Korean Air

Korean Air First Class Suites A380 Seoul Incheon to New York JFK KE081

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• published: 17 Jan 2017
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Filmed on a Nikon D5500 with Sigma 17-50mm lens. Capping off this trip across the world is one of the best first class I have had. The Korean Air crew continues to be some of the best FAs I have encountered. The meals are also significantly better on this route compared to leaving from JFK, which suggest that the issue is with JFK catering. Something I noticed in Seoul Incheon this year is the rather ridiculous wait time for security checks. The lines seem especially bad in the mornings. There is no special security lane for premium class passenger so make sure to get to the airport earlier than you usually do. It took about an hour before I got through security. Since the First Class lounge barely passes for a business class lounge, I decided to briefly visit it to get some food. To my surprise, the food was exactly the same as my Hong Kong flight, with only 3 hot meal options, congee salad, fruits, and plain yogurt. I decided to leave the lounge early and take pictures of the planes instead. Onboard, I encounter another excellent crew, especially the FA working on the A aisle. She keep me well hydrated with champagne and tea throughout the flight. She was proactive and really put passengers first. After the meal I ordered some tea, before she could bring it to me I decided to stretch my legs and roam around the cabin. When I came back, the tea had gotten cold, and she insisted she could remake it for me so its hot. I also accidentally interrupted her while she was eating, but she quickly put her meal down to make my bed even though I insist she finish eating first. I was able to chatted with her about her life at Korean Air. She and many others choose Korean Air because it is much more of an international airline than Asiana with gives them the chance to travel to many more countries. She told me that the prior week she was in India, and enjoyed seeing all the different countries. This might explain why FAs working for Korean Air tend to have more fluent English than Asiana. On this flight, there was an extra Korean cuisine menu, so I decided to try it out. The beef dishes were absolutely delicious. It was savory, smokey, and perfectly seasoned. The type of beef that TV shows would describe as "melt in your mouth" type of good. Probably the best beef dish I had second only to the steak with red wine sauce in ANA's First Class. The Celestial bar and lounges continue to be an excellent place to stretch out while enjoying some snacks and drinks. It wasn't crowded on the two A380 flights I took. As usual, the IFE on Korean Air doesn't have that much to offer compared to Singapore or Cathay. I did watch the movie Storks, which turned out to be really funny. Even my fellow passengers seemed to enjoy it. The gentleman seated in front of me seemed to be a South Korean billionaire type (chaebol) as several people from his entourage came up from economy to hand him binders and folders while courteously bowing to him. All his luggage were marked not only with First Class but VIP. I thought it was a bit amusing to see a man of his caliber watching Storks as well. Overall, after my trips in Korean Air in first class, and my prior trips with them in economy, I think they are simply one of the best airlines between US and Asia. For most travelers in economy, I think leg room and catering is the most important and Korean Air or Asiana is able to provide a comfortable experience though it would be best to bring your own entertainment. If you are in the market for premium economy, ANA, JAL, Cathay, EVA, and China Airlines all offer excellent products with excellent IFEs (although not so much with ANA or JAL). Business class is harder to say and really comes down to schedule and price. EVA offers a true premium experience, but China Airlines's cabin is beautiful and cozy. Personally I would go for Asiana, ANA, Cathay, EVA or China Airlines since the cabin is 1x2x1 and not 2x3x2 on JAL and KE. For first class, I don't think you can make a mistake with either the Korean or Japanese airlines. Thanks for watching!