My first-ever longhaul journey in first class on Korean Air, a flight from Atlanta to Seoul on the flagship Boeing 747-8, was a very pleasant journey overall with some rough edges, but a great crew and spacious seat.
Korean Air 747-8 First Class Review (ATL-ICN)
Korean Air operates the longest 747-8 flight in the world; the 7,152-mile journey from Atlanta to Seoul was blocked at nearly 16 hours. I booked my ticket for 80,000 Korean Air SKYPASS points, which also included a connection to Hong Kong in business class.
I arrived from Los Angeles on a Delta flight and could have gone out for the full check-in experience, but just checked in online instead to save the hassle of an additional security check. Korean Air flies out of the F Concourse in ATL, and I spent time in the Delta Sky Club before boarding the flight.
Boarding commenced 45 minutes before takeoff…there was no special boarding or escorts for first class passengers and there was an army of wheelchairs waiting to board first…a legion!
Korean Air 036
Atlanta (ATL) – Seoul (ICN)
Monday, February 3
Depart: 11:55 AM
Arrive: 5:45 PM+1
Duration: 15 hr, 55 min
Distance: 7,152 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 747-8
Seat: 2A (First Class)
Onboard, I was greeted at door 1L by a flight attendant who inspected my boarding pass then instructed her colleague to escort me to my seat in the nose of the plane.
Seat
The seat (suite) onboard, branded the Kosmo Suite 2.0 by Korean Air, is spacious and features closing doors. While Lufthansa puts eight seats in the nose of its 747-8, Korean Air puts only six seats in a 1-1 configuration. Seats are 24 inches wide (32 inches wide when the armrests are lowered) and convert into a lie-flat bed that is 83 inches long.
Storage included a full closet larger enough for carry-on bags (there are no overhead bins) and storage compartments along the side of the suite under the windows. One container featured an IFE remote as well as a USB-A charging port. A universal A/C outlet was located adjacent to the footwell.
The signature turquoise seat covers have been replaced with neutral grey seat covers…I prefer the turquoise, which is so ubiquitous with Korean Air, but Korean Air is moving away from the turquoise as it merges with Asiana, both in terms of its cabin interiors and aircraft livery.
Seat controls include recline and lumbar adjustment.
The cabin was very cold after takeoff, such that I put a day blanket around me. When the flight attendant saw that I was cold, she said, “I’ll make it warmer!”
No, no, no!
I knew that would backfire and sure enough, the cabin became like a sauna during the middle of the flight. Even though there was an individual air nozzle in the first class suite (which I had on full blast), I struggled to sleep (and eventually requested the temperature be turned back down, which it was though the cabin never fully cooled off).
I didn’t manage to sleep as long as I wanted, but got in a four-hour power nap and found the bedding (including duvet, pillow, and mattress pad) to be excellent.
Do you notice anything about the pictures above? The window shades were not able to keep out all the sunlight, which was quite annoying:
Moodlighting was turned on for most of the flight, which gave the cabin a nice lighting effect.
Service
Onboard, I was greeted by two flight attendants, Ms. Kim and Ms. Park, who did a wonderful job overall of taking care of me during the long daytime journey to South Korea.
I appreciated the pace of service, the overall attention to detail, and the fact that they somehow knew when I woke up and came over promptly to check on whether I needed any food or drink.
While I sincerely found the service outstanding overall, I wish the flight attendants were trained on how to properly present wine. Instead of offering a taste and then holding the bottle up while I sampled it, it was just poured out (I asked for the pictures below). It’s a missed opportunity to really provide a first class experience proactively.
But the ladies were very nice and attentive overall…the service was 100% a step above what you would expect in business class on most carriers.
One other service-related gripe: the first row was blocked and it turns out off-duty pilots were sitting there. The pilots were already lounging in the seats watching TV (in uniform) when I boarded…which made me think they may have been deadheading? I thought all four pilots would need to be in the cockpit for takeoff and landing? I don’t really care that pilots are in the seats, but it does not present a first class feel when you are greeted by pilots relaxing in the cabin upon boarding.
Other crewmembers used row three to store their baggage (on the floor, not in the closet)…again, not a big deal, but not very premium either.
Food + Drink
You will not go hungry in Korean Air First Class and I found the meal service excellent, with one exception. Menus were waiting at the seat.
Before takeoff, vegetable chips were offered with a limited choice of drinks (Champagne was not available, presumably to avoid the tax on it when opened on the ground in the USA).
Lunch
Lunch was served after takeoff, starting with an amuse-bouche (dried tomato, mozzarella, olive bruschetta) and a glass of Champagne (Devaux “Stenope” 2011).
A full caviar service followed, with caviar from Venezia Osetra Caviar.
The flight attendants were unaware of what Negroni was, but the ingredients were present so I had one with my lunch. I appreciated their willingness to make me one.
Next came a celeriac cream soup drizzled with chives, which was very delicious.
That was followed by a mixed salad with arugula, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, pecans, and a yogurt dressing.
Ms. Kim recommended I try a California red wine with my main course from Shafer and it was very good.
I appreciated the lemon sorbet palate cleanser before the main course.
I chose grilled beef tenderloin with rosemary brandy sauce (served with potato, asparagus and tomato) for my main course…the other choices being bibimbap or roasted cod fish with saffron sauce. All three sounded good…
All four passengers (including the two pilots) ordered the steak…I had pre-ordered a Korean meal on the flight from Seoul and wanted to see how the KAL steak compared to the JAL steak departing the USA.
I was asked how I wanted it prepared beforehand (medium rare) and it was served a perfect medium rare and I loved the white asparagus.
I concluded the meal with fruit, cheese, and cake along with a cappuccino.
Midflight Snack
After sleeping for several hours, I woke up just after we passed over Alaska.
I ordered a “sandwich” off the menu, which the flight attendant said was served warm. It turned out to be a pastrami Reuben…a delicious one. I don’t think I’ve ever had pastrami on rye on an airplane! I enjoyed some “detox” juice, an iced cappuccino, and some cookies with it. I had to stop myself from ordering another round…I could have had a second sandwich and three more cookies…
Pre-Arrival Meal
Two hours before landing, a light meal was served. I was glad I had eaten the sandwich, because the salmon was quite dry and tasteless (though nicely presented). It was preceded by another green salad (with a nasty Itlaian dressing that tasted like it was from Kraft) and followed by fruit and one more coffee.
The poor salmon aside, I quite enjoyed the food on this flight.
Amenities
Shortly after takeoff, I changed into pajamas (from Gianfranco Ferré), which I found very comfortable. Slippers were also offered.
The amenity kit was a missed opportunity, with a cheap rubber bag that felt more suited for premium economy or business class than first class.
Contents included:
- eyeshade
- dental kit
- shoe horn
- skin products from Atelier Cologne
- hand cream
- aftershave lotion
- body lotion
- lip balm
- face cream
Lavatory
First class has two lavatories (for six passengers!) located behind the cabin. Extra ementies included sahving kits and mouthwash.
Wi-Fi + IFE
The suite featured a 34-inch high-definition IFE display and Korean Air uses very nice noise-cancelling headphones from Bowers & Wilkins.
The IFE library was limited, with a poor selection of movies and TV shows compared to leading carriers. There was also an audio library, a moving flight map, and a forward camera.
While it is nice to unplug sometimes, I find the lack of Wi-Fi onboard wholly unacceptable for 2025. Going over 15 hours without wi-fi made me understand what it must feel like for smokers who have to go so long without a cigarette…it’s just too long and the flight was in the middle of my work day.
I have to admit, I could not wait to get off that aircraft so that I could check-in with my family, office, and associates…and that may be more a reflection on me than on Korean Air, but a leading airline should offer wi-fi.
At least there were beautiful views outside the window for the flight, which was entirely in daylight.
CONCLUSION
It was a gorgeous evening as we landed on time in Seoul Incheon.
I was so happy to check this product off my “bucket list” and found the flight very pleasant overall.
In terms of carriers that still offer first class, I’d have to rate Korean Air as below average. But that does not mean I had a bad flight. Quite the contrary, I will look back quite fondly on this flight…it’s always a pleasure to fly on the Queen.
I love flying on Korean and Japanese carriers generally, but for some reason they all have the worst IFE.
As for pilots in first class, it’s their policy under union contract. KAL pilots don’t rest in the crew bunk. Instead, they must take the first class(business if the aircraft doesn’t have it) seats as their crew rest area in each aircraft. It’s quite a loss for KAL not to be able to sell those seats.
It’s a little tacky having crew rest in the first class cabin, IMO, particularly when there are purpose-built rest areas available. Putting them in row one is also a bit rich. They should be back in row three, not occupying the most desirable seats on the entire aircraft.
@Matthew, the celeriac cream soup was very what?
I think you missed a word or two to describe the soup, leaving us with a cliff hanger.
Delicious!
You should have found fault, like nuts not being in a dish but just the packet. Then shout at the FA and make the FA kneel and beg for forgiveness. (That actually happened with a DYKWIA)
If I could transfer over my upgrade vouchers to F, this would have happened last year, but glad you were finally able to fly KE’s 748 in F.
I’ll have to fly with you and we can trade seats! 😉
“I arrived from Los Angeles on a Delta flight and could have gone out for the full check-in experience, but just checked in online instead to save the hassle of an additional security check.”
Unless something has changed recently, you didn’t miss anything. When I took this same flight back in 2019, KE offered squat as far as special check-in at ATL.
“I ordered a “sandwich” off the menu, which the flight attendant said was served warm. It turned out to be a pastrami Reuben…a delicious one. I don’t think I’ve ever had pastrami on rye on an airplane!”
DL used to have a pastrami on rye in domestic F years ago, shockingly a rather decent one which I had on a flight from LGA to DFW. I even have proof of life! (Yes, I lamented the lack of a hot meal at the time, but I’d kill for a decent sandwich these days.)
https://roadmoretraveled.blog/2017/05/05/review-delta-e-175-first-class-lga-dfw/
When will we see your rankings of the top 10 to 15 best first class products?
If you ever do this, I really hope you rank by product (even two or more products per carrier, and not with just one product per carrier).
KE F will be in the latter half, probably final third, it’s clear.
I need to fly the new AF First and Allegris First…we’ll see.
Looks quite a lot better than I’d expected in terms of food and beverages! Hopefully will get to try this out in a 747……. must remember to buy a lottery ticket this weekend.
Thanks for the review!