South Korea’s fledgling low-cost carrier Air Seoul announced Monday it will add free-of-charge movie selection on mid-haul routes to differentiate itself against fierce industry competition.

The in-flight service is available from Thursday on mid-haul flights such as to China, Southeast Asia and Guam for the first time from the Korean budget category, the company said.

Its passengers on the mid-haul routes can enjoy free access to the latest movies on seats, while those on short-haul flights are offered other options like shorter comedy videos.

The carrier in the heated local LCC race plans to further expand its in-flight video content to TV entertainment series and sports programs to raise its competitiveness.

Air Seoul separately on the same day announced that it will run a new direct route from Incheon, Korea to Zhangjiajie, China for the first time among Korean budget carriers from Oct. 16.

The flight, which will be operated three days a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departs from Incheon at 12:25 p.m. to arrive in Zhangjiajie at 2:50 p.m. It returns from Zhangjiajie at 3:50 p.m. and lands in Incheon at 8:15 p.m.

Zhangjiajie, located on the northwestern border of Hunan Province, is one of the favorite Chinese tourist destinations by travelers at home and abroad thanks to its world-famous natural heritage site Wulingyuan Scenic Area. It has become popular as home of the ‘Avatar Mountains’ since the release of the 2009 American epic science fiction film “Avatar.”

By Noh Hyun and Lee Ha-yeon

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]