Asiana Airlines adds daily nonstop to Jakarta

Asiana Airlines said yesterday it has launched a regular flight to Indonesia to meet rising demand for travel to Southeast Asia during the summer vacation season.

The nation’s second-largest air carrier resumed daily flights to Jakarta yesterday, which flies the 290-seat Airbus A330 and departs Incheon International Airport at 5:15 p.m. Asiana will also begin Thursday and Sunday flights to Bali next week.

To celebrate the launch, the company will offer discounts, prize giveaways and double mileage points for those who purchase tickets for Jakarta by Sept. 30.

Despite the crash of Flight 214 in San Francisco earlier this month, Asiana said its reservation rate for summer flights has remained relatively stable.

Although managing flights during the summer travel season is important, Asiana said priority remains helping the passengers and families affected by the accident.

Asiana officials on Wednesday visited Jiangshan High School in China’s Zhejiang Province and again apologized.

Roughly 30 or so students from the school were aboard Flight 214 and three died. Two died following the crash and the third six days later.

The air carrier also dropped its plan to sue an Oakland-based KTVU TV station that erroneously broadcast fake and racially insensitive names for the pilots in the crash.

“Asiana Airlines decided not to pursue the case since KTVU has issued a formal apology and we need to focus all our efforts on managing the aftermath of the accident,” the company said in a statement.

The company said compensation for passengers and family members has not been determined since the investigation is onging.

The Wall Street Journal reported that two passengers have already filed lawsuits against the airline.

BY Joo kyung-don [kjoo@joongang.co.kr]