I have never flown Korean Air but I have been following this forum closely since it started.


The overwhelming majority of comments are very critical of Korean Air:

*It has been compared to Aeroflot
*The cabins are kept extremely warm (24-27 degrees Celsius) and there's limited water service during flights
*Mostly dated and uncomfortable 1980s seats
*Those weird FA outfits make the FA's look like deranged Kabuki dolls with a half pulled noose around each neck.
*Very bad loyalty programme
*Wine often served after the meal, rather than with the meal


There have also been more positive comments - but a distinct minority:

*Some of the planes are new, and have laptop power in Y cabin and good AVOD
*Immediate family members can pool their earned miles
*Service is friendly
*Several Y travellers have been upgraded to C w/o any status (although that may be viewed as a negative by frequent travellers with status!)


Is this an accurate summary of the state of Korean Air ?

I have never flown Korean Air but I have been following this forum closely since it started.


The overwhelming majority of comments are very critical of Korean Air:

*It has been compared to Aeroflot
*The cabins are kept extremely warm (24-27 degrees Celsius) and there's limited water service during flights
*Mostly dated and uncomfortable 1980s seats
*Those weird FA outfits make the FA's look like deranged Kabuki dolls with a half pulled noose around each neck.
*Very bad loyalty programme
*Wine often served after the meal, rather than with the meal


There have also been more positive comments - but a distinct minority:

*Some of the planes are new, and have laptop power in Y cabin and good AVOD
*Immediate family members can pool their earned miles
*Service is friendly
*Several Y travellers have been upgraded to C w/o any status (although that may be viewed as a negative by frequent travellers with status!)


Is this an accurate summary of the state of Korean Air ?

I have flown on them and they are very good. I agree with the latter, definitely not the former. Most of their planes are new.

Why don't you fly them and see for yourself?

I'm more partial to OZ but Korean Air is not "bad" by any means. From my experience their service and amenities are a lot better than most US based airlines.

I think the comparison with Aeroflot has to do with the spotty safety record, especially after the accidents in Guam and Shanghai. But that was several years ago.

Korean Air is a good airline. For the past decade, I have flown them across the Pacific several times a year. All of my flights have been in business or an occasional upgrade to the front cabin. Many of the negative comments are unwarranted. Wine is served prior to and during the main meal service. Water is served in a small glass, but the FAs are happy to continue to fill your glass. On the trans-pacific flights there is self serve water and ice available, along with bottles of water. The seats on long haul flights are in the process of being upgraded, but the old style seats are hardly uncomfortable. Cabin temp is a matter of personal preference, it has never been an issue for me. This traveler finds the new FA uniforms to be very attractive. Service is much better than any US carrier flying across the Pacific or intra Asia.

IMHO, KE is a world class carrier. The interior of the planes are clean and most importanly, the flights arrive and depart on time and safely. Isn't that why we purchase a ticket, for safe, dependable transportation?

Korean Air is a good airline. For the past decade, I have flown them across the Pacific several times a year. All of my flights have been in business or an occasional upgrade to the front cabin. Many of the negative comments are unwarranted. Wine is served prior to and during the main meal service. Water is served in a small glass, but the FAs are happy to continue to fill your glass. On the trans-pacific flights there is self serve water and ice available, along with bottles of water. The seats on long haul flights are in the process of being upgraded, but the old style seats are hardly uncomfortable. Cabin temp is a matter of personal preference, it has never been an issue for me. This traveler finds the new FA uniforms to be very attractive. Service is much better than any US carrier flying across the Pacific or intra Asia.

IMHO, KE is a world class carrier. The interior of the planes are clean and most importanly, the flights arrive and depart on time and safely. Isn't that why we purchase a ticket, for safe, dependable transportation?

I concur 100%. My wife and I travel frequently in Y transpacific and have consistently chosen KE over any other carrier for comfort, convenience, and FF program flexibility. The issues with service that were mentioned were an anomaly, I suspect, b/c our flights were excellent.

I have never flown Korean Air but I have been following this forum closely since it started.


The overwhelming majority of comments are very critical of Korean Air:

*It has been compared to Aeroflot
*The cabins are kept extremely warm (24-27 degrees Celsius) and there's limited water service during flights
*Mostly dated and uncomfortable 1980s seats
*Those weird FA outfits make the FA's look like deranged Kabuki dolls with a half pulled noose around each neck.
*Very bad loyalty programme
*Wine often served after the meal, rather than with the meal


There have also been more positive comments - but a distinct minority:

*Some of the planes are new, and have laptop power in Y cabin and good AVOD
*Immediate family members can pool their earned miles
*Service is friendly
*Several Y travellers have been upgraded to C w/o any status (although that may be viewed as a negative by frequent travellers with status!)


Is this an accurate summary of the state of Korean Air ?

I traveled KE once and it's a very good airline. Good service and pretty FAs with delicious big meals (the bibimbap!). It has a very good seat pitch and a comfortable Y seat. The former comments is untrue.....KE kept passing water throughout the flight.

Many of the negative comments are unwarranted.Exactly. Besides, I don't know exactly what they mean by "*Very bad loyalty programme."
Although I am a loyal FF of AA, I like KE better than AA in many aspects.

I really do like KE. Flew them three times over the Pacific when I spent my senior year of high school in Sapporo. Though my backlog of airlines that I flew is small, I have to say KE has treated me the best, esp. when riding up front. One of my few complaints is just experiencing the worst bibimbap I've ever had but I'm sure that doesn't happen in all flights. The older seats do look retro with it's colors but I found them bearable, but loved those with adjustable headrests (only had 1 flight w/o 1...KE011 on the day it didn't operate with the new interiors back then...darn :(). I do like the current F/A uniforms as well though I've grown fond of the older uniforms.

I agree with bescobar. Having just stepped off a BKK-ICN-ATL run this morning, I can speak from recent experience. The in-flight service is very good. Cabin temps are sometimes warmer than on other airlines, though that simply means that I don't need a sweathshirt in flight, whereas I often find myself freezing to death on Delta. On KE, the higher temps are most noticable at the gate when the air conditioning isn't funning at full tilt, though the same could be said for many other airlines. I found the FA's more generous with juice and water than on most other airlines I can think of, certainly moreso than Delta, though KE is the only carrier I've flown transpac in Y on in several years.

KE is a world class airline that has mainly Korean customer base.
That is why KE is still very exotic to many foreigners.
The Koreans are STILL willing to pay a bit more for KE's good inflight services,
at the same time without knowing how bad it's frequent programme is.
As a flyer who have flown over 40 airlines in the past 25 years, I can think of only few airlines which offer better inflight service in Y than KE.
KE HAD a bad safety record, but it has been many years since the last accident occurred. Just like you do not call Germany a Nazi country after some 60 years. KE now deserves better image and verdict.

The same is true of Aeroflot, I would like to add my personal opinion.
I have flown SVO-FRA, SVO-AMS, SVO-HKG several times.
I was treat like a king in modern Y cabin with decent meals, and a big smile
from the most beautiful flight attendant I have ever seen in the sky.
When I told my colleague that I would fly SU.
They just laughed at me.
Ignorance will not help to broaden one's own insight.
When was the last time SU was involved in an accident?


I have never flown Korean Air but I have been following this forum closely since it started.


The overwhelming majority of comments are very critical of Korean Air:

*It has been compared to Aeroflot
[/B]

KE is a decent airline; food and service can certainly compete with any US airline, but most people would agree that some SE Asian airlines (CX, TG, etc.) are preferrable to KE. Many of the FAs are quite gorgeous in their odd uniforms. My biggest complaints about KE are the weak "old" C seating, and functionality issues with the website (especially when booking flights within KR).

i think the only real "problems" with korean air's skypass program are the limited opportunities to earn points other than flying, and that you get to the advanced levels through flying only. not really a problem, but it makes it less attractive to people like us here at flyertalk who seek out bonuses and other opportunities.

Ive flown transpac on KE several times in F - their lounge at ICN is very nice - seats are very comfortable - some of the lounges have seating that focuses on form over function. In-flight, I found the service very good and the old F seats were flat but not great, although I think most US routes have now the new F pods. I do think I was the only non-Korean in F.

KE has a very good network to China with good connections and I would certainly choose them over any of the US airlines.

My only complaint about KE was the food availability (at least in Y). I have flown a couple times from HNL-ICN. Usually they run out of the American meals by the time they get to my row. I am not a fan of their Korean meal (Bimbop). One time I actually demanded an American meal even though they said they were out. Turns out they had one or two in reserve. However, the meat dish (steak possibly) was the worst meal. Probably still better than the Bimbop. I make sure I eat before I get on board so I wont get disappointed.

I've flown Korean a few times transpacific. I'm not a fan of their in-flight entertainment, they don't have seat back monitors, except in some of the New planes. I'm not sure if they are doing economy seat selection in advance. That too was one of my bug-a-boos with them. Some of the attendants are a little lacking in english. The food service (bibimbop) is good.

I too concur with everyone that KE is a very good airline.

I also would dispute the "very bad loyalty program." Sure, the rewards are rather expensive, but if you are in there for the long run, it is a very good program. It's only one of the few FFPs out there which gives you elite status for life for reaching the 1MM status from miles flown on KE and all Skyteam flights. Not to mention maintaining elite status on KE is also pretty simple to do too (for Morning Calm - elite status valid 2 years, need only 30,000 miles within that two years on KE to maintain Morning Calm status).

Naturally, I credit all my Continental, Northwest and Delta flights to KE's Skypass.

I also wouldn't say the airplanes are outdated too. I mainly use LAX-NRT on KE often, and they use 777s. Before that, they used 747-400s. While I wouldn't say their Y cabin is the most comfortable I've been on, they did provide pretty decent service. Also, many of the flights have several empty seats, so you can move around to a different one if a better one is available.

I too concur with everyone that KE is a very good airline.

I also would dispute the "very bad loyalty program." Sure, the rewards are rather expensive, but if you are in there for the long run, it is a very good program. It's only one of the few FFPs out there which gives you elite status for life for reaching the 1MM status from miles flown on KE and all Skyteam flights. Not to mention maintaining elite status on KE is also pretty simple to do too (for Morning Calm - elite status valid 2 years, need only 30,000 miles within that two years on KE to maintain Morning Calm status).

Naturally, I credit all my Continental, Northwest and Delta flights to KE's Skypass.

I also wouldn't say the airplanes are outdated too. I mainly use LAX-NRT on KE often, and they use 777s. Before that, they used 747-400s. While I wouldn't say their Y cabin is the most comfortable I've been on, they did provide pretty decent service. Also, many of the flights have several empty seats, so you can move around to a different one if a better one is available.



They give you lifetime ST elite+ status at 0.5MM, not 1MM.
Who says their aircrafts are outdated? Have a look at this website.
http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/?file=rechop
As you see KE's fleet is younger than that of most Asian carriers such as CX,JL,NH,MH,TG.

A comment on on-time performance,

I was a KE agent over the summer and pretty much the lives of agents for the day depended on on-time performance... My station manager (ORD) was especially concerned with being on-time, and about 80 days of my employment there I only saw about 3 times when the plane went out past the posted departure time. The new planes are really nice too, you should try them.

(I certainly enjoyed the free first class/business class food that came outta the plane if a lot of the premium cabin pax didnt show up!) :D

I haven't tried the new planes yet. Even my flight yesterday HKG-SEL was a 772 with the old biz seats. I'm flying SEL-LAS next and it seems that too has the old seats. KE won't be a world class airline in my book til they upgrade their biz class seats to match the competition.

The rest of the service in the air is fine, but the seat is the most important thing on a long flight.

Yes Korean is really that bad.

We flew with them to Hong Kong about a year ago (744), because we were flying with a group. Horrible, horrible, horrible. In every way. We got there and back safely. Otherwise, there is nothing i can even compare it with. Worst food, poor service, most oncomfortable seats, robotic flight attendants, hot plane, crowded, lack of information. We are still trying to forget the experience. Avoid Korean at all cost in my opinion.

For me, and I have complained about this a few times, the only problem I have with KE is the cabin temp. Actually, the only reason I do not fly with KE regularly is the temp issue. I live and work in hot countries, I dont' want to fly in a hot plane.

I have only flown with them (many times) in business class regionally. On the SIN/BKK-ICN routes, the planes are great. Newish and decent seats. Much better in the old F cabin.

Woudn't consider them world class but close. The service is good and never had a wine problem, they seem to walk around the cabin during dinner with their wine baskets...I usually just stick to the champagne.

On my CGK-ICN route, I don't enjoy as much as they seem to use older planes...tattier cabins. Still warm.

I'm onboard KE 9 right now enjoying the last few days of free wifi. The service is great and the cabin isn't hot, at least not in the forward section. But unfortunately we have the crummy old seats so I won't be getting much sleep on this flight.

You can ask one of flight attendants to lower cabin temp.
She/he will call cockpit and cockpit will do right away. Sometimes you get confirmation back from FA.
I have done several times due to dry throat while sleeping.
Cheers.
For me, and I have complained about this a few times, the only problem I have with KE is the cabin temp. Actually, the only reason I do not fly with KE regularly is the temp issue. I live and work in hot countries, I dont' want to fly in a hot plane.

I have only flown with them (many times) in business class regionally. On the SIN/BKK-ICN routes, the planes are great. Newish and decent seats. Much better in the old F cabin.

Woudn't consider them world class but close. The service is good and never had a wine problem, they seem to walk around the cabin during dinner with their wine baskets...I usually just stick to the champagne.

On my CGK-ICN route, I don't enjoy as much as they seem to use older planes...tattier cabins. Still warm.

You can ask one of flight attendants to lower cabin temp.
She/he will call cockpit and cockpit will do right away. Sometimes you get confirmation back from FA.
I have done several times due to dry throat while sleeping.
Cheers.
I am currently teaching in South Korea and have my family with me and we fly Korean Air quite frequently (United States, Japan, and Thailand). We fly to Thailand in a week and I will remember to ask the FA to lower the cabin temp. I agree that it is just too warm. Our children are not a big fan of Korean food, but they do have a good children's meal menu. When we are lucky enough to fly on the aircraft with individual seatback TV's (with movies, games, music, etc.) our children love it. When there isn't any, it can be a long flight.
-Jared

Believe me, I always do ask. It just does not work sometimes as they tell me that others in the cabin feel its cold. The FAs control cabin temp not the pilots.




You can ask one of flight attendants to lower cabin temp.
She/he will call cockpit and cockpit will do right away. Sometimes you get confirmation back from FA.
I have done several times due to dry throat while sleeping.
Cheers.

If the temp is warm, we can always remove our shirts.
If the temp is cold, we can put them on.
Simple:p


Believe me, I always do ask. It just does not work sometimes as they tell me that others in the cabin feel its cold. The FAs control cabin temp not the pilots.

If the temp is warm, we can always remove our shirts.
If the temp is cold, we can put them on.
Simple:p


Hmm.. I don't think that solves everything... some people even when remove shirt, still remain hot due to raised temperature of plane or their naturally warm body temperature. And some people (like me), still remain cold even if put (multiple) shirts and blankets on.

It's not that easy to cater to everyone.

Flew SFO-ICN earlier this year and had ordered a special meal(vegetarian) and it was blah. I was hungry when I landed!
Didn't have individual screens on each seats(which was a big disappointment for me since I can't sleep on flights and rely heavily on them for entertainment)
In all fairness, the FA's were polite and did serve juice/water at frequent intervals. Don't recall about cabin temperature which means it must have been comfortable. From my limited experience, I would definitely rate SQ the best followed by CX and then KF.

I flew KE for the first time this year, and flew 37K total with them, all on 6-11 hour flights except for one ICN-NRT hop. All flights were in Biz or FC. It was by far the best service I've had on any plane, ever. Very polite, great service. The food was very nice, although not the best I had this year. There are only certain Asian foods I like, so the choices were somewhat reduced for me.

2/3 of my trips were part of a RTW award, but I was treated the same on all flights, whether at the check-in desk, onboard, or waiting to board the plane.

I never had any problem with the temperature, but I was not in moo class, either. :)

I have flown two KE segments in my lifetime. Mixed reaction to both flights. One was good, the other was downright horrible.

The first time was HKG-ICN. I mean you talk about bad. From the check in agent to picking up my bags I mean it was nonstop ridiculous. The agent at the counter refused to accomodate my height for giving me an aisle seat. Then at boarding they made me check in my notebook and I asked why I wasn't informed about this at the check in counter. She gave me a blank stare and just waited for me to go on. Then when I took my notebook out she insisted that it would be safe and I was told her there was no possible way I would allow a computer to be checked in. I told her to throw me off the flight or let me board. She relented. Then, bad seats, cramped. Beverage service was adequate. Food was downright BAD and I mean bad as in cold. Asked to have it reheated and told that some people hadn't been served and had to wait. Woman never came back. I got off the plane thinking if there was anything else to expect. At baggage claim, my notebook bag had been DESTROYED. The whole thing torn apart, my papers were not intact and I was LIVID. I went to their offices and demanded an explanation right away. At first they said they weren't responsible. I about downright EXPLODED. Told them that HKG made me check it in and I would've carried it on board with me and instead had this happen to me. When they still didn't say a thing I demanded to speak to a supervisor. This woman was finally the most sane person I ever talked to about my horrific journey. Reimbursed me for all papers, items lost (my PDA, music player) and gave me a pretty nice sized voucher for future travel with them. At that time and place, I was sure that was the last flight EVER with KE.

Stuck a segment in with them ICN-LAX on their Business class product amybe a year back. At first I was still in that mode of why am I on KE and I'm expecting the worst to happen. The purser addressed me by Mr. and my last name which made me feel very welcome. The service was FAR DIFFERENT. I mean the flight attendants made me feel like I was a person, more so than NW and any stateside carrier. The wine being served after the meal is downright BUNK. The flight attendant even let me see the bottle after I ordered just so I could examine it! Just the small details. I shared an awkward moment with one of them when she draped a blanket over me and tripped, I cradled her in my arms just to shoulder the possible force of her being injured and we laughed. As far as seats are concerned, KE is behind but their seats are very nice, sufficient padding and the recline is quite nice. As to the temperature thing, I noticed NOTHING. I mean it was not overly warm and it was very comfortable throughout. As for English, all of the flight attendants I dealt with were proficient, though there was the occasional broken English. The only thing I could possibly pick about KE was that their flight attendants are pale. And it's obvious it's makeup but I could see how it could be downright scary for some passengers.

So is it possible that short haul and long haul with KE differs? I'd like to think so. But I've flown twice with KE, so I can't make that conclusion.

I have flown two KE segments in my lifetime. Mixed reaction to both flights. One was good, the other was downright horrible.

The first time was HKG-ICN. I mean you talk about bad. From the check in agent to picking up my bags I mean it was nonstop ridiculous. The agent at the counter refused to accomodate my height for giving me an aisle seat. Then at boarding they made me check in my notebook and I asked why I wasn't informed about this at the check in counter. She gave me a blank stare and just waited for me to go on. Then when I took my notebook out she insisted that it would be safe and I was told her there was no possible way I would allow a computer to be checked in. I told her to throw me off the flight or let me board. She relented. Then, bad seats, cramped. Beverage service was adequate. Food was downright BAD and I mean bad as in cold. Asked to have it reheated and told that some people hadn't been served and had to wait. Woman never came back. I got off the plane thinking if there was anything else to expect. At baggage claim, my notebook bag had been DESTROYED. The whole thing torn apart, my papers were not intact and I was LIVID. I went to their offices and demanded an explanation right away. At first they said they weren't responsible. I about downright EXPLODED. Told them that HKG made me check it in and I would've carried it on board with me and instead had this happen to me. When they still didn't say a thing I demanded to speak to a supervisor. This woman was finally the most sane person I ever talked to about my horrific journey. Reimbursed me for all papers, items lost (my PDA, music player) and gave me a pretty nice sized voucher for future travel with them. At that time and place, I was sure that was the last flight EVER with KE.

Stuck a segment in with them ICN-LAX on their Business class product amybe a year back. At first I was still in that mode of why am I on KE and I'm expecting the worst to happen. The purser addressed me by Mr. and my last name which made me feel very welcome. The service was FAR DIFFERENT. I mean the flight attendants made me feel like I was a person, more so than NW and any stateside carrier. The wine being served after the meal is downright BUNK. The flight attendant even let me see the bottle after I ordered just so I could examine it! Just the small details. I shared an awkward moment with one of them when she draped a blanket over me and tripped, I cradled her in my arms just to shoulder the possible force of her being injured and we laughed. As far as seats are concerned, KE is behind but their seats are very nice, sufficient padding and the recline is quite nice. As to the temperature thing, I noticed NOTHING. I mean it was not overly warm and it was very comfortable throughout. As for English, all of the flight attendants I dealt with were proficient, though there was the occasional broken English. The only thing I could possibly pick about KE was that their flight attendants are pale. And it's obvious it's makeup but I could see how it could be downright scary for some passengers.

So is it possible that short haul and long haul with KE differs? I'd like to think so. But I've flown twice with KE, so I can't make that conclusion.

KE improved a lot over these few years. I bet that you traveled in that bad flight a few years ago...and it resulted like that. KE has the best service I've ever experienced. Their Korean food is very delicious and the most shocking thing is that they clean the toilets once a while during the flight!

the most shocking thing is that they clean the toilets once a while during the flight!

Most all Asian airlines do this. SQ seems to clean up after every passenger in C & F lavs. Or at least every male passenger. ;)

In Nov 2007 I flew Korean Air in Biz Class from ATL-ICN and connected from ICN-HKG. The service on the ATL-ICN route was on a 747-400 with new interior and seats. The service from ICN-HKG was on an older 747 combo (part cargo, part passenger) with older config and seats (no first class).

All in all, I thought the service and equipment was top notch, especially on the ATL-ICN route. I travel a lot, and would highly recommend Korean Air to anyone making a trans-pacific crossing. In fact I recently traveled international Biz Class on United, Delta and American and I will say that Korean long-haul Biz Class is better than all three.

My experience on the longer ATL-ICN included:

1) Very gracious flight attendants, great service, anticipated my needs
2) Seats were the newer Biz Class, were superb, they lie flat but are sloped a bit (ie not parallel to floor). Sleep was definitely possible.
3) Inflight entertainment was AVOD. Worked great, selection from about 40-50 movies, plus television shows and of course endless amount of music and video games
4) Meal service was pretty good too. They served a full lunch, a snack of ramen noodles, and then a full dinner. I opted for the Korean menu choices and wasn't disappointed.
5) Wine selection was pretty good. Whoever posted that they had hard time getting wine on Korean Air flights is crazy. On my flights the FA's offered wine several times, including champagne before takeoff, and wine with all the meals. They then walked about the cabin with all four open bottles displayed in a wicker basket-looking thing.

For those traveling long-haul on the Korean 747-400 flying business class, here's a hint. The upstairs cabin on that aircraft is part of the Biz Class cabin, and row 19 is an exit row in the upstairs cabin. While the main deck Biz Class is 2 x 3 x 2, the upstairs cabin is a little narrower and only 2 x 2. You want to get one of the four Biz Class seats in Row 19!!! As an exit row, you have like 8 feet of space in front of you, so no matter which of these four seats you have you'll never have to worry about people attempting to climb over you to get into/out of their seats etc. Korean Airlines would not confirm these exit row seats over the phone. When I arrived at ATL, at checkin they told me only the gate agents could confirm a Row 19 seat. I went to the Delta BusinessElite lounge and explained my situation to the receptionist. She called down to the Korean Airlines gate and had them print me a new boarding pass with the Row 19 seat assignment. All I then had to do was walk down to the gate and exchange my original boarding pass for the new boarding pass. When I boarded the plane, I was the only passenger sitting in Row 19. I asked the flight attendant and she explained that they normally block out that entire row and reserve those seats for crew rest.

The Korean Air Biz class lounge in ICN is nice but pretty small. When I arrived around 4:30pm it was extremely full, only a few seats left. There was a decent assortment of warm and cold snacks (hours dourves, snack sandwiches, salads, pre-made sushi). There is only a single shower, so if you want to use it I recommend putting your name on the waiting list as soon as you walk into the club. The shower room was small but very clean and stocked with all the important stuff (towel, slippers, shaving kit, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, hair dryer, etc.). There was free wifi available, along with a small business center with 4 computers for public use.

My connecting flight from ICN-HKG was on an older 747. This one is the 'combo" which has cargo in the rear and passengers up front. This aircraft had no first class, and the older biz class seats. Not nearly as nice as the newer Biz Class on the ATL-ICN leg, but comfortable enough with leg rest that I got about 3 hours of sleep. I would equate the older Korean Air Biz Class seats to Bus Class of most American carriers.

ehmm I think you didn't notice the original posting dates - they're 2006. Chances are things have gotten better in over a year.

Very nice report, bigbadbill. Thanks for sharing.

I think you may have been at the smaller of KE's two Prestige Class lounges at Incheon. The bigger one, above Gate 12, has at least three and maybe four shower rooms. It has a panoramic view of the airfield, including the runways. Were you at the one near the other pier, which doesn't have a runway view (I think)?

I think you may have been at the smaller of KE's two Prestige Class lounges at Incheon. The bigger one, above Gate 12, has at least three and maybe four shower rooms. It has a panoramic view of the airfield, including the runways. Were you at the one near the other pier, which doesn't have a runway view (I think)?



Exactly, you got into a wrong place. The lounge that you used is designated for passengers flying on other contracted carriers and it is named "KAL lounge." Korean Air has only one Prestige Class lounge, not two, at ICN. If the lounge only had one shower and four computers, that can't be the Presitge Class lounge. Try this one next time.

I have recently had the opportunity to fly Korean Air Business class JFK-ICN, ICN-JFK, ICN-PVG, PVG-ICN and on one return portion Delta Business Elite ICN-ATL. Korean air international business product on the upgraded 747 is way ahead of any American Product. The service, the seats, the AVOD, the Food, the wine, on-time flight, professional staff, all way ahead of any American carrier. The ICN-PVG flights were in the old 747 and 777, but fine for a 2 hour flight.

My delta flight the AVOD went down 4 times, despite a Panasonic technician being on the flight, service so/so, food so/so, seats poor for a 13 hour flight. flight attendants were nice.
So international to ICN from the USA if its between Korean air and a U.S. carrier, Korean Air much better.

Exactly, you got into a wrong place. The lounge that you used is designated for passengers flying on other contracted carriers and it is named "KAL lounge." Korean Air has only one Prestige Class lounge, not two, at ICN. If the lounge only had one shower and four computers, that can't be the Presitge Class lounge. Try this one next time.

That sounds right. The Prestige Class Lounge is, when facing the airfield, on the right-hand side of the upper level above the Gate 12 area. I believe Korean Air has a First Class Lounge to the left of the Prestige Class Lounge, though the First lounge may use a different catwalk. The "KAL Lounge" at the other end of the main terminal building is used by both First and Business/Prestige pax, isn't it? I think they do welcome pax flying on Korean Air, as well as contract and SkyTeam airlines like Delta, Air France, etc.

Of course, even if you're on DL-codeshare tickets, you're welcome in the Prestige Class lounge under the usually applicable rules. (N227UA wasn't saying otherwise, but I just want to be clear.)

The "KAL Lounge" at the other end of the main terminal building is used by both First and Business/Prestige pax, isn't it? I think they do welcome pax flying on Korean Air, as well as contract and SkyTeam airlines like Delta, Air France, etc.



I understand that KAL lounge is designated for premium class passengers or elite members of non-Skytem contract carriers. Surely, anyone eligible for Prestige Class lounge would be welcomed to use this lounge. However, it seems premium class passengers or elite members of Skyteam are usually directed to Prestige Class lounge.

I have flown KE in the JFK-ICN/ICN-JFK ; DFW-ICN; ICN-HKG/HKG-ICN, ICN-NGO; ICN-NRT/NRT-ICN and overall, I like KE. I have found the service fantastic and the food pretty good. All of my flights have been in J, except a few in F on medium and short haul flights.

I have flown the DFW-ICN flight on the older 772 and even though there was no in-seat power (which was a HUGE problem for me work wise) it was not such a bad ride in the old seats.

The seats in J/F aren't bad on the 744-Combi that flies between ICN-HKG which I have now flown a few times. It's not as modern as some other carriers, but the service is great and the seats are comfy.

The service on the short haul, from ICN-NGO and ICN-NRT is equal to and better than some US carriers.

The scary looking uniforms are true, but the lounge at ICN is top notch. Of all the lounges I have used in Asia, I think KE's at ICN is probably my favourite in terms of shower facility, comfort, view, food , service.

Just my opinion.

Couldn't disagree more about the FAs' uniforms. The OLD ones were scary-- a scary reminder of what we took for fashionable in the late 1980s. The new ones are stylish (for now) and functional. Just my opinion. But I did want to support KE's new design.

4 tranpac's in KE biz.

Good
On-time
Food
Service
ICN lounge

SO-SO
seat

BAD
cabin temp-much, much too warm
Wine, poor quality and ran out of white on 2 flights

All about evens out for me except for the temp, will probably not come back because of that. Just a personal thing.

Best KE story--On approach, my GF had a very small purse on the floor. In a legal area if the underseat storage is defined as "a vertical line from the upright seat back to the floor".

Young female FA came down the isle and was very concerned about it, kept talking to us in Korean. Finally reached down and picked it up just as airplane (777) hit runway. Fa went rolling all the way to the F divider.

Always wondered what was more dangerous to passengers and crew, a 1 kilo purse under the seat or a flying 50 kilo FA? :)

4 tranpac's in KE biz.

Good
On-time
Food
Service
ICN lounge

SO-SO
seat

BAD
cabin temp-much, much too warm
Wine, poor quality and ran out of white on 2 flights

All about evens out for me except for the temp, will probably not come back because of that. Just a personal thing.

Best KE story--On approach, my GF had a very small purse on the floor. In a legal area if the underseat storage is defined as "a vertical line from the upright seat back to the floor".

Young female FA came down the isle and was very concerned about it, kept talking to us in Korean. Finally reached down and picked it up just as airplane (777) hit runway. Fa went rolling all the way to the F divider.

Always wondered what was more dangerous to passengers and crew, a 1 kilo purse under the seat or a flying 50 kilo FA? :)


I'm going tyo go with the later of your statement ;) :D^ I have only flown on KE once ex. ORD-ICN-ORD back in Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007... flew them in Econ. on the 747-400..The service was good. I will now be flying them in less than a month (Dec 27th) ICN-TPE in Prestige and then Dec. 30th TPE-ICN-LAX.. in Prestige as well. I am really looking forward to it :D.

Anyone know about this route? I have flown on a 747 with the new seats and loved it (business class). This is a ten hour flight, but based on the reservation information I have a feeling it's the old seats. Anyone know?