debit card!!! yess!!!... Ive tried it and it works but I have to warn you make sure you use IE browser to purchase and when you key in your handphone number make sure its the correct format (with area code and everything!) for you to be able to get the safety code via your phone.

In case you were wondering what is an electronics visa debit card.

And then there's the Eastar Jet . Just like the Jeju air, eastar also provide an english translated website for its foreign customers. Compare to Jeju Air, I think this one is cheaper in price. but then again the price varies from time to time. And if you're lucky you can get up to RM100/pax to and fro!!!.. The only downside for eastar jet compare to Jeju air is that you can only purchase the tickets using your credit card.. no debit card allowed.

Other options include Jin Air & Air Busan.
I dont know much about Jin Air except that its a subsidiary of Korean Air also it doesn't comes with English language in its official website. Ive never try to book a flight from Jin Air so Im not sure if they accept Electronics Visa Debit card.
Air Busan is a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines, you may try to book air ticket to Jeju Island from this airline as well. Just like Eastar Jet, no worries of the language barrier and also the credit card payment. You can also choose your own preferred seat for free. Depart either from Seoul - Gimpo International Airport or Busan - Gimhae International Airport. But compare to Jeju Air and Eastar Jet, Air Busan ticket price cost abit more than the previous two.

 Soo, which one did I pick???... none of the above!!!.. yesss, i repeat.. none of the above because I decided to go with the cheapest of them alllll....

I book my flights a month in advance, so before I purchase it i checked from all the airlines and I found that T'way Air has the cheapest fee so I book with T'way. Unlike Jeju Air, T'way has no english translated website. So in order to purchase the ticket you should atleast know a few hangul words to get thru the purchasing process. T'way Air accept only credit cards and no debit card. Dont bother trying, ive tried unsuccessfully.


Tips:

1. Before booking online, some of the above airlines require to register as a member first. (With Jeju Air, you will only be able to enjoy the discount rate by registering yourself first). Registration is quite easy.
2. Flight to Jeju Island from Seoul city is depart from Gimpo International Airport, not Incheon International Airport. So, remember to inform your taxi driver which airport are you heading to if you want to fly to Jeju Island.
3. You can also check with bigger/more famous airlines like Korean Air & Asiana Airlines but the ticket fee is a bit pricey.

See, it is actually so easy to plan a trip to a country eventhough our language is different from them and it's definitely not a big deal as long as you got the heart and soul and also not forgetting to spend a lil bit of your time to plan a trip. Seriously, I managed to book a return ticket for my friends and I from Seoul to Jeju Island without any help from travel agent or even from my Korean friend.

In my next entry, Ill show you how to purchase the flight ticket online thru T'way Air website. :)