Jodi Lyn O'Keefe

*I apologize for the flickering in some of the darker scenes. I tried with my camera settings to get rid of them but wasn't very effective.* I been looking forward to flying Asiana again for a really long time since I flew on their excellent economy class seats a few years ago. Overall, the food onboard was excellent and their champagne and wine selections are very interesting and delicious. The amenity kit and pajamas were also excellent. However service on this flight was disappointing compared to ANA, JAL and Cathay. Asiana uses the Swiss lounge at JFK and it is a small lounge for the amount of passengers that an A380 can carry. For our departure time, the first class section of the Swiss lounge was also closed which means that all premium passengers were crammed into the business section. Breakfast options didn't include any hot foods even though it was almost noon. It was an interesting experience on board. This was my first time in a premium cabin with Asiana so I wasn't sure if it was the norm, but the service was not as polished as I had expected. No welcome drinks were served for more than 20 minutes while we sat around unable to use the entertainment system. While FAs did respond to call bells, it was a bit excessive to use a call bell for everything including getting drink refills or simply water. In economy I had seen FAs walking around with bottles of water and juice every hour or so, which I thought was really nice and passenger oriented. So it was bit of disappointment for first class since I had more proactive service on JAL and ANA first class. Perhaps the idea is for first class passengers to get more privacy but there is a do not disturb button. Since this is the first time I am flying with Asiana in First, I decided to go for the Royal Korean Bibimbap, which was beautifully presented. Everything was cooked as though it came out of a restaurant. The Korean appetizer was a huge let down, and was simply made up of two things taken out of a supermarket bag and put on a fancy dish. Otherwise the spring rolls with wasabi mayo on the inside and pumpkin soup, which both looked plain, all tasted amazing. The caviar course was also top notch quality. The alcohol menu on Asiana offers some unique and rare wines and champagnes. I really enjoyed the Churchill, the Port dessert wine, and the ice wine. I have not seen them being offered on other first class cabins yet but Asiana definitely has a high quality alcohol menu that one can look forward to tasting. Asiana provides an excellent amenity kit that puts Cathay's to shame. It is so filled up with goodies that you can feel its weight when you pick up the kit. It is probably the best first class kit I have ever received outside of the unique Samsonite ANA kit, which is also filled to the rim with generous sized products. The pajamas were also very comfortable and wrapped in a soft and sleek Asiana branded bag. I thought the suite and the seat looked very sleek and there was a great amount of privacy with the doors. The TV screen is absolutely huge and very clear and bright. The suite is a bit odd in that there is no fold out table or cocktail table that can give you convenient location to put a laptop or drinks. Rather it has only one large sliding table that is not so easily opened or closed. The suite also had a wide gap between it and window which made it difficult to film takeoff or landings but for most first class passengers I am sure this isn't a bother. It will be interesting to see how this compares with my Korean Air trips in 2 months. Filmed with Nikon D5500 using Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 lens.

• published: 02 Oct 2016
• views: 1172