Korean Air Skypass - Who gets the seats in rows 1 and 2 (or more) on KE flights with no First Class?

It doesn't really matter, as the service and the seat-type are the same, but I wonder how they allocate the seats in the very front cabin on planes with only C and Y classes of service. I have just flown on a full fare from HKG to FUK and return. I asked for a First Class fare, but there is no F between ICN and FUK in any case, even though there are three cabins on most of the planes, so I was only able to travel F on the outward journey between HKG and ICN. On that journey I was given an F seat in row 1 (obviously) for HKG-ICN, but a seat in row 7 for ICN-FUK. I noticed there were passengers in rows 1 and 2 (though there was a very thin load on the flight). For the return, where no F was available between ICN and HKG either, so the whole itinerary was in C, my prebooked row 7 seat got changed for a row 1 seat for FUK-ICN at FUK. The final ICN-HKG sector had no "front cabin" and the only two rows of Business Class (rows 7 and 8) were the first ones on the plane.

If there was any logic to this attribution, I should have thought that my F outward journey would have got me seated in the front cabin for ICN-FUK as well, and that for the return, I'd have been in row 7 or beyond.

What is this cabin actually for?

It doesn't really matter, as the service and the seat-type are the same, but I wonder how they allocate the seats in the very front cabin on planes with only C and Y classes of service. I have just flown on a full fare from HKG to FUK and return. I asked for a First Class fare, but there is no F between ICN and FUK in any case, even though there are three cabins on most of the planes, so I was only able to travel F on the outward journey between HKG and ICN. On that journey I was given an F seat in row 1 (obviously) for HKG-ICN, but a seat in row 7 for ICN-FUK. I noticed there were passengers in rows 1 and 2 (though there was a very thin load on the flight). For the return, where no F was available between ICN and HKG either, so the whole itinerary was in C, my prebooked row 7 seat got changed for a row 1 seat for FUK-ICN at FUK. The final ICN-HKG sector had no "front cabin" and the only two rows of Business Class (rows 7 and 8) were the first ones on the plane.

If there was any logic to this attribution, I should have thought that my F outward journey would have got me seated in the front cabin for ICN-FUK as well, and that for the return, I'd have been in row 7 or beyond.

What is this cabin actually for?



While I don't have thorough knowledge about KE premium cabin, I understand that F seats on 2-class market are given to elite members or full fare passengers. I agree that you should have got F on ICN-FUK. The only reason I can think for you not getting F seat on ICN-FUK is you probably done check-in at HKG all the way thru FUK, and HKG station agents may not have authority to assign you F seat on ICN-FUK leg. Therefore what you should have done is asking for F seat at ICN.

Thanks for that. As I say, it doesn't really matter for such a short haul flight, but it might make a difference in future.