Lounge Review: ICN T2 Korean Air Prestige Class Lounge West

Index to Genius1 Trip Reports

Incheon Airport’s Terminal 2 opened in 2018 and is home to the majority of SkyTeam airlines serving the airport, including home-based Korean Air. The check-in concourse is typically expansive, with Korean Air offering their own Premium Check-in area in Zone A for First and Prestige Class passengers and SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus passengers travelling on KE.



Eligibility is checked by agents at the entrance to the partitioned-off area, which other than offering a smattering of seating and featuring some wood-effect flooring is unremarkable. Separate desks are offered for SkyTeam Elite / Elite Plus and Prestige Class passengers, although I have to admit to not noticing this at the time of travelling, and using the Prestige Class desks despite only travelling in Economy Class. To the right of the entrance is a First Class Check-in lounge for KE’s F passengers.







The Premium Check-in area doesn’t feature direct access to security, so all passengers – whether in F or, like me, in Y but holding SkyTeam Elite Plus status – have to back track to access the security search area opposite Zones C and D (known as Departure Hall 1). There was no Sky Priority lane that I could see.

Korean Air operate four lounges at T2; a First Class lounge for their own F passengers, a Miler Club lounge for their own top tier frequent flyers travelling in Prestige Class, and two Prestige Class lounges for SkyTeam Elite Plus and business class passengers. The main lounges are located one floor above gate level opposite Gate 248 (First Class and Miler Club lounges) and Gate 249 (Prestige Class lounge West). The Prestige Class lounge East is located opposite Gate 253. Both Prestige Class lounges are near identical, although East is generally the quieter of the two despite it being slightly smaller. However, given my flight was departing from the Western end of the terminal, I opted to use the West lounge as it was the closest to my gate – a decision that I instantly regretted upon seeing how busy the lounge was.





Lockers are available at reception for luggage storage along with a news stand featuring a handful of airline magazines, beyond which the lounge opens up into a fairly large rectangle. Aside from some low wooden screens in the main seating area and glazed panels in a vague attempt to screen off the buffet, there is very little subdivision of the space, and consequently very little privacy regardless of seating type. The lighting scheme is in a word ‘bright’ and in two words ‘too bright’. The bland colour scheme of white, grey, beige and light blue only adds to the utilitarian feeling of the space.

Straight ahead from reception is a narrow high-top table designed for working, terribly exposed to the rest of the lounge. A small number of individual seating booths are arranged opposite. Just around the corner from reception is a recessed TV area featuring armchair seating, adjacent to which are the washrooms and showers.



The focal points – if they can be described as such – of the main seating area are two circular high-top tables, featuring bar and banquette seating. You might expect some artwork or another form of eye-catcher to be located here, but no – they are just high-top tables. Surrounding them are low wooden partitions (some featuring more news racks with the same dismal magazine selection as at reception), on the outside of which is dining seating, and inside of which is a mixture of armchair and banquette seating. Additional armchair seating of varying types is lined up in tightly packed regimented rows outside of the circular spaces and along the windows overlooking the gate concourse. I found this arrangement to be quite disconcerting, as many of the seats face the back of another seat such that I constantly had a feeling of ‘who’s behind me’. The wooden side tables and high-top seating all feature power and USB-A sockets (one small saving grace of this lounge), although plenty of seats only have circular coffee tables with no power provision.







A screened-off relaxation area with semi-private day beds is located at the far end of the lounge, which unusually for such a space seemed to be fully occupied during my visit; perhaps because it’s the most private part of the lounge.

The buffet area takes up roughly a third of the lounge, although doesn’t feature much seating at all aside from one communal dining table. Three island buffet stations are complemented on two sides by counters offering additional self-service food and drink. ‘All day’ food options included both Korean and Western cuisine, and although I didn’t eat anything substantial, I’m sure I would’ve found something decent had I needed it. The third side of the buffet area, oddly located adjacent to the washrooms and showers, features a tended bar, at which there was always a queue during my visit. The bar offered beer on tap, and sparkling wine as opposed to champagne.





For a flagship lounge at their home base, I had expected much more from Korean Air’s Prestige Class lounge. The space is too small for the number of passengers eligible to use it, resulting in the seating being badly arranged (too tightly packed and regimented), under lighting that is too harsh and with an interior design totally devoid of character or interest.

In my opinion other than the Singapore Airlines lounge in T1, the lounge offering at Incheon is pretty poor.

The Asiana lounges are comfortable but the food and beverage offering is poor. The Korean Air lounges are slightly better for food but still poor for an airline at their own hub.

I would also add that whilst Incheon is a nice airport I�ve found the queues for security outrageous over the past year - it�s taken 30-45 minutes each time. On my last trip my bag got manually searched because of�.keys!

Was at this lounge yesterday…not great.

was there this morning and this is really a disappointing lounge considering it is their own hub. I was there around 6:30am, there was no food at all. the food only arrived like 10 minutes later. everything was gone within minutes, no refill available right away. and the offering was really poor. Bathroom was not exactly the cleanest I've seen either.Only think I can they is that this is really disappointing for an airlines like KE

I agree that Korean Air's lounges haven't quite measured up to those of other top-tier airlines. Fortunately, brand-new lounges are set to open at ICN this August 2025, which will hopefully alleviate congestion and significantly improve the passenger experience.https://www.executivetraveller.com/n...ul-icn-lax-jfk

Can China Eastern pax in business use this lounge? It seems China Eastern has its own lounge and it’s not in the Korean Air terminal with the rest of SkyTeam??!!

MU is in ICN T1 and KE in T2.
however there is also a KE lounge in T1 i think.

Thanks! It appears MU also has its own lounge (it looks like it's the old Asiana lounge in the satellite terminal). Just curious how either of those lounges are lately? I have a five-hour connection so curious about the food, self-serve wine, etc.

the priority pass lounge in concourse is better than MU for sure. where are you coming from? logistically, you won't be able to go from T1 to concourse to T2 and back to concourse

Is there a Priority Pass lounge in the satellite terminal? Is that this one?
https://my.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lo...sky-hub-lounge

If I recall, that lounge is on that mezzanine on the other side of the MU lounge, right? Up the escalators? I just want a place with showers, self-service wine and good wifi!

I land on Delta into T2, but depart on a separate ticket on MU from T1 satellite. I was hoping to take train from T2 to T1 for Korean Air lounge and then T1 train to T1 satellite before the flight. But, the security scanners may not let me get on the train to T1 if my boarding pass is from T1 Satellite. I may just go through immigration and outsmart the system, take the bus to T1 and then start anew from there since I have 5 hours and refuse to sit in the MU garbage lounge.

Do you think I can get into the T2 Korean Air lounge on a transit with an MU business class boarding pass as ST Elite+, even though I depart from T1 Satellite? Or will they deny me (despite that being against SkyTeam rules and I should be able to gain access to a ST lounge with same-day boarding pass from that airport)? It would save me a useless entry and exit stamp for South Korea as my passport is filling up again. Thanks everyone for your help...any suggestions would be appreciated.

The MU lounge in the satellite terminal is pretty sad. The only decent food there would be the instant noodles. There is maybe some fruits such as a banana or apple. Drinks are self serve cans in a fridge. Other than that, the lounge itself is dark and feels dated. You are better off going to a different lounge or eating at the food court downstairs.

It is not the old Asiana lounge in the satellite terminal. MU took over a lounge that formerly served a middle eastern airline.

oh thank you�is there a Priority Pass lounge in the satellite terminal?

Terminal 1 Concourse just shows Sky Hub Lounge https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/l...sky-hub-lounge

Yes, but I can't figure out if that is in the same area as the China Eastern lounge or if I have to take the train to get to it. If the latter, the scanners on the train system may not let me access another temrinal.