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10/21/2025 - Ironically, even though Korean Air and Asiana Airlines no longer fly to the CNMI, the merger of the two carriers and their new strategy in Guam have negatively affected the Commonwealth’s No. 1 tourism market of South Korea.
Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Jamika Taijeron explained this during the Society of Professional Journalists-CNMI Chapter’s monthly meeting last Oct. 17 at Pepoy’s Café and Restaurant.
Speaking via Zoom while on Tinian for the Taga Festival, she said a recent mandate by Korean Air, which completed its acquisition of Asiana last December, required the South Korean flag carrier to restore air seats to Guam back to pre-COVID-19 levels.
“However, we're in 2025, the market has really changed, and the demand for that amount of seats doesn't really exist today. So, what's happening is it's creating an issue where there’s an unbalanced supply and demand market,” Taijeron said.
She added that with round-trip tickets from South Korea to Guam now costing as low as $250, low-cost carriers servicing the CNMI like T’way Air and Jeju Air are struggling to attract travelers to the Northern Marianas.
“People say, ‘oh wow, Guam has like all these flights daily, lots of available seats at very good prices.’ So now consumer choice, they're going to say, ‘let me go to Guam, right?’ But meanwhile, T’way and Jeju, who service Guam and Saipan destinations, the Korean market sees it as very similar. Also, the travel agencies, when they sell [Guam and CNMI] destinations, consider them very similar destinations,” she said.
To make matters worse for the CNMI, the MVA chief noted that, like Asiana, T’way also has a new owner, with Daemyung Sono Group expected to rebrand the budget airline to Trinity Airways soon.
“With the new management, you know, there are relationships that need to be made. And then there's also, they're also very concerned about profitability. They look very carefully at every route to ensure that it's going to be a profitable route,” she said.
As for Jeju, Taijeron said the December 2024 crash had a major impact on the CNMI’s main supplier of air seats from South Korea.
“When that happened and their government put a lot of tighter controls on air service, we also saw the effect of that because now the airlines needed to really reconsider how they turn over and utilize their aircraft as well as reconsider, you know, the cost to different locations,” she said.
Taijeron also provided an update on the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, pointing to what she described as an emerging tourism market in the Philippines.
“That is a topic that came up also recently because the Philippines is seeing a huge increase in its middle class, and they're really traveling. They're interested in traveling. And I've been seeing a lot of social media [activity] from Filipino travelers traveling to Guam.”
She said Gov. David M. Apatang has already sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security in support of adding the Philippines as a visa waiver country for Guam and the CNMI.
Taijeron added that MVA has also reached out to Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds’ office to check on the program’s progress in U.S. Congress.
“They said that they support it, and it is being reviewed internally within the Congress side. So, MVA definitely encourages it. We also appeared at the Senate last week, and they also had a similar discussion on, you know, if this is something that MVA would also support. And we do see a potential for attracting some airlines from the Philippines, as well as trying to grow the Philippine market here on the islands as well,” she said.
Report by Mark Rabago
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