KOREAN AIR review : 19 June 2008 : by F Sharif

Customer Rating : 4/5

Heathrow to ICN on new plane - IFE great. Crew polite and helpful. ICN to Sydney on older plane, a bit shabby to be honest and IFE limited to a large and poorly visible screen - made the journey seem so much longer. Again the staff were polite, food ok - being vegetarian I'm used to limited option and varying qualities. Would fly with this airline again - my only complaint would be the stopover on the return journey - it was like a one hour transfer from the airport!

KOREAN AIR review - by M Albarda

16 May 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Korean Air Prestige Class Bangkok - Atlanta via Seoul. B777 from Bangkok to Seoul Incheon and a B747-400 to Atlanta. Check in at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi is painless; the terminal is packed but never crowded or disorganized. The Prestige Class lounge is tucked away in a nondescript part of Bangkok Airport and is not very appealing, with harsh lighting and equally harsh uninviting seating. The wireless internet was not available that day. Prestige Class has a 2-3-2 lay-out, which is not very appealing, especially on an overnight flight (imagine the middle passenger climbing over you to go to the rest room). The seats on the B777 are not flat bed seats but old fashioned tilt seats. Landing was uneventful, and we disembarked for our 4 hour lay-over. Korean Air Prestige lounge at Incheon is very good but very crowded at peak hours. We managed to sign up for showers, and these come with all amenities: no need to pack any toiletries. Food and beverages are plentiful, and wireless internet is free. B744 on our flight to Atlanta - the upper deck seat proves to have a unique set of electronic challenges. I started the IFE and soon discovered that sound and picture was not synchronous. In fact, the channels seemed to change seemingly all by themselves. It took a few minutes until I realized that when my neighbor used his remote he was actually changing my IFE. And sure enough, with my remote I operated his. We called over the FA and soon the Purser came to see the electronic cross wiring for himself. Resetting the system yielded no success, so he solved the problem by moving my window seat neighbor to another seat and giving me the remote of the now vacant seat next to me. B747 Prestige Class seats are angled lie-flat seats (similar to Air France or Lufthansa). I find this very uncomfortable, and can only manage sleep on my side. Apart from the angle , the Korean Air seats are hard as a plank. Ask for extra blankets to cushion the bed before retiring. Korean Air Prestige Class lacks some of the pampering that other Asian carriers deliver.

KOREAN AIR review - by J Kwaak

23 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

ICN-LHR. Personal IFE, new planes, and great airport in Seoul. If hardware were good, software has room for improvement. I had to help the otherwise very kind and attentive crew members with communicating with foreign passengers. Colloquial English speakers are bound to run into trouble. Always speak standard English. Also, the inflight meals are getting a bit boring now... and the non- Korean alternatives are usually not very good. At least wine and spirits flow liberally.

KOREAN AIR review - by Andrew Knitte

19 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

SEA-ICN-BKK Y Class. From SEA the plane was a new 777-200 with a great personal IFE system that worked well and had dozens and dozens of choices. Cabin crew friendly and personable. They were present through the flight with drinks. Bibimbap was terrific and very tasty. Transfer at ICN with another security check of carry-on luggage made for long lines. Otherwise ICN is a pleasant airport with good lounges and ot of shopping and eating facilities. Flight to BKK on older 777 - no personal IFE. Seats on this aircraft seemed to be a bit old although good legroom.

KOREAN AIR review - by Phillip Brander

10 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Seoul - Hong Kong in Business class (Prestige Class). I was originally booked with Cathay but due to a delay on the Cathay flight and tight connection in HKG, was transferred to Korean Air. The flight to Hong Kong was in an old Boeing 747-400 Combi with no first class seats and the old style business seats with one large screen at the front of the cabin. I find it hard to believe that in the year 2008, we still have to put up with aircraft seats and cabins that belong in the 1990's. In terms of the food, nothing at all to fault and the drink service was pleasant and regular. It is simply a shame that Korean Air still has many of these aircraft flying with the old interiors (I recently flew from Seoul to Brisbane also in the same old and tired configuration).

KOREAN AIR review - by N Brown

19 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BNE-ICN-LHR. Check in easy, no hassles. First leg of the flight there were no delays. The flight was full. No personal entertainment systems but the monitors were quite big and easy to see. Seating a little bit squashed for my liking. Korean Air cabin crew very friendly and attentive but lack a lot in English skills. There is a large language barrier there. Food quite nice for airline food but little choice for the fussy eater and some of the food is quite spicy. Stopover night at Incheon, hotel provided by Korean Air. Unfortunately, this is the part that confused me as cabin crew did not instruct on how to get out to the Korean Air service desk. I more or less had to follow people and hope for the best. A man saw me and motioned me to the desk and all seemed fine from there. Shuttled by bus to the hotel across the road from the airport. Hotel staff friendly and the language barrier was a little less than on the flight. Please be aware for the hotel you have to provide a cash deposit or credit card number when checking in (this is for instances where passengers use the phone or food in the hotel rooms). Excellent rooms. Next morning, shuttled to airport and had to find my way to check in, which was again very confusing as you don't check in at all (you go straight through security which is located right at the back of departures and is just a tiny doorway). This leg of the flight (to London) was as uncomfortable as the first. Again, no personal entertainment units and monitors were tiny. Flying into London there was a half hour delay due to weather. LHR- ICN-BNE. This time there was more room on the leg for LHR-ICN and we had personal entertainment units. Smooth ride but there was the language barrier with cabin crew. Easy 4 hour transit at Incheon. ICN-BNE no personal entertainment units but the flight was practically empty so I got two seats to myself. Overall, a good experience and decent service for the cheap price you pay. But it's just that - you get what you pay for. I won't be flying with Korean Air again, simply due to the length of the flight/overnight stop in Incheon and the large language barrier.

KOREAN AIR review - by Alex DiMezza

19 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Two travels in three weeks from Rome to Seoul FCO-ICN-FCO, the first time in economy the second in business class. Crew very kind and nice, food good, toilets clean. In general good service at the airport and on the flight, the only problem is the old plane 747-400 - no personal IFE screen, old seats, the main screen IFE was very old, especially in business class upstairs (an old 14" crt display also threadbare). I think that the price is correct for the economy class About 1100€, but three times (3300€) for business is not legitimate by the old aircraft.

KOREAN AIR review - by H Lee

12 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Chicago(ORD) to Seoul-Incheon(ICN) round trip. Economy class seats were pretty comfortable with enough leg room. Personal AVOD is wonderful. Service top notch. They serve wide variety of beverages - even pretty good single malt whiskey like the Glenlivet for economy class passengers. Cabin crews are friendly and ready to help you. Food quality was good. They serve two meals and the snack between meals. Lavatory was clean, and I did not have any problem. There is an AC outlet under one seat in each three seat section. Our family was seated on 33A/B/C, and AC outlet was under 33A. I could use my laptop during the flight and my son could play his PSP throughout the flight.

KOREAN AIR review - by R Snell

5 February 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-ICN-SYD return Prestige Class, 747s on all legs. Those on LHR/ICN sectors had latest-generation, Prestige Plus seats, those on ICN/SYD sectors had older Prestige seats. The 'Plus' seats had all the gizmos - AVOD, etc - and recline to 170degrees; however, I found them less commodious than the older seats, harder and with a rather thin seat cushion. I got a reasonable sleep on them, after a bit of tossing and turning. The planes/cabins were clean and tidy. Food fine - an ample mixture of Korean and Western dishes, nicely presented. Plenty of water and other drinks (including selection of wines), served frequently and on demand. Staff service was superb - pleasant and most obliging. English spoken to an adequate extent, albeit heavily accented and occasionally difficult to understand on the PA system; person to person it was fine. Lounge facilities excellent, particularly at Incheon. Mandatory overnight stopover at Incheon in return flight entailed complimentary stay at Incheon's Hyatt Regency - very nice. All in all, this first experience for my wife and I with this airline was quite excellent and I am happy to recommend them.

KOREAN AIR review - by James Oh

24 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

ICN-LAX-ICN, Business - a four star airline. Business seat with VOD, clean aircraft, but service seemed a bit less short of Asiana. Three food choices given after takeoff - Korean air seems to not change the food offerings. Managed to sleep throughout the flight though you need to jiggle with the seat to get the right position for more comfortable position. LAX-ICN on new 772 and although inflight service was alright, no priority pass and private luggage screening for business passengers makes this airline indeed a four star. LAX Korean air lounge (SKYTEAM) is now open with pretty nice selection of food and beverages.

KOREAN AIR review - by Muhamad Haristo

24 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

CGK-ICN-TYO return. FAs very polite and food was delicious also but because we are moslem so we request for moslem order meal (MOML) - Korean Air didn't change the food for the next three month, the FA said. Plane was clean and comfortable, IFE was good.

KOREAN AIR review - by C Jameson

21 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

HKG-ICN-LAX return Economy class. Clean and tidy aircraft, flight attendants busy throughout and offered top class service. Tasty meal and plenty of drinks provided. Most of the movies on its AVOD program were pretty new with over 40 channels. Korean Air offers top notch service.

KOREAN AIR review - by Ashlee Nguyen

17 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Weihai (China) to Incheon (Korea). The aircraft was clean and up to standard, the flight attendants were friendly and helpful. It was a one hour ride, and we got meal packs. Very satisfied with the cleanliness, service, cost of the airline. My child received a childrens toy pack.

KOREAN AIR review - by Francis Wilkins

17 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

AKL-ICN-LHR Business Class. Couldn't fault the service or food onboard. Enjoyed the complimentary stop over in Seoul at the Hyatt Regency immensely. The whole experience was very pleasant and value for money. Will certainly fly Korean Air again.

KOREAN AIR review - by D Palin

15 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-INC-AKL. We have previously travelled Korean Air and were impressed with service & food. This trip was not up to the standard expected. Western-style food was poorly prepared, lacking any flavour and in short supply. As for the Korean food, this was inedible - even by the Korean passengers. Getting a drink was also a problem. Recommend passengers take their own food & drink. Toilet facilities were inadequate on the INC-AKL leg. Cleanliness on both flights was not up to standard.

KOREAN AIR review - by M Morris

13 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

BNE-INC-LHR return economy. We were traveling with our 2 yr old son for the first time on a long haul flight and very impressed with the service and attention we were offered by staff. The food was fantastic and plenty on offer. The kids meals were great. Our flight didn`t have a connection so we were put up at the Hyatt Incheon (2 mins from the airport) at no cost to us. This is a 5 star hotel, we were also provided with a 3 course dinner on arrival and a full buffet breakfast the next day. They also provide a free pick up and drop off to the airport from the hotel. One thing that impressed us at Incheon Intl airport was that if you are traveling with your family or small children they have a separate check in section so you don`t have to wait too long in the regular line, which was a blessing when traveling with a 2 yr old that wanted to run off! You can also have use of a stroller at no charge right up until you board the plane, just ask at the counter. All up we were very happy with Korean Air and would travel with them again in a second! The flights were all on time, food was great both Korean and western, the crew were lovely and couldn`t complain about a thing.

KOREAN AIR review - by Sue Parker

5 January 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

We had seen the adverts for Korean on CNN and it looked great - what a let down! No pre-take off drinks, post take off we were offered soft drinks only, and when we asked for a Bloody Mary it came without vodka. No amenity kits for a 11 hour flight except a pair of slippers. Hadn't got eye shades onboard. Food adequate - very tasteless. IFE poor - very old films. Old style seat which was uncomfortable in the extreme, with a very small pillow. The cabin (upper deck) was excessively hot - we had to take our socks off and strip down to T shirts to even get cool. The flight attendants disappeared for much of the flight and brought no drinks around except for a small bottle of water. They spoke little English which we found quite bizarre for a flight coming out of London. Although we were transferring through Seoul to AKL - a great connection of just over 2 hours with a total flying time of 25 hour. ICN-AKL was marginally better, with a full bar service and staff spoke English though still excessively hot with virtually no amenities, we would not choose Korean again.

KOREAN AIR review - by Peter Schweizer

30 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

BNE-ICN-FRA return in Business Class. Old style business class seats on A-330 aircraft on BNE-ICN- BNE sectors. Personal TV (not AVOD) really outdated. New style angled lie-flat seats on the ICN-FRA- ICN sectors on upper deck of 747. AVOD on these sectors excellent. Excellent inflight catering with the local Korean dish Bibimbap served on all segments in addition to western style food. Good drink/wine selection. Very friendly and smiling flight attendants made this a very enjoyable trip to Europe. Can highly recommend KE and will fly them again in the future.

KOREAN AIR review - by Dirk Visser

4 December 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

AMS-ICN-HAN in economy. The service and catering was good - FAs spoke good English and walking through the cabin offering drinksor snacks. The Korean dishes, e.g. bibimbap, were excellent. My gripe is the use of the A330 on the AMS-ICN leg. There is no PTV / AVOD, which makes the flight drag. They need to reconsider upgrading the cabin or using a different aircraft on this flight. Seats were extremely narrow, so not comfortable for a 10-hr flight. Legroom was good, though. Ground crew in ICN excellent as well as their lounge. Other than the aircraft interior, otherwise a very good experience.

KOREAN AIR review - by Matyas Fulop

23 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Brisbane - Incheon - London. Everything top-notch, except the lack of PTV entertainment. Food was excellent (chose the traditional Korean Bibambap), hostesses very helpful and friendly despite a few of them having a bit of trouble with English, and flights were on time.

KOREAN AIR review - by A Green

14 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JFK-ICN-PVG return in Business Class. Excellent service throughout. Enjoyed the food, especially the Korean selections (bibimbap and spicy noodles). FAs frequently came around with water and juice, including guava which was an unusual touch, and fresh-baked cookies in the middle of the flight. AVOD system top-notch, with very large screen and wide assortment of recent movies and music. JFK-ICN and return on 747-400 with lie-flat shell seats. Very comfortable in seated positions - despite incline in sleeping position was able to sleep comfortably on my side. One area for improvement would be the pillow, which was small and very average. Recommend sitting upstairs at the window if possible, with extra side storage bins for briefcases (plus a closet by the stairs for suitcases). Shell design prevents seat in front from reclining into leg space, making it easier to sneak out from window seat. Interior spotless, and restrooms regularly cleaned and restocked with toothbrushes, etc. during flight. ICN-PVG and return on 777-300/200, both in the older/regional configuration. Seats not lie-flat, but well padded and more than adequate for a 1.5 hour flight. Full meal service both ways even on those short sectors, served efficiently. ICN easy to navigate and a pleasure for connections - just a quick security check and off to the lounge. Prestige lounge is spacious and comfortable, with large windows overlooking the tarmac, showers, wireless internet and a decent buffet spread - breakfast in the morning, sushi and other food/snacks later in the day.

KOREAN AIR review - by Henry Tib

9 November 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

SYD-ICN-LHR return economy. Cabin crew were attentive throughout all flights and responded to calls at all times with a smile. Food was edible and tasty, especially the Bibimbap. Regular offerings of juice and water. The overnight stay included in the airfare at the Airport hotel luxurious, with dinner and a buffet breakfast. Only criticism would be the lack of IFE or AVOD on the Sydney legs.

KOREAN AIR review - by Jerry Docarmo

26 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Business class - seat recline is a little angled, and may cause a slide effect. Entertainment was large screen on demand movies. Food and service excellent. The lounge was okay but full. Unable to upgrade from Beijing to Korea (even paying difference) because ticket was issued in the USA. The staff in Beijing were not very helpful or friendly. I can recommend JFK-ICN on Korean air, but throughout Asia, use either JAL or Singapore Airlines - much, much better.

KOREAN AIR review - by M Albarda

9 October 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

It is not easy to connect to Jakarta, especially since Garuda Indonesia has been banned from flying into and out off the US and European Union countries. From Atlanta, there are three direct flights to the Far East, one to Narita and two to Seoul (soon there will be one to Shanghai). Unfortunately, their arrival times do not allow you to connect through to Jakarta on the same day. So I opted for a connection through LA and Seoul Incheon. LAX-ICN B747-400, tilted flat bed configuration (plug points for laptops are in-seat) but managed 5 hours and then ordered my meal, which I accompanied with random TV shows as I had seen literally every movie that was on offer. ICN transit hotel is a bit sparse, but if all you want is sleep it will do the job. If you are just looking to relax and shower, the Korean Air lounge offers all of that, plus a simple breakfast buffet. The other good news is that for transit passengers there is no need to go through elaborate security and baggage re-check. The flight to Jakarta was on an A330. It had a very old configuration consisting of First, Business and Economy, with no individual TV screens and seats that were not even close to a sleeper seat. Not great, but that is what you get when there is no competition on a sector. The food and the service made up for it though, and because First was completely empty, FA’s took the individual DVD players from that class to Business so we could watch a selection of Western and Korean movies. Note: on my return from Jakarta to Seoul Incheon I flew another A330 but this one had a more modern configuration (good seat pitch but no flat bed, laptop plug points and individual screens but no option to pause the film).