No Big Advertising Budget? T’way Air Relies on “Word-of-Mouth Marketing”

▲ T’way Air (t'way Airlines) flight attendants project a lively yet elegant image. (Photo / Courtesy of T’way Air’s official fan page)

Reported by Chen Zi-Yin / Special Feature

Last year, a group of stunning Korean flight attendants made their debut on the Taipei (Songshan)–Seoul (Gimpo) route, dazzling everyone. This was none other than South Korea’s low-cost carrier—T’way Air (t'way Airlines), with its red-lettered aircraft and flight attendants dressed in red paired with white uniforms, giving T’way Air a vibrant image.

In Taiwan, you might not hear much about “T’way Air,” and that’s mainly because the airline doesn’t invest heavily in advertising and marketing.Chen Si-Yu, General Agent of T’way Air in Taiwan for Sky High Travel Service, said: “We rely on passengers who have flown with us to promote the airline through word-of-mouth. We focus on providing core services, including stable pricing and good service. Passengers spread the word, highlighting T’way Air’s great value.”Chen Si-Yu explained that the name T’way is based on the concept of future air travel services, meaning “tomorrow’s way,” representing new services and trends, as well as the true essence of low-cost carriers.


▲ T’way Air began operating the Taipei (Songshan)–Seoul (Gimpo) route last year. (Photo / Courtesy of T’way Air’s official fan page)

On August 8, 2011, T’way Air relaunched after being renamed from Hansung Airlines. In addition to domestic flights within South Korea, it gradually began operating routes to Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand. Regarding some rumors about budget airlines having subpar service and safety concerns, Chen Si-Yu further stated: “Passengers often form excessive expectations due to unclear information disclosures. Therefore, we also focus on interacting with passengers through our website and even Facebook to address their questions promptly. As for safety, it is the most crucial aspect of any airline. If you look at the data from the Civil Aeronautics Administration, it’s not hard to see that LCCs actually have far fewer safety incidents than traditional airlines.”

Currently, T’way Air has started operating daily flights by code-sharing with another airline, Eastar Jet, and hopes to expand the Taiwanese market in the future to serve more passengers.

Regarding connecting flights, Chen Si-Yu suggests that for international routes, passengers can take connecting flights from Gimpo to Fukuoka or Bangkok, while for domestic routes, they can go directly to Jeju Island, a popular resort destination among Koreans—both are very cost-effective options..