Many of us have not had a chance to set foot on a plane and travel ever since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. While several countries have reopened their borders for international visitors, plenty of others have remained closed as they continue to grapple with containing local cases in their respective nations.
Jin Air: South Korea's "Flights To Nowhere" Programme
Credit: @jinair_lj on Instagram
In South Korea, one of the ways the government has remedied the situation is by allowing local-based airlines to launch a 'Flights to Nowhere' program. Passengers will be able to get the entire airport and airline experience but instead of arriving in a new destination at the end of the flight, the plane lands in the same airport it departed from. In any other day and age, the concept would strike everyone as absurd. However, in times of the pandemic, this doesn't only help travel-starved people but also aid the local aviation and duty-free industries.
According to The Sun Daily, South Korean low-cost carrier, Jin Air launched its fourth "Flights to Nowhere" last week where passengers got to experience a Kota Kinabalu-themed sightseeing flight! This comes after the first three international destinations - Hong Kong, Osaka and Okinawa.
With the aim to encourage people to visit Malaysia's Sabah state capital, both Sabah Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia helped with organizing the experience. Passengers onboard got to enjoy various perks and unique in-flight activities, plus gift bags that were prepared by Jin Air and Sabah Tourism Board. Not to mention the duty-free services available onboard from major duty-free retailers in South Korea namely Shilla, Lotte and Shinsegae.
One of the many highlights from the Kota Kinabalu-themed flight experience were the hotel and sunset cruise vouchers provided by Sabah Tourism Board! Not to mention Jin Air's generous offer of round-tip tickets from Incheon to Kota Kinabalu for the passengers!
We definitely miss the thrill of making the journey to our travel destination ? Since it'll take a while before we get to jet across the world again, let's keep our travel spirits alive through these articles: