Korean Air, Asiana Airlines establish Joint company ＂Airline Portal＂

Korean domestic airliners are supposed to cooperate together in securing the domestic on-line travel market in borderless on-line business. At 11o'clock January 17th, 2001 Shim I-taek, president of Korean Air, and Park Chan-pub, his counterpart at Asiana Airlines, signed a LOI (Letter of Intention) to establish an airline portal site at the Westin Chosun hotel in downtown Seoul. Mutual cooperation is provided for in this LOI, including kinds of model development, picking-up partners, advertising, and marketing. This is the first instance of domestic airliners working together.

Both companies are going to make a contract in the coming months if possible, and give it concrete shape. The site will launch in the second half of this year. The airline portal could be available for booking and buying flight tickets for other international airliners, domestic and international hotel reservations, as well as booking car rentals. It may also offer various travel packages including cruise ship packages, heading for becoming a total travel portal site.