Jeju Air wins national service award on AI chatbot, customer care improvements

Jeju Air has won the low-cost carrier category award at the 2026 National Service Awards.

The airline announced Wednesday that it was selected for the honor in recognition of its efforts to expand customer touchpoints and improve digital services.

The National Service Awards are organized by the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies and sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Recipients are chosen through a comprehensive evaluation of service value, customer satisfaction and communication efforts.

Jeju Air was praised for incorporating customer feedback into service improvements under a consumer-centered management framework. The airline received consumer-centered management certification in December 2023 and has since continued upgrading service quality with a focus on customer convenience.

The airline also strengthened its handling of customer feedback. Of the 1,344 voice-of-customer submissions received from January through May this year, 1,343 were resolved — a processing rate of 99.9%. Key issues are discussed monthly at a customer experience improvement committee that includes senior management, which then develops responses and remedial measures.

The generative AI chatbot "HI JECO" has also served as a customer service channel. Of all consultations handled by HI JECO, about 92,400 — or 37.8 percent of the total — were submitted between 7 p.m., when the customer center closes, and 9 a.m. the following morning.

Demand for foreign-language support was also significant. About 55,600 consultations, or 22.8 percent of the total, were conducted in languages other than Korean. Given that airline services tend to generate repeat inquiries about ticket bookings and flight information, the AI channel has helped fill gaps in late-night and overseas customer support.

Airport and in-flight services were also upgraded. Jeju Air extended available hours for domestic flight check-in at self-service kiosks and introduced a pre-boarding notification service for international flights departing from Incheon. The airline also expanded facial-recognition departure services and introduced in-flight sign language service as part of broader efforts to improve passenger convenience.

"This award is the result of our customers' valuable feedback and our employees' commitment to customer-centered management," a Jeju Air official said. "We will treat the voice of our customers as a vital asset and redouble our focus on digital innovation and service improvement."