How is korean air business class

Would it stop me from flying with this carrier on this route again.? Quite simply no. I would avoid the lounge and use others I have access too. The planes used and the service received more than made up for the lounge issues and, the flight costs were very competitive.

I fly extensively both on business and for private travel. Business Class travel provides superior levels of space, comfort and service. However, it does not provide the levels of superstar service this writer seems to expect or feels deserving of. I should have been clearer that the ICN lounge was also just average while the others are far better. I agree mostly but you should try their apex suite before you rate their hard product. Food is mediocre at best.

It honestly feels like left over food from the night before, kind of like making fried rice the next day from left over meal from the night before. I do think that your lounge comparison is a bit unfair. The other lounges you mention with Asian airlines are all actually in Asia. Other than that, sounds about right. The Korean lounge in ICN was entirely unremarkable. The JAL and Cathay lounges are superior in every facet. There are so many caveats just to get Korean to average in this category but I take your point on board.

And he makes a pale comparison to the Admirals Club, but business class passengers at JFK have access to the Flagship Lounge, which is as nice as the other lounges he praises. Your Twitter pic is a but the seat and bar are a A little homework and maybe a trip on the very private apex seat would have been a better experience for you.

I agree with every point of this article. Flew korean air business class yesterday and now my whole body hurts the seats were so uncomfortable. Definitely not worth the price I paid. In fact, I am completely surprised when it comes out among the first. I think you talk nitpicking tosh! And bad baggage handling… and average food… and average lounges… and average fleet… in an average alliance….

Seat: terrible. The seats fold out to a very uncomfortable angle and they do not provide direct aisle access. The pillow and blanket are also horrible. Food: inedible. I am especially really sick and tired of the bibimbap, which is basically the same dish that is served in economy class served in china.

Drinks: one of the worst drink lists out there. If you ask for a cup of tea, they bring you lipton tea bags…even in first class. Service: the service is probably the only good thing, but since everything else is so bad, it hardly makes a difference.

Also these days most airlines provide good service…I yet have to fly on an airline where I thought the service was poor in business class. Who has three entrees with beef in them??? That is just bizarre!

Yes, crazy. Two are the signature dishes but to have 3 is overkill. Nothing vegetarian. This airline presumes everyone to be uber carnivorous. I personally agree that Korean Air needs an upgrade in their business class prodict. I have to disagree, we flew london to new zealand across 4 flights in total and found the cabin staff freindly and attentive with nothing being too much trouble, All our flights had the new style sleeper flat need seats placed in such a way that even if located by the window had access to the isle.

Food was very good, in fact the mushroom soup was the best i have ever tasted. Overall would definitely fly again. I worked for Korean for 4 years and your opinion is very much the reality. The staff and management is inexplicably proud of the product that is offered and I as a CSA who has flown revenue business on a multitude of airlines could never understand why. The overall product is truly appalling and stuck in the s.

The old product found on the rest of the fleet is truly shocking. I would choose Asiana over Korean any day. I was a contract worker so I had the benefit of seeing a wide variety of company cultures and products. You certainly have a unique outlook having worked there so I certainly respect your views. I do also have a great relationship with Asiana though I find Korean Air to have better award seat availability, so I tend to fly them more.

I do have an Asiana First flight this week though and really look forward to that! And the website is very easy to navigate to me. Kyle, very good write up. I agree with much of this and I happen to fly Korean air often living in Korea. Not a great setup as you states but I think most of their other planes now have the setup with the walkway in front to get to the window seat.

Much nicer for sure. Would be surprised if the retrofitted the upper deck like this though. Lounges, we all know JFK lounge is horrendous. I think the ICN ones are ok though. Looking forward to trying out the ANA First suites lounge next year actually. Anyway, I would give KAL at ICN lounge a little bit above average overall shower suites are very nice but the spread and space seems a little off.

Not sure if they are all the same. Certainly that means a lot to me especially when traveling with family. One thing I do like about Korean Air is the availability of award seats and their very generous cancellation policies overall. Off topic I know. I appreciate your honest write up and largely agree with it. Got a middle seat secured for that one! I just had 4 KE flights in BC on the and and found it very pleasant.

Seats were pretty good and I had a solid sleep on each of the flights. Service was friendly. Food was pretty good although it the presentation of it could have been better.

The lounge in ICN was definitely not crowded. You have just confirmed a thought that I had about the Korean airlines after I flew Asiana to Japan and back in Business Class a few years ago. I have probably been there times. They have the same things all the time. Northing changes. The only hot item is the Cup of Noodles. It would be no better than average at best.

And this is the lounge that the SkyTeam members would be using. But when I used the lounge in Incheon and Osaka…. Again, Cup of Noodles is the top hot entree. Everything else is cold…like the sushi, finger sandwiches, and packaged cookie snacks.

I guess the philosophy is to had something very basic to snack on. Just like going to grab something quick at a in the US…. And you just confirmed that same impression with KAL. Asiana does sound better than KAL though. Hard product was above average, Service was above average, but food was below average. Better than any US and European airline of course…but not as good as the other Asian airlines.

But transiting through Incheon Airport was an absolute breeze. Like, seriously too easy. We could have made a minute connection. The airport was easy to navigate, and it was also super nice. Korean Air operates out of Terminal 2, which is brand new, opening in January But considering we had just scarfed down a meal before landing, we decided to forgo the lounge altogether.

We kept our expectations relatively low for the shorter flight from Seoul to Bali. And the seats on our A? They were the exact same seats as we had on the previous flight. Granted, the A is a smaller plane without an onboard bar. But having another lie-flat seat after an exhausting day of travel was definitely awesome. In addition, being the same seat, it also featured the same lackluster in-flight entertainment. There was also no amenity kit for this flight I still had plenty of goodies from the last flight anyway.

The in-flight dining menu was neatly placed at each seatback pocket, so I perused the options while we settled into our seats. One awesome menu feature included offering Beaujolais Nouveau wine. Sure enough, the official Beaujolais Nouveau release day was the third Thursday of November the 15th , and we were flying the following Sunday the 18th. Mad props to Korean Air for offering this special wine on an inter-Asian flight only days after release! In addition to the wine, the menu included a five-course dinner, and then a pre-arrival snack.

For the main course, the menu had four different options: bibimbap, stir-fried octopus, Chinese-style cod, and beef tenderloin. We had both just devoured the bibimbap on our previous flight, which was the highlight of the trip. And I even said that I could have that dish for every flight and be happy… but I opted for the beef tenderloin like a totally basic American tourist. Total amateur hour. Service started with the amuse bouche: smoked salmon with cream cheese.

I started out with a beer since I figured I would switch to wine when they served the entree. After the salmon, the flight attendants quickly cleared plates and served the shrimp salad along with trays with the dinnerware. The salad was good, and while I was hoping the steam bread roll would be filled with BBQ pork or something delicious, it was only the bread. The individual salt and pepper shakers are always a nice touch, though.

Because we both picked the beef tenderloin, we each received the potato and leek soup, which was probably the highlight of the meal other than the wine. Along with the soup, the flight attendant filled our wine glasses with the Beaujolais Nouveau. After the soup came the beef tenderloin and pumpkin risotto. As was the mushroom cream sauce. But the steak? I should have known better and gone with the bibimbap good life advice in general. Throughout the meal service, the flight attendants were enthusiastically filling up my wine glass with the Beaujolais Nouveau.

Overall, the meal was great, the service was quick, and we were happy flyers. I was disappointed with the beef, but I got what I deserved for cheating on the bibimbap. After the meal, I was able to catch some sleep, but before long, the cabin lights came back on and the flight attendants announced the snack service prior to arrival in Bali.

Since it was served at the end of the flight, my assumption is that it was in a refrigerated compartment until being zapped in a microwave or oven just before serving. It tasted like one of those sandwiches you find at gas stations under the warming light. After the quick snack service, the flight attendants cleared our plates and we soon landed in Bali.

Now on to our vacation. I wish I would have picked the bibimbap and was disappointed with the heated up sandwich, but those are minor complaints from an otherwise great flight. Korean Air is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance and transfer partners with Marriott. With a terminal like that, I but the lounge is top notch.

And that lackluster reheated gas station sandwich? Hard pass. The saving grace was having Beaujolais Nouveau. But since the flight was short, we were eating for a good portion of our flight. I left the lounge around AM, five minutes before the boarding was scheduled to start. When I got to the gate, the was — of course — already waiting there, and it was almost ready to go.

Boarding started on time with SkyPriority passengers — i. Inside the jetway, there was a rack with a variety of newspapers. While most of them were Korean, there were also some English and Japanese publications. The seats were spread across two cabins with the first cabin featuring three rows of seven seats and the second cabin featuring additional two rows. That said, I would try to avoid these seats on a long-haul flight — especially considering that there are middle seats in the center section.

While each of the seats spanned roughly three windows, my seat, 9A, lacked one of those. Considering that it was the window closest to the seat itself, it made it a bit more difficult to look outside. As for the seat itself, its outer armrest featured the seat controls.

Besides three presets — upright, lounging, and full-flat — there were also controls for individually adjusting each part of the seat. The console between each pair of seats was equipped with a small drink table, the in-flight entertainment controller, a small storage compartment, the tray table, as well as a universal power outlet.

On the panel further up between the seats, there were also a privacy partition, a reading light, a pair of USB ports, and the audio output. The seat back in front featured a Upon boarding, a small pillow was waiting on the seat, and noise-cancelling headphones and a pair of slippers were prepared in the seat pocket. At the same time, I was offered a welcome drink from a selection of guava juice, orange juice, and water. I went with the first of those. Then, a minute later, I was provided the Japanese customs form as well as a pen.

I always appreciate when pens are proactively offered as it makes it a lot easier to fill the form out than having to first search for a pen in my bag. At AM, the safety video was played, and at AM — two minutes ahead of schedule, we were pushed back.

The taxi to the departure runway took about fifteen minutes and offered some excellent views of mostly Korean Air aircraft. Seatbelt signs were switched off about ten minutes after take-off at which point the brunch service begun. As for the meal, there were two choices of main — Korean beef and vegetable soup and scrambled eggs. Veggies were hearty, as opposed to limp or slimy, with the mushrooms, in particular, standing out.

It wasn't the best bibimbap I've ever had, but I'd definitely eat it again. The sides were not quite as strong, but also appealing. The seaweed soup was a warm and lovely dish. The pickled veggies were fantastic, with bright flavors and a nice crunch. I was not as impressed by the pineapple, but I was also just pretty full by that point in the meal. After the meal, flight attendants came around offering everyone tea.

I had — foolishly — asked for tea to accompany my meal and had been denied, so was excited to finally get a cup. Other passengers ordered wine or soda with their meals, but I stuck with water. Soon after the meal, lights began to dim on board. With a 14 hour time difference, it was crucial to try to adjust to the time zone shift in the air. Before trying to fall asleep, I decided to take a chance to explore the bathroom — and the rest of the plane.

I had heard that there was a staircase at the back of the plane, connecting the first-floor economy and the second-floor prestige class sections. I decided to venture, walking past row after row of economy seats.

I found the staircase but my path was blocked! A group of teens laughed at me as I backtracked. My pride damaged by the teens' mockery, I settled in to finish watching "Jesters: The Game Changers," a Korean movie available on the flight.

The movie selection was okay, but not exceptional. It was also notably international, though American movies still made up the majority of options.

At about 4 p. Eastern Standard Time — or 6 a. Korean Standard Time — I decided it was time to try and sleep on the fully darkened plane. I popped a NyQuil and snuggled into my window seat. I promptly passed out for three hours. Seven and a half hours into the flight, attendants brought around rolls and juice. The roll was a pleasant, meat-and-carb filled affair, and I was able to use the mini cup holder for the juice.

I downed it all and tried to fall back asleep. The gap between my seat and the side of the plane meant I had more room — but made it hard to get comfortable. Like the passenger in front of me, I ended up contorting my body in some strange ways, but eventually dozing on and off for three more hours. Hour 12 of the flight meant it was time for breakfast — or was it lunch?