Korean Air Skypass - KE expands sleeper C seats to medium-haul fleets

It appears Korean air is in process of installing prestige sleeper business class to 333, 332 and 773 non-ER fleets. KE website shows newer seatmap for each, that has truly flat C seats (sold as J). And, it seems 2 333s and 1 773 are already (or until later this week) in service with the newer product, coded as 33Q and 77Q.

KE has 4 773 non-ER, and 3 of them are still 77L (6F 35C 301Y, total 342) and 1 is upgraded to 77Q (6F 35J 297Y, total 338).

KE has 16 333, and currently 14 are still 33L (6F 22C 252Y, total 280) and 2 are upgraded to 33Q (6F 18J 252Y, total 276).

KE has 7 332, and currently all are still 32L (6F 24C 196Y, total 226) and yet none are upgraded to ? (code not known yet, 6F 24J 188Y, total 218).

You can easily find how many seats are lost due to the upgrading, and seatmaps are updated on KE's website. I don't know how many will be upgraded and how long it will take as there's no news article yet. I don't know if lie-flat 9 772ERs will be upgraded or not. Other 9 772ERs as well as all (9) 77Ws and all (5) 380s have full flat, prestige sleeper already.

Great news, by the way.

In the meantime, KE is about to receive its 10th 77W this month, if not already. No more 77W this year. 6th 380 is coming later this year, and from early 2013, (there's a strong rumor that) it will be deployed to ATL few times a week. 747 is slowly saying goodbye from KE's long-haul network as a result. A300 is leaving by end of August. KE had 7 A300 early this year and KE is about to end its 38 years of A300 history since 1975 August (according to planespotters.net).

Interesting stuff. Just to be clear, this thread is about a further upgrade for many planes that have already been upgraded once. First time, from mechanical recliners in Prestige to Prestige Plus lie-flat-at-an-angle seats. This time, for some the second round, will go from the Prestige Plus to the Prestige Sleeper full-flat horizontal babies. ^

This should improve fleet commonality and allow KE some more flexibility in scheduling. But it also ups KE's game for competing with the likes of SQ, for example, which operates 77W's with four-across full-flat seats in Business on SIN-ICN-SFO and some other ICN routes. KE going full flat would be big improvement in an already pretty good passenger experience, as I took the A333 ICN-SIN with the Prestige Plus seats and found them nice enough but rather snug-- at least compared to the A380 I'd just stepped off.

So, as far as I can tell, the old mechanical recliners are completely gone from KE'swidebody fleet, both long-haul and regional, right?

So, as far as I can tell, the old mechanical recliners are completely gone from KE's widebody fleet, both long-haul and regional, right?

Except A300. And possibly in near future, angled lie flat might become a history, too.

They're doing it fast. Now all 4 773 non-ERs are equipped with prestige-sleeper seats. Out of 16 333s, 11 are already upgraded leaving 5 with angled-flat seats. 332 is not converted at all, though. Now 77L code is in history, and soon 33L and 32L will follow.

They're doing it fast. Now all 4 773 non-ERs are equipped with prestige-sleeper seats. Out of 16 333s, 11 are already upgraded leaving 5 with angled-flat seats. 332 is not converted at all, though. Now 77L code is in history, and soon 33L and 32L will follow.

Which of the A330's typically gets used on KE 1/2 ? I'm not looking forward to the prospect of those cramped lie-flat-at-an-angle-with-small-pitch seats on a couple of upcoming TPACs. Getting totally flat sleeper seats on that route would be a huge improvement (and would bring the product into line with the A380 sleepers).

Which of the A330's typically gets used on KE 1/2 ?

KE1/2 is unfortunately 332, so not yet. They will be upgraded pretty soon. There are still some long haul fleet with angled bed (9 772ERs) and KE should come up with a plan.

KE1/2 is unfortunately 332, so not yet. They will be upgraded pretty soon. There are still some long haul fleet with angled bed (9 772ERs) and KE should come up with a plan.
So the 772s with Prestige Plus aren't yet slated for conversion? That sucks. I'm flying LAX-ICN-AKL in May on A380 and 772 with Prestige Plus, and I was hoping that they'd be updating the seats before then.

They're doing it fast. Now all 4 773 non-ERs are equipped with prestige-sleeper seats. Out of 16 333s, 11 are already upgraded leaving 5 with angled-flat seats. 332 is not converted at all, though. Now 77L code is in history, and soon 33L and 32L will follow.

On the HKG-ICN flight on a 333 Sept 18th (on a delta miles award ticket) Any way to tell if this plane is upgraded?

On the HKG-ICN flight on a 333 Sept 18th (on a delta miles award ticket) Any way to tell if this plane is upgraded?
EF shows them as selling J on those flights, so it should be Prestige Sleeper. The Fleet Schedule with New Aircraft tool on the KE website also indicates Prestige Sleeper.

SYD/ICN (KE121/122) still shows as Prestige Plus. Shame... Cross my fingers from holiday destined country it may happen sometime .

SYD/ICN (KE121/122) still shows as Prestige Plus. Shame... Cross my fingers from holiday destined country it may happen sometime .

Half of 772ERs and all 747s will still have Prestige Plus, and as long as these fleets are going to SYD, outta luck. On the other hand, MEL and BNE will soon be upgraded to Prestige Sleeper.

Half of 772ERs and all 747s will still have Prestige Plus, and as long as these fleets are going to SYD, outta luck. On the other hand, MEL and BNE will soon be upgraded to Prestige Sleeper.

Thank you bobbybrown. Yes, I have noticed that BNE has already got one. That's OK. It simply means I would still fly with another airlines:rolleyes:

Which ac are they running on the ICN HKT route? can I expect lie flat in November?

Half of 772ERs and all 747s will still have Prestige Plus, and as long as these fleets are going to SYD, outta luck. On the other hand, MEL and BNE will soon be upgraded to Prestige Sleeper.
I understand not converting the 744s, since they're probably not long for the fleet. What's the deal with the remaining 772ERs, however? Will they be converted eventually (after the Airbus fleet is done), or are they staying Prestige Plus indefinitely?

Which ac are they running on the ICN HKT route? can I expect lie flat in November?

All 333 332 773 77W 380 are fully-flat (already or by end of Oct), as well as half (9) of 772. All 744 and the other half of 772 are angled-flat.

HKT looks like 333 in Nov, so you'll enjoy fully-flat for both F and C classes.

What's the deal with the remaining 772ERs, however?

3 of 16 744s will leave this year, and yes, 744s are slowly going away. 772, on the other hand, will stay longer. 77S (full flat) and 77K (angled flat) have different lavatory location between 1st and 2nd doors, and it will be hard to efficiently use the space. I guess 77K space is tighter than others (333, 332, 773) for this work. I'm not sure if this is the reason KE's still figuring out what to do, though. Yes, it doesn't make sense to keep this way for the long-haul fleet.

Ahhhh, I'd not noticed the different lav/galley configs on the seat plans between 77S and 77K until you pointed it out. It's even different ahead of F between those two aircraft. It seems like they might be able to move the F lav to align, update the F seats to Kosmo suites and move them forward a bit, thereby creating a bit more space for the seats in the forward J cabin. The rear J cabin could easily be dealt with by removing Y seats. Definitely a more involved process than the other conversions, however.

KE has 7 332, and currently all are still 32L (6F 24C 196Y, total 226) and yet none are upgraded to ? (code not known yet, 6F 24J 188Y, total 218).


According to Expertflyer's seatmap, the 6F 24J 188Y version is 32Q.

After looking into details on an upcoming KE flight, I got somewhat worried. Oh well, confused at least.

Will travel on KE137 on Dec 6 and KE138 on Jan 7 (ICN-NAN) on a SM award ticket in O. The KE website tool for flight schedule with new aircraft indicates Prestige Sleeper on this 332. Moreover, the seatmap on EF corresponds to the A332 218 seats version as shown on the KE website fleet and seating chart (row 40 is taken out).

However, according to Expertflyer the seats appear to be sold as C? What to expect? :confused:

This project is almost over as the last fleet is about to start refurbishing. Now all 333, 332, and 773 non-ER are upgraded to full flat J class (except one 332 which will be over by next week).

Now, full flat business class is available on
380
330 (both 333 and 332)
773 (both ER and non-ER)
9 out of 18 772

Angled lie-flat is available on
747
9 out of 18 772

That leaves 737 and 300, which have old style cradle business class.

The 332 that operates LAX-NRT-LAX...is this the Prestige Sleeper Seat or the Prestige Plus seat?

Sorry, I haven't flown KE yet...so just trying to understand what to expect! thanks

The 332 that operates LAX-NRT-LAX...is this the Prestige Sleeper Seat or the Prestige Plus seat?

Sorry, I haven't flown KE yet...so just trying to understand what to expect! thanks
All A330s are now Prestige Sleeper. My understanding is that Prestige Plus seats are now only on the 747-400s and about half of the 777-200s.

Thanks what I thought, because expertflyer list them as J. But seatguru and Korean Air Seatmaps both list them as angled seats?!

Thanks what I thought, because expertflyer list them as J. But seatguru and Korean Air Seatmaps both list them as angled seats?!

SeatGuru is not as accurate as they used to be. Also, you can look at the seating product for a particular day and time on koreanair.com; go to "On Board" at the top of the page, then to "Flight Schedule with New Aircraft".

Hi I am booked on Ke653 ICN-BKk-ICN 25/12 and 05/01 in business can any one advise on which seat type will be on the flight.

The KE select seat option for the flight shows 777-300 with 2-3-2 with, 5 rows which I believe is cradle seat. But the KE flight schedule with new aircraft shows prestige sleep for this route with full lie flat??

Hi I am booked on Ke653 ICN-BKk-ICN 25/12 and 05/01 in business can any one advise on which seat type will be on the flight.

The KE select seat option for the flight shows 777-300 with 2-3-2 with, 5 rows which I believe is cradle seat. But the KE flight schedule with new aircraft shows prestige sleep for this route with full lie flat??

See thread #19 from bobbybrown for additional information wrt 773s. In addition, KE website indicates KE653 and KE654 have prestige sleeper seats. I think the seat map was uploaded incorrectly. You may want to contact KE CS for your seat assignment. Enjoy the prestige sleeper seat and have fun in BKK.

Hi I am booked on Ke653 ICN-BKk-ICN 25/12 and 05/01 in business can any one advise on which seat type will be on the flight.

The KE select seat option for the flight shows 777-300 with 2-3-2 with, 5 rows which I believe is cradle seat. But the KE flight schedule with new aircraft shows prestige sleep for this route with full lie flat??

See thread #19 from bobbybrown for additional information wrt 773s. In addition, KE website indicates KE653 and KE654 have prestige sleeper seats. I think the seat map was uploaded incorrectly. You may want to contact KE CS for your seat assignment. Enjoy the prestige sleeper seat and have fun in BKK.

Thanks, yes I shall call KE CS to confirm

All A330s are now Prestige Sleeper. My understanding is that Prestige Plus seats are now only on the 747-400s and about half of the 777-200s.I'm guessing that little has changed since this was posted a few weeks ago... I'm on KE/23 ICN-SFO and it's a 777-200 -- does that mean a strong chance of the older style seats still? thanks!

Looks like they're sending both types of 772 to SFO based on EF. If they're selling J for your travel date, it's Prestige Sleeper. If it's C, then Prestige Plus.

Does anyone know whether KE638 HKT-ICN on 4/28 is prestige sleeper or plus? The seat map shows 2-3-2, which KE seemed to confirm when I called for seat assignments, but they were seeing very different availability than expert flyer (and Delta) is showing, leaving me quite confused. KE website only shows M-F HKT-ICN flights as updated, but if I search by specific date it shows daily HKT-ICN flights as updated. Any guesses?

Does anyone know whether KE638 HKT-ICN on 4/28 is prestige sleeper or plus? The seat map shows 2-3-2, which KE seemed to confirm when I called for seat assignments, but they were seeing very different availability than expert flyer (and Delta) is showing, leaving me quite confused. KE website only shows M-F HKT-ICN flights as updated, but if I search by specific date it shows daily HKT-ICN flights as updated. Any guesses?
The Y seat map is your best way to tell. The two 772s have different Y configurations. If row 40 has only DEF, it's the Prestige Sleeper. If it's a full row, it's Prestige Plus. At the moment, it's showing Prestige Sleeper based on that.

Thanks mtkeller! Although now I've gone and gotten my hopes up.

One thing to keep in mind is that it looks like they aren't selling F on that route. The F cabin shows as occupied on the J seat map, but I suspect that they're just blocking things. Maybe ask at check-in to see if you can get a seat in row 1 or 2 :)

Trying to get my hopes up further? :D

Trying to get my hopes up further? :D

I was on a KE 747 to Guam last week, and was upgraded to row 3 (albeit with Prestige service). The Kosmo Sleeper seat was a bit worn, but a lovely experience.

I flew HKT-ICN on 12/30 overnight flight. Granted, it was winter snow that delayed service, but it was a schwag 747. That being said, if there is a drop of snow, that 2 AM flight turns into 5 AM fast. It is DANGEROUS. Luckily, the snow is over in Korea.

Generally, when I fly KE, it is a 747 or a 773 ER to ATL. The HKT-ICN flight is a LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE overnight flight, so you will NOT get the bells and whistles. Good luck!

Also, HKT is a GHETTO airport. Even for that late 2:15 flight, I expected a different beast. All the NE Asia flights leave that late, so the terminal is PACKED. Like PACKED PACKED PACKED. It is not a quiet affair. Was it THAT bad? No. But, for an overnight flight, I was very surprised at the hustle and bustle.

Also, HKT is a GHETTO airport. Even for that late 2:15 flight, I expected a different beast. All the NE Asia flights leave that late, so the terminal is PACKED. Like PACKED PACKED PACKED. It is not a quiet affair. Was it THAT bad? No. But, for an overnight flight, I was very surprised at the hustle and bustle.

I'll second that. I fly out of there frequently on the OZ flight which leaves a bit before the KE flight, and always a madhouse, especially if you want to buy something at the duty free shops. I always just head straight to the lounge and hang out there until time to board. Not that the lounges at HKT are great, but anything beats being among that huge mass of passengers.

And the domestic side, during the late afternoon or evening isn't any better, having had numerous TG flights from there. Overall HKT is not a very pleasant airport. But a bit understandable given the rapid growth HKT has seen in flights over recent years. Not sure what the plans are for expansion, but anything to relieve the congestion would certainly be appreciated. I alternate between using HKT, BKK, and CNX as my entry/exit point to Thailand, with CNX being also basic, but never very crowded that I've seen, it's my preferred airport these days.

Maybe you can help me out, A_Lee, why do Koreans love a late night flight? In the case of Phuket, what is the value of a 3 AM flight back to Seoul? It's a lot of work to be at the airport that late!

I don't know about Korean pax, but from the airline's point of view, it's easy: maximizing aircraft utilization and coordinating transfer timing with the bank of America-bound flights that leave ICN in the late morning. Same on the reverse: late afternoon arrivals from America transfer well to evening departures to SE Asia.

Logistically it is totally easy. There just has to be a "Koreanism" about it. I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that Koreans take ZERO vacation days, so they use every second of every day they can get.

Logistically it is totally easy. There just has to be a "Koreanism" about it. I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that Koreans take ZERO vacation days, so they use every second of every day they can get.

Yes, I think you've got it. Typically Koreans technically get five vacation days per year (or at least that's my experience in dealing with a lot of smaller companies - not sure about the major corporations). But even with that, some workers are afraid to use their vacation days and don't take them, or don't take all of them. So maximizing one's vacation is priority one. Thus they want to leave at night, after putting in a day of work, and return in the early morning, and hit the office that day as well. I do the very same thing myself. With that said, the HKT flight is a bit on the outside, being the OZ flight doesn't arrive till about 09:45, and the KE flight after that. When flying from BKK, the flights typically arrive at ICN something like 06:30 ~ 09:00, depending on the airline and flight, leaving enough time to still arrive at the office in the morning. But arriving 09:45 or later, you're probably not going to make it to the office till the afternoon.

In general the Korea based airlines have gotten into the habit of having these regional flights to vacation spots that depart late evening and return early morning. They like it for good aircraft utilization, and Korean vacationers like it to maximize their vacation time. If they can't quite make that timing, as is the case with HKT, given the flight times are longer than most other regional vacation spots, they still follow the same basic pattern as much as possible, but just arrive back a bit later.

For non-Korea based airlines, it's not really possible to follow that pattern unless they have multiple daily flights. With a single flight they cannot very well have the plane sit all day just waiting to match up with that type of schedule. In those cases, arriving late evening at ICN, and then turning around seems to be quite popular, allowing Koreans to still leave late at night, but will arrive back in Korea from their vacation much earlier and be able to get a night of sleep at their home before hitting the office the next day. Those flights are also full of Koreans, so all Koreans don't necessarily fall into the same pattern of which flights they prefer. Or else they're selecting for other reasons (ie. price). But actually I think probably that would be the preferred scheduling for most, even if they lose a few hours of vacation time. But some Koreans are only going to fly KE or OZ, and with those airlines, that late evening arrival time just isn't possible, unless the flight departs ICN much earlier in the day, meaning the vacationer can't work that day and uses an additional vacation day.

Bottom line for the typical Korean vacationer: If you want to fly KE or OZ, depart late evening, arrive back early (hopefully) morning. If you want to fly a foreign airline, depart late evening, arrive back late evening.

Anyways, I've lost track of the number of times I've worked almost all day at the office on a Friday and then headed straight to ICN to fly to Thailand, then back to ICN Monday morning and straight to the office. And if it's a three-day weekend, then add an extra day to it. I'm sure it's getting close to a hundred times, if not more, being I've been doing it for many years and make a trip like that on average about once a month. I use OZ or TG if flying into/out of BKK. OZ if flying into/out of HKT, and KE when going to CNX without going via BKK or HKT. Without that late evening departure/early morning arrival, I would have only been able to take a small fraction of those trips.

I don't know about Korean pax, but from the airline's point of view, it's easy: maximizing aircraft utilization and coordinating transfer timing with the bank of America-bound flights that leave ICN in the late morning. Same on the reverse: late afternoon arrivals from America transfer well to evening departures to SE Asia.

The Korea based airlines are primarily in business to serve Koreans. They'll take the foreign customers that they can attract, but they're not going to go out of their way to attract them, especially if it's to the detriment of their Korea based passengers. So I really don't think that lining up their flights with the USA flights has anything to do with it. It just worked out that way. Perhaps to some extent for the China-bound flights, being they seem to get a huge amount of Chinese on those flight connecting to the USA. But certainly to the vacation destinations, it's strictly designed to accommodate the Koreans from what I've seen. Note, it's not always been like that. Many years ago, Koreans didn't really travel for leisure. At that time, the airlines were trying to attract foreigners, business travelers, and expat Koreans.

what is the value of a 3 AM flight back to Seoul? It's a lot of work to be at the airport that late!

I don't know that it's really that much work at all. You check out of your hotel the morning before, leaving your luggage at the hotel. You go do your thing all day, eat a nice leisurely last dinner, go back to your hotel to collect your luggage, and go to the airport. Nothing particularly complicated, unless you're doing some activity that requires you to shower before hitting the airport, in which case many hotels can provide you with a room to shower in.

I took a weekend trip to CEB last year, and from there to one of the provinces. The last flight back to CEB wasn't all that late, but I had an after midnight flight back to ICN. There's a small waiting area before check-in that was filled with Koreans waiting for the same flights back to Korea. It was kinda funny listening to some of them talking. Most of them were dropped off early by their tour group company. They were bored silly waiting there, and a group of them finally decided to take a taxi back to town and hit the shopping mall for a few hours. So anyways, it's not so easy for everyone. If you're destination requires a connecting flight (as mine did), or you're not in the know, and book a tour that dumps you off way too early, then it's going to be a bit boring just waiting at the airport.