Pathfinder813


Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: DL GM, UA Premier, Hertz Gold, National Emerald
Posts: 55 Quote:
Originally Posted by craig44485
How are the economy seats on the A380? Better than DL's 747-400 and 777-200? Thinking of switching to KE for my flights to MNL instead of DL, so just curious which would be most comfy.

I would definitely switch to KE and here's why:


KE Y vs DL Y

Seat Pitch KE WIN
KE A380 34 inches, 18 in width
KE 777 33 to 34 inches depending on the aircraft, 18 in width
DL 777 31-32 inches, 17 in width
DL 747 31-32 inches, 17 in width
* DL's econ comfort has 36 inch pitch but because you have to pay a premium, I didn't include it.

Meals KE WIN
KE offers choices of western and Korean food. Usually there are three choices: the Korean choice (Bibimbap, BibimGookSu, or some Meat or Chicken option), a western beef or chicken dish, and a western seafood or pasta dish. KE also offers in-flight snacks, my favorites of which are the pizza in a box or the Korean bread with meat filling. I always go for the Korean meal option which I always find fantastic (though I am a bit biased because I'm Korean-American). Korean offers a pre-meal drink service (beer, wine, AND liquor) and offers up decent wine. You can also order any drinks at any time during the flight.

When I was on DL DTW-HND on the 777-200ER, their catering was not so great. The meals just didn't taste that great and it was usually a meat, chicken, or pasta dish. There were no Japanese options which would have been a nice touch seeing how the flight was going to Japan. If you're not in Econ Comfort, there is no liquor for the beverage service; they serve beer or wine throughout the flight. DL did have Sapparo and Asahi but the red wine for dinner came out of a box (similar to rectangular juice boxes with the plastic opening on top). I can't remember what snacks DL served but that should already indicate that it made no lasting impression on me.

IFE KE WIN

KE has great AVOD and power plugs (universal power plugs for any AC device under the seat and USB next to the video seat back) at every seat in coach. Their selection of movies is pretty great and the A380's AVOD is amazing (love the tail cam) but the 777 also has fantastic AVOD. The AVOD is pretty much the same between the two aircraft except the A380 has the tail cam and what I think is a slightly larger screen (by 0.1 of an inch or so).

DL 777 AVOD is akin to what you find in the domestic 757s. It's decent and keeps you busy but not as great as KE's AVOD. It could definitely stand to use an upgrade. I remember that there are USB and power plugs but I am not sure if they are throughout the Y cabin.

No adaptors are needed for power in either the KE A380, 777, or DL 777.

DL 747 has no AVOD and from what I believe no power in Y. 'Nuff said.

Amenities KE WIN

KE provides each passenger in Y a small pouch (in KE blue color) that contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, and slippers. The slippers are made out of a paper like substance but it works so that you don't have to wear shoes in-flight. All in all, it's a nice touch.

DL has no amenity kit.

Service KE WIN

KE has fantastic service. I've seen the FAs frequently clean the lavatories; I've had instances on two different flights where the FA cleaned the lav right before I used it. The FAs are very attentive (not to mention very attractive) and all of them seem to have a pretty good command of English. I usually spoke Korean to the FAs but their English is definitely passable.

DL also had good service but were not nearly as attentive as KE FAs. Additionally, the lavs started to get pretty dirty towards the end of the flight, something that I never saw happen on the KE flights.

Most of KE's FAs are young (in their 20s) and part of the reason the service is much more attentive is because KE has a very rigorous and selective hiring process for their FAs. To be a FA on either KE or OZ in Korea is considered very prestigious and to be an int'l FA, one must have a decent IELTS or TOEIC score to ensure English proficiency, if not fluency (I know this because I have a friend who went through the hiring process at KE). Because of this, the FAs seem to go above and beyond. Case in point, my last A380 flight, a male FA was going through with a lint brush on his hand to pick up any specks that were on the aisle carpet. I've never seen such an effort on any domestic US flight on any US-based airline where I have seen the FAs tend to the cleanliness of the aircraft at the level of KE's FA crew.

Anyhow, hope this helps you decide that you should take KE.