New ICN terminal and Korean Air lounge
Mar 25, 2018, 9:55 pm
#91
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
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Mar 25, 2018, 10:32 pm
#92
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,166
Everything else is pretty disappointing IME.
For example, on my recent longhaul KE F flight, I didn't see any tea listed on the food & drinks menu, so I asked the FA if they had any tea.
She told me they had two kinds of tea onboard - green tea and red tea...
Having only two different kinds of tea in international first class was quite disappointing, but nevertheless I ordered the red tea.
After a couple of minutes she brought me a cup of hot water and a tea bag (they don't have any tea pots), and what do you know, it was Lipton red tea...she actually said she's embarrassed by the poor quality & variety of tea they have in first class.
For comparison, SQ offers TWG in BUSINESS CLASS.
Totally agree, and especially true if one needs to transit from T1 to T2 or vice versa, as those two terminals are FAR from each other.
Mar 26, 2018, 4:48 am
#93
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,053
I'd say the service is the only good aspect of KE's onboard F product.
Everything else is pretty disappointing IME.
For example, on my recent longhaul KE F flight, I didn't see any tea listed on the food & drinks menu, so I asked the FA if they had any tea.
She told me they had two kinds of tea onboard - green tea and red tea...
Having only two different kinds of tea in international first class was quite disappointing, but nevertheless I ordered the red tea.
After a couple of minutes she brought me a cup of hot water and a tea bag (they don't have any tea pots), and what do you know, it was Lipton red tea...she actually said she's embarrassed by the poor quality & variety of tea they have in first class.
For comparison, SQ offers TWG in BUSINESS CLASS.
Totally agree, and especially true if one needs to transit from T1 to T2 or vice versa, as those two terminals are FAR from each other.
Everything else is pretty disappointing IME.
For example, on my recent longhaul KE F flight, I didn't see any tea listed on the food & drinks menu, so I asked the FA if they had any tea.
She told me they had two kinds of tea onboard - green tea and red tea...
Having only two different kinds of tea in international first class was quite disappointing, but nevertheless I ordered the red tea.
After a couple of minutes she brought me a cup of hot water and a tea bag (they don't have any tea pots), and what do you know, it was Lipton red tea...she actually said she's embarrassed by the poor quality & variety of tea they have in first class.
For comparison, SQ offers TWG in BUSINESS CLASS.
Totally agree, and especially true if one needs to transit from T1 to T2 or vice versa, as those two terminals are FAR from each other.
Mar 26, 2018, 5:49 am
#94
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vietnam & USA
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 456
Even if it isn't real newspaper, it's still paper with ink printed on it. do you mean to tell me they use special ink that's been certified to not contain any harmful chemicals if consumed? With any standard printing techniques, it is very likely the hot food and oils will create a chemical reaction with the chemicals used to print the paper. I stand by my reply - totally disgusting, and this lounge should immediately be shut down.
On a scale of 1 to 10, this is about -20,000
Mar 27, 2018, 8:46 pm
#95
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
I'm *A so I've only been to T2 to pick up a friend. It was nice when I walked in, but that's the extent of my experience so far.
Mar 27, 2018, 9:58 pm
#96
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Join Date: Apr 2013
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Long walk from gate. Transit security was slow and chaotic and the hi-tech stuff seemed to make it worse. Staff were positively surly (never encountered that at ICN before). Then a long walk through the mall to the lounge. Signage was terrible . . . Had a difficult time finding the lounge. Everything is hard surfaces. Sterile and loud. Just as in main terminal, walkways are not wide enough, which means it can be really difficult navigating the crowd, especially in a hurry.
Mar 28, 2018, 12:23 am
#97
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
Long walk from gate. Transit security was slow and chaotic and the hi-tech stuff seemed to make it worse. Staff were positively surly (never encountered that at ICN before). Then a long walk through the mall to the lounge. Signage was terrible . . . Had a difficult time finding the lounge. Everything is hard surfaces. Sterile and loud. Just as in main terminal, walkways are not wide enough, which means it can be really difficult navigating the crowd, especially in a hurry.
Mar 28, 2018, 1:11 am
#98
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,053
Interesting, thanks for the response. I've been noticing that immigration/security/transit has changed drastically over the past two years - I can't get through immigration in less than 25 minutes anymore, they've limited the amount of desks available to foreigners. My Korean girlfriend sails through in less than 30 seconds each time though...
Mar 28, 2018, 3:35 am
#99
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
Well as an American living in Korea my experience is they can be.... Homogenous, and I guess they got complaints that natives were having to wait in line for too long so they added counters for Korean citizens, and foreigners can't complain because they don't speak Korean so that fixed the issue.
Mar 28, 2018, 11:02 pm
#100
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Seoul, Korea
Programs: KL-PEFL
Posts: 51
Mar 28, 2018, 11:54 pm
#101
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
Personally I don't have to do the photo/fingerprint since I have a visa but it definitely takes some "extra time" to do those for folks.
Mar 29, 2018, 3:26 pm
#102
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Programs: AA ExPlat, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 909
Interesting, thanks for the response. I've been noticing that immigration/security/transit has changed drastically over the past two years - I can't get through immigration in less than 25 minutes anymore, they've limited the amount of desks available to foreigners. My Korean girlfriend sails through in less than 30 seconds each time though...
Mar 29, 2018, 5:54 pm
#103
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983