Jin Air is a Korean low-cost carrier affiliated with the Korean Air Group, operating at the “cheap and cheerful” end of the airline spectrum. The airline operates a network focused mainly on domestic routes within Korea and international routes within Northeast and Southeast Asia, including Japan and destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Guam, and can be a budget-friendly option for travelers in this region.
Like most low-cost carriers, Jin Air’s fleet is primarily configured with all-economy cabins (with only a limited number of aircraft offering a small Jinibiz business-class section), and lets you add extras such as advance seat selection, additional baggage, and lounge access for a pleasant onboard experience.
If you’re heading to this region and want to get the most out of the airline, this guide to Jin Air will help you do it best.
The Jin Air model
Jin Air is owned by the parent company of Korean Air, but it’s not really equivalent in terms of experience. By comparison, it’s quite different in its relative informality and everything-for-a-fee options.
Jin Air’s fleet primarily consists of single-aisle Boeing 737 aircraft operated in an all-economy layout (aside from a small Jinibiz section on some aircraft) that are a similar experience to other low-cost carriers in the region and worldwide.
It also operates a small number of Boeing 777-200ER aircraft configured with close to 400 seats in an all-economy layout (including an extra-legroom Jiniplus section within economy). Impressively, they do manage to board and deplane all those passengers pretty quickly.
Unusual for a low-cost airline, Jin Air allows one piece of carry-on baggage per passenger, typically up to 10 kilograms (22 pounds), subject to size and safety restrictions, and tickets generally include a 15-kilogram (33-pound) free checked baggage allowance for domestic and most international routes (including Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia).
Routes to and from Guam get a significantly higher allowance, permitting two pieces of baggage up to 23 kilograms (50.7 pounds) each, and you can buy additional checked baggage allowance for a fee, which can be purchased in advance or at the airport, subject to route-specific rules.
Do remember, though, that most other airlines allow checked bags around 50 pounds, so make sure not to fill up if you’re connecting from elsewhere and then flying Jin Air.
Jin Air classes and fare bundles
Jin Air is a mostly all-economy airline that offers standard economy seats as well as several extra-legroom economy options (such as Jiniplus, Jinistretch, and Jiniexit) for an additional fee. On select Boeing 737 aircraft operating certain routes, you’ll find Jinibiz business class seats, and there’s a super-extra-legroom Jiniplus economy section within the all-economy cabin on the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. If either of those is of interest to you, keep a careful eye out for the kind of plane your flight will use when you’re shopping.
When booking, you’ll be offered three ticket types in economy: Super Low, Flex, and Jini. The only real difference between these comes with the fee for changes and cancellation, and the difference in price for the change fees themselves is so minimal that I’ve never found any real benefit to picking anything but Super Low.
Once you’ve picked your ticket type, you can add more extras to take more baggage, speed through check-in and baggage claim, select seats and access other perks.
Jin Air offers three bundle packages: Seat Package, Baggage Package and Lounge Package, increasing cost as you move up in that order. Do note that a few of these benefits are only available when flying from Seoul’s primary international airport at Incheon.
The Seat Package adds your choice of an economy seat (excluding JINI PLUS and JINI BIZ seats) and includes priority baggage claim. The Baggage Package provides an additional 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of checked baggage (or 1 extra piece on Guam routes) and includes free selection of JiniFront and Standard A/B seats.
The Lounge package, meanwhile, keeps you at the original luggage allowance of 15 kilograms (33 pounds), regular seat selection and Incheon fast check-in, but doesn’t include priority baggage. It does, however, add an airport lounge pass at Incheon. This is very much only worthwhile to pick if you’re flying from that airport.
Check-in and bag drop
For most flights, Jin Air encourages you to check in online before you get to the airport, either via the airline app or the website. Online check-in generally opens 24 hours before the flight for all domestic flights and most international flights, excluding Guam and mainland China, due to local regulatory or operational constraints.
You also have the option to check in at the terminal. Look for the airline’s bright green branding when you get to the check-in area, which is also where the bag drop will be found if you need to check some luggage.
The Jin Air baggage allowances work a little differently than most airlines. With some baggage already included, you can buy extra checked baggage allowance either in advance (during booking or via “Manage Booking”) or at the airport.
Here’s a money-saving tip: Jin Air’s prepaid baggage products are sold in fixed weight increments (commonly 5-kilogram or 11-pound units) at discounted rates compared to excess baggage purchased at the airport, where fees are charged based on the number of kilograms above the free allowance, effectively in 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) increments.
Jin Air economy seats
Jiniplus: extra legroom (36 inches of pitch compared to 30-31 inches in standard economy) in a separate cabin at the front, available exclusively on the airline’s Boeing 777-200ER aircraft
Jinistretch: extra-legroom seats
Jiniexit: emergency exit seats
Jinifront: seats towards the very front of the plane
Standard: divided between A seats in the front half and B seats toward the back
Note that Jin Air’s emergency exit row seats are restricted to passengers who are at least 15 years old, are physically able to assist in an emergency, are not pregnant or traveling with infants, do not have conditions that would impede performing safety duties, and can understand and communicate instructions in Korean or English.
If you get to the airport and fancy a bit of extra room, Jin Air lets you purchase up to two seats next to you for a low fee when you get to the counter. Want the whole row to lay down? No problem, just buy two extra seats.
That said, I find that very few passengers tend to spring for the extra legroom seats, so there will generally be one free next to me anyway if I choose one of those seats.
Jin Air business class seats
Jin Air’s official “Jinibiz” service is exclusively available on Boeing 737-900 aircraft and is currently operated on domestic routes within Korea (such as Gimpo-Jeju and Gimpo-Busan). These cabins feature larger recliner-style business-class seats arranged in a 2–2 configuration. The cabin’s wider, with only two seats on either side of the aisle.
Jinibiz also comes with an extra baggage allowance – 30 kilograms (66 pounds) – and it includes priority check-in plus priority baggage return where these are available. By and large, I’ve never found Jinibiz worth the upgrade, mainly because these planes tend to be allocated to short-haul flights where I’m pretty happy with economy seats.
Jin Air in-flight food and drinks
On most flights, you’ll have the option of drinks and light snacks, and it’s pretty amazing to watch the crew offer them fast on short flights. The purple sweet potato chips are my favorite, although if you’re adventurous and like seafood then try the honey butter squid.
Jin Air recommends pre-ordering inflight meals in advance, noting that same-day purchases onboard are limited and specific menu items may sell out. If you pick wisely the food is great – I’d say some of the best airplane food you’ll find in the sky.
Bibimbap, a mixed beef and vegetable rice dish that’s one of Korea’s most famous meals, is my absolute go-to. It’s delicious, fun to stir and you can make it as spicy as you like with the side gochujang sauce. The bacon kimchi fried rice is also very tasty. That said, specific menu selections are subject to change and may vary by season and route.
In-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi on Jin Air
Jin Air offers in-flight Wi-Fi on select aircraft. If connectivity during your flight is important, check the specific aircraft type when booking.
The in-flight Wi-Fi service (used for the JINI PLAY entertainment intranet) is accessible only after the aircraft reaches an altitude of 10,000 feet (cruising altitude), so on shorter flights your time online may be limited.
Jin Air offers “JINI PLAY,” an inflight entertainment service streamed via Wi-Fi to personal devices (movies, TV, music). On Boeing 737-8 aircraft, the airline also introduced a “Message Pack” (approximately $4.95) - a text-only plan designed specifically for chat applications like KakaoTalk, LINE, and WhatsApp.
The service restricts photos, videos, and file transfers, and may not support all international apps or features (such as VoIP). The airline distinguishes this from the “Internet Pack,” which is required for data-intensive activities such as video playback (480p or less) and music streaming.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
