After a two-hour layover at Seoul Incheon Airport, I connected to Hong Kong on a Korean Airlines 777-300ER in “Prestige” business class, encountering an aging product with excellent service onboard.
Korean Air 777-300ER Prestige Business Class Review (ICN-HKG)
I booked this flight as part of my 80,000 one-way Korean Air SKYPASS award from Atlanta – Seoul – Hong Kong in first class. You can read my 747-8i review from Atlanta to Seoul here.
After spending some time in the very odd Korean Air First Class Lounge, I boarded my flight…and found that it had almost fully boarded…even though we were still 45 minutes away from departure. Very different than in Japan…
I’m quite a fan of Terminal Two at Seoul Incheon…although you may have to walk a great distance to your flight.
Korean Air 177
Seoul (ICN) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Tuesday, February 4
Depart: 08:00 PM
Arrive: 11:10 PM
Duration: 4 hr, 10 min
Distance: 1,284 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 7J (Business Class)
Onboard, I walked through the first class cabin (I’ll say more about that in a moment) and to my seat in row seven.
Seats
Korean uses the B/E Aerospace Apex seat in business class, branding it as a “Prestige Suite.” I booked a window seat in the mini-cabin behind first class, which includes only a single row of seats (staggered 2-2-2, all with direct aisle access). The turquoise seats have been recovered in dark gray.
The business class cabin has 42 seats that are 21 inches wide and convert into a 72-inch fully lie-flat bed. Each seat has a universal A/C and USB-A outlet. Seat recline is controlled via buttons on the armrest. There’s also a handheld passenger service unit to control the IFE content.
A privacy divider can be raised between seats.
Tip: B and H seats have an additional personal stowage “nook.” Other seats lack personal storage.
While this seat lacks storage, the A and J seats feel like a mini-first class suite with three windows and a small ottoman for your feet. It’s nice that there is no footwell, which constrains space, but I do prefer the Super Diamond reverse herringbone seat to this one.
There were no personal air vents, but thankfully, the cabin did not get warm on this flight.
I was not tired at all and did not try to sleep on this flight, but reclined the seat into lie-flat mode. Unfortunately, Korean Air does not offer proper bedding on these shorter flights…the blanket was more appropriate for economy class.
A note on the first class cabin. Although this plane has a first class cabin, first class is not sold on this flight. I requested a first class seat while in Atlanta on the Seoul – Hong Kong portion and was told there were several available and to check in Seoul. However, by the time I reached Seoul, I was told that all seats were assigned. It appears that these seats are given to top-tier members of the Korean Air SKYPASS program…
Food + Drink
I thought I’d be adventurous and order the Korean dish…that was my mistake.
Before takeoff, though, a choice of water, orange juice, or sparkling wine was offered with a snack mix.
Menus were also distributed.
Dinner was served after takeoff, starting with a hot towel and beverage (I ordered a Negroni).
The appetizer was a mixed green salad with shrimp.
I wanted to try the bibimbap, but it appears this is only available on inbound flights to Seoul, not outbound flights. However, I did pre-order the Korean dish for dinner, which was a stir-fried octopus in hot spicy sauce.
Folks, I tried. I really tried. While the dish was not too spicy for me, the flavors and textures did not work for me (I don’t know how else to say it) and I only ate about half of it. Ordinarily, I love octopus but this was so rubbery and chewy and the soup was far too salty (I’m told this is the way Koreans tend to like octopus). A flight attendant graciously offered to bring me another dish on the menu when she saw I did not finish, but I was full…I had enjoyed a nice meal in the first class lounge.
But yes, typical American…should have ordered the steak.
> Read More: Stir-Fried Octopus In Hot Spicy Sauce On Korean Air
I concluded the meal with fresh fruit (watermelon, pineapple, green grapes).
IFE + Wi-Fi
This flight did have Wi-Fi, with a flight pass costing 11.95 USD (or a messaging pass 4.95 USD). I was not tired and passed the time after dinner watching a movie (Juror #2…directed by Clint Eastwood and very well done) and listening to Andrea Bocelli. The IFE library included music, TV shows, and movies.
Other than at takeoff and landing, there wasn’t much to see outside the windows…
Lavatory
Business class has two lavatories in the front of the cabin and that’s it…there are no lavatories behind and you have to walk through an entire economy class cabin to get to the next pair of lavatories. The lavatory had mouthwash, shaving kits, combs, and dental kits.
Amenties
There were no amenity kits offered on this flight, though the business class lavatories included the amenities you typically find in a kit. Slippers, however, were offered.
Service
Service was professional and very well-intentioned on this flight. I was warmly welcomed onboard, welcomed again as I settled into my seat, and I sensed genuine empathy for my struggles with the main course. It was very sweet that I was twice offered a Western replacement. Beverage refills were also repeatedly offered.
CONCLUSION
We landed on time in Hong Kong and I was quickly off the plane and onboard a train heading for passport control.
Overall, it was a pleasant flight with good service. I probably should have stuck to the Western menu over the Korean dish, but that’s really on me. The 777 cabin is dull, particularly because of the hard fluorescent lighting, but I enjoyed the flight and would do fine in this seat on a longhaul flight with proper bedding.
F seats are also given to “vip” passengers as well (i.e board/chairperson of larger companies, famous celebrities, singers, etc) even if they don’t have status. You used to be able to obtain status with KE if you donated to the Hanjin group hospital or university and these status holders would receive F seats on planes that didn’t directly sell F seats.
KE looks like it belongs with TG & MH in the hierarchy of Asian carriers. Better than VN and GA, worse than JL,NH,CX,SQ.BR,CI.
It seems like it should be better. It just looks sterile. Very “SkyTeam”
Agreed. Very good assessment.
and yet Korean is the largest Asian TPAC airline and as it integrates Asiana and as DL grows its TPAC network, the DL/KE JV will be close to if not the largest across the Pacific.
KE is already substantially larger than either Japanese airline, CX or HK across the Pacific and w/ the intra-Asia network that goes with it.
Considering how much difference there is in Star carriers even in Asia, let alone talking about Europe, it is a little broad to generalize about service and product levels by alliances – certainly when considering size.
I agree in that there’s no universal level of quality in SkyTeam. That said, if each alliance had a personality, SkyTeam’s would be “Fine. We’re in an alliance. Okay?” and KE’s product seems to be, rather consistently, along those same lines. “First Class is supposed to have good wines. Here. Here’s some good wine. See…we did what we were told to do.” is, as per Matthew’s experience ATL-ICN, very much in line with that same “check the boxes methodically” mindset that seems to pervade many (but not all) SkyTeam member airlines’ product, hard and soft.
Ha, ha, ha. You think THOSE seats are sterile?
Look at the KE 2-3-2 business seats they use on the 77W between Seoul and Las Vegas.
It’s nice KE provides tongue depressors in their cocktails to use later in the flight. For what, I have no idea, but it appears if you need one, you’re set.
The tongue depressors are provided to help trigger the gag reflex when you’re chewing and chewing the rubber octopus.
How did you reserve those business seats in the mini cabin? I have a flight on a 777 coming up and they have them blocked off. Is it because you said your flight was Atlanta – Seoul – Hong Kong in first class (so I assume the first leg was first class which maybe allowed you to book in the mini cabin)? Or do they only open up 24 hours before like JAL does with some of their better business seats?
Kudos for at least attempting the local dish.
I learned the Korean-style octopus lesson about ten years ago, and would have chosen the fish with Chinese noodles! Good on you for giving it a go, and not reflexively defaulting to the steak.
Probably the only airline I wouldn’t give you a hard time opting for the western meal. Korean food, for all the rave its BBQ and fried chicken gets, has probably the highest proportion of ‘unpalatable’ aspects, especially when not familiar. Not so much about spicy / not spicy, but more on the ‘why would these two flavours work together’ part. Really not beginner-friendly