I will be traveling to South Korea later this year for a professional trip (it'll be my first time there, so I'm quite piqued!). Realistically, there are only two viable options for me - SV or KE.

IST - ICN (screenshots attached)
1. SV - 22 hours each way; layover @ RUH
2. KE - 10 hours each way, non-stop; ~70% price increase

I'll be applying for a travel grant, so cost considerations will need to be factored into the equation. If you've flown on one (or both), would you mind sharing your experiences? I've not flown on either airline, so I can't seem to decide at the moment.

Your screenshots suggest you will travel Eco. In Economy, no way I would take the SV routing with a total of 22hrs of travel time, including 7hr of transit . This is crazy. Between those 2 options, whatever the cost, you should take the nonstop option.This is a work trip, no vacations.

Thank you for your insights! Yes -

1. Since it's a work trip, I'll need to be performing on my most optimal state of mind and body condition. I'll have a couple of days of rest after arriving, but still, it's incredibly exhausting.

2. Budget shouldn't be a problem since I'm aiming for a travel grant - either way, it's affordable. It's just that the cheaper option will leave more leeway for the travel grant to cover other costs while I'm there, but it's not a do-or-die situation.

For an av-geek or someone doing a run , i would say go with SV , but as goldorak said , its a business trip and you should go for less worse option

You are on business trip , if the company that requires you to fly to ICN cant accept 400$ , then they shouldnt send people on business trips to south korea cause they know nothing about prices there and you shouldnt accept such trips at all

You might enjoy it cause both are legacy airlines but when it will be same trip with low cost carriers , trust me , it wont be funny anymore

Both use the skyteam lounge operated by IGA , which is quite ok for 2/3h max , they made few improvements recently but in general its nothing compared to TK of course

i like the b787 of SV and the new jeddah terminal and the SV lounge , but beware that during the night it can get cold there and service is reduced

For KE no idea , havent tried yet

yeah - the AV geek in me would have tried SV if it was a lazy vacation, (plus, ironically, I'll earn more xp status on Flying Blue) but work efficiency takes precedence in this case.

As for the travel grant, it shouldn't be a problem. It's just that they have a hard limit (~$1700), and sometimes will give you even less if they feel that your entire trip "shouldn't have to cost so much" (eye-roll). We can choose our airlines/hotels, but they are stingy in general (I am a university professor, so I need to deal with the university department which deals with budgets). It's not them sending me out; it's me getting an invitation for a professional talk and presentation. The inviting institution pays me, but travel is not covered (very common in academia! you've no idea how cheap they can be). Thus, the necessity for a travel grant from my own university.

I've been to all of the lounges at IST (since I work in Turkey). I fully agree with you about the ST lounge; it's a bit small and not really comparable to the TK one. Ironically though, the food is more delicious, but that's personal preference.

Anyways - thanks for all the insights! I think I'll go with KE this time around.

No worries , when i lived in ankara i had friends working in hacettepe , bilkent or tubitak and they told me how it works , i thought you had a private employer

well the catering in the skyteam lounge + IGA lounge is the same (only minor differences) , but they are both operated by IGA . Depending on the day food can be good there , but TK definitely wins for variety of choices

Oh woah - I didn't know that you lived in Ankara for some time! That's cool; I'm based there now.

I didn't know that the SkyTeam lounge at IST was operated by iGA. Very interesting; no wonder they feel a bit similar. For breakfast, I do prefer the ST lounge over the TK lounge. Also - the iGA sleep pods on the other side of the terminal don't accept PP anymore; they told me a few weeks ago when I went there.

ESB is much better starting point for TK trips than IST . But its bad the airport lost so many westwards connections, but on the other hand many regional routes were launched

I am trying to come back to ankara once a year to visit friends practice turkish and enjoy food

not a surprise , all providers/lounges that were super happy to accept PP thinking its easy money are now retracting cause they are flooded with PP cardholders and dont make good benefits from this partnership


This is most likely what you can expect on this flight about hard product

Ahh - if you're up for it, let's meet up in Ankara sometime! I am always up for meeting fellow frequent travelers.

yes - ESB is easier, especially if one lives/works in Ankara. However, IST has way more options, which means more flexibility for me - especially as a ST flyer.

Thanks for the link about KE's 333s!

Should be there in september , will ping you by private message before

Yes , cause you have most european/middle eastern skyteam carriers flying to IST under 3h , so they can easily send 2 planes per day , and as they are trying to compete against a giant local player they have more incentive to lower their prices

You are welcome