An Inside Look at Korean Air's Business Class Service

Oct 15, 2014

KoreanAir_FEATURE — Travelers in Air Prestige class have access to Celestial Bar, a spacious setting where flight attendants mix cocktails. // © 2014 Korean Air

If you have to spend 13-plus hours on a plane, it’s tough to top a business class seat on one of Korean Air’s Airbus A380 aircrafts.

The company recently hosted a small group of journalists on a six-day visit to Seoul, flying us to the South Korean capital from LAX in its A380 Prestige Class. The airline’s business class brand features lie-flat sleeper seats and a high definition flat-screen entertainment system loaded with recent movies, popular television shows and music.

Travelers booked in Korean’ Prestige Class also have access to a cozy self-service bar and lounge, complete with an ample supply of spirits, soft drinks and fruit juices, all housed in a contemporary, multi-seat space at the front of the second-floor cabin near the stairwell.

Or, travelers in Prestige can head aft and sample a collection of different cocktails at the Korean Air A380 Celestial Bar. Flight attendants do the mixing and pouring in a twinkling atmosphere with a larger layout, allowing travelers to mingle while stretching their legs and enjoying a tasty beverage and snacks.

Food on my flight from LAX to Incheon International Airport in Korea was a highlight. The menu featured both Western and Korean dishes, including a terrific bibimbap main dish that came with a little card for Western travelers spelling out how to mix up the dish properly and enjoy it the traditional Korean way.

After dinner and a fair amount of Haagen Daazs ice cream, I was glued to my seat’s entertainment system and found myself reliving some of my elementary school days while nostalgically playing Street Fighter II, a hugely popular Nintendo video game from the late 1980s.

The Korean Air Fleet
Korean Air now owns 10 407-seat A380s; the most recent aircraft were added to the fleet in August. The carrier operates 14 flights a week with the A380s between Incheon and Los Angeles and Incheon and New York. Travelers can also fly on the company’s A380s on nonstop flights connecting Atlanta with Incheon.

While the aircraft’s 94 Prestige Class sleeper seats are top notch, affluent travelers may want to spring for one of the 12, ultra-luxurious Kosmo Suites located in the plane’s first class cabin at the front of the lower level. The suites are shaped like an ergonomically designed study carrel desk and outfitted with high definition televisions and a plush, lie-flat seat.

Operating more than 400 flights a day to six different continents, Korean Air transported more than 23 million travelers in 2013. The company took delivery of its first Airbus A380 in 2011.