Korean Air uses Terminal 2 at Incheon Int’l Airport.
The premium class check-in area is before row A in the same terminal building. There is a small door leading you to the premium check-in area.
Inside the premium check-in area, First Class has its own check-in lounge while Business Class has the typical check-in counters.
You can sit and enjoy a drink while waiting to be checked-in.
There’s no separate security check and passport control area so I used the main one, and once cleared, the Korean Air First Class lounge is on the right side within a 5 minute walk.
There is a flagship B747-8 model on display so I took a photo with it.
Korean Air First Class Lounge
The Korean Air First Class lounge is fairly small in size and I’d say very understated in terms of luxury. It is not flashy at all.
There is just one main hall area with partitions and lounge chairs. Some seats facing the windows have the massage chairs.
The F&B area is also fairly underwhelming from first look. It is intimate with just 6 tables. The buffet spread has drinks, some snacks and ice cream.
For food, I was presented with a menu and there are images of food on the tablet. It is a la carte by order only.
There are also private rooms and shower room available in the Korean Air First Class lounge.
Overall, I’d say the lounge is functional but it is fairly underwhelming as a First Class Lounge. The food was decent but I felt Korean Air could do more to “luxurize” the experience.
Korean Air A380 Flight to Los Angeles
This is my first time flying Korean Air A380. I am glad they brought it back.
Currently, the Korean Air A380 flies from Incheon to Bangkok, Taipei, Los Angeles, and New York JFK.
Korean Air First Class
Korean Air First Class is on the main deck, unlike many other A380 operators. There are 12 Kosmo Suites (older generation Suite).
My seat was 1D, center aisle directly under the stairwell of the A380. The entire First Class was full.
Flight time to LA was 10 hours and 10 minutes.
Unfortunately, mask is still mandatory onboard Korean Air.
Seat Map of Korean Air A380
Flight attendants came to take food orders, I noticed that they can write on the tablet if customers have any special requests.
Korean Air First Class Dinner
The dinner was pretty much the same as on my Korean Air B747-8 First Class flight from Atlanta to Incheon. The same champagne Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque was served.
I tried out the Korean food option, it was a huge tray of small dishes, including beef galbi, grill sea bream, seaweed soup and other accompaniments.
After the meal, I went around the A380 for a walk.
I checked out the Economy Class meal. The tray was large and I like how Korean Air still serves meats on the salad course while most other carriers are giving you beans, lentils or couscous….
The rest of Korean Air A380
There are 94 Business Class seats spanning the entire upper deck.
301 Economy Class seats are on the lower deck behind First Class.
The A380 is huge so there’s some extra room at the front of the plane. Korean Air uses these space to set up as a bar and lounge. However, no drinks were displayed.
There is also a “celestial bar” at the rear of the A380. The flight attendant told me this is now a self-service bar.
In the rear of the A380 behind the economy class, there is a unique duty-free stand. However, it was not utilized and the shelves are empty.
Conclusion
Korean Air A380 product is dated as the plane is 10 years old. On the B747-8 and B777-300/ER, you can find the fully enclosed suite called Kosmo Suite II. I must say, I am not a fan of the Korean Air interior color. It doesn’t portray the First Class luxury as one would expect. I very much prefer their B747-8 which features the newer Kosmo Suites II.
Pros:
- The service was courteous and efficient.
- While the seat wasn’t fully private, it is wide and spacious. The bedding was comfortable.
Cons:
- No Wi-Fi, outdated IFE.
- Many unique onboard A380 features like the celestial bar, duty-free stand were not open and utilized.
Have you been to the bar and sky shop in this A380?
Finally, after a long time, you have been inside an A380 and filled an A380! Did you miss the super jumbo jets??
Like Sam said, I don’t like Korean Air’s first class seats color itself. It really reminds me of dentist chairs or medaical beds. I really don’t understand why Korean Air choose that color. However Korean Air A321 neo’s business class seats color is really good as you might know.
When I flew with Korean Air, I found that language selection for IFE or AVOD isn’t enough (English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese) or I should say it’s big joke whereas other airline companeies (such as United, Lufthansa, Emirates, Delta, and etc) have a lot of language selections. I want to add that comment as con.
But service itself is great.
I always enjoy your Youtube and your blog all the time.
I’m rather loyal to Korean Air now. I’ve been flying from the UK to Australasia with them for almost 10 years now and what stands out to me is their exemplary service on every flight, even in economy, and their efficiency. I agree though that some upgrades are needed!
Sadly I have to agree with most of Korean Air products. Last time I flew the beautiful 747-8i, Business class, the plane , service and food was extremely bland. I was so unimpressed. It’s strange because I always had good feelings about aKorean Airlines. I also find that the FA’s are not very nice and it’s on the level of Fake. Most friends I know love Korean Air but that is because they fly economy and economy has a pretty good meal service. But for J class, how many times can you eat the same thing? They don’t even change their menus based upon where they are traveling too.
I’m saddened by all of the this as Korean Air was always my go to to mediate between hawaii and south East Asia. Loving a stop in Korea to shop and enjoy a relaxing flight.
I give them a hard C
I think your pic of the check-in area captured actor Si-wan Kim (sitting on the left).
The masks are very 2020. So awful and ridiculous now. Long past time to get rid of them. I would never subject myself to them at this point unless completely unavoidable . . . even to the extent of flying a US carrier that doesn’t require them.