I travel a fair bit.... So much so, that even Simon Calder (Travel Correspondent for the Times and BBC) might even be envious! I tend to stick with the airlines that I know, but, occasionally, have to fly with other unknown airlines when I don't have any other choice.
So, I'm in Korea at the moment, having got here via Tokyo. My flight between Tokyo and Seoul was with Korean Air....
About Korean Airlines ------------------------------ Korean Air have a mix of around 120 aircraft, comprising of 747, 777, 737, A330 and A300 aircraft and mainly serve SE Asia, although serve many European capitals, such as London, Paris, Rome, etc. They don't fly to Africa or South America.
Partnerships: ----------------- Korean Airlines are a member of the Sky Team alliance, comprising of KLM, Ai France, Continental, Delta, Alitalia, Czech Airlines and North West.
Travel Classes: --------------------- Most of the long haul Korean Air planes have a mix of three different classes: - Economy - Presitige (or business class) - First class
My experience: --------------------
Well, I booked my flight through American Express travel in the UK and was issued with an E-Ticket. This was taken with me when checking in at Narita. There was no one around other for the checkin staff, and despite being in a Japanese airport flying on a Korean airline, the staff were courteous, had a good comprehension of English, and put me in an extra leg room seat right at the front of Economy. I wasn't asked for my Sky Team membership number, which may be a small hassle when I get back to the UK when trying to claim my airmiles, but this should affect most people.
The Lounge: Well, dull is the only word I could use. It had a small selection of soft and alcoholic drinks, some biscuits and a couple of newspapers. The seats weren't designed for those spending longer than an hour in there, and there wasn't exactly a great number of sockets for charging my laptop. The staff, however, seemed curteous and polite.
Boarding: No real issues. Despite this being a 747 I was flying on (I suspect it was going onwards from Seoul after we landed), we boarded pretty quickly, and there wasn't the scrum you normally see at London airports.
Cabin Design: On the 747 I flew on, you either boarded at the front for First class, or from the middle for business and economy classes. Boarding at the middle as I did landed me directly at my seat which was handy. So, first impressions..... OLD! The cabin looked quite dreary, with small monitors attached in the roof for the inflight entertainment (more of that later). The plastics used in the cabin looked well used, and the lighting had a lovely yellow tinge to it, making things look even worse than they did!
The seat: Well, it was comfortable for the 2 hour light I had, but you'd be seeing a masseur if you'd had spent longer than that in it.... leg room seemed slightly longer than normal, but the width wasn't great, even for my svelte figure!
The food: despite being a 2 hour flight, we were soon served drinks. I didn't see much of a choice, but as I'd be awake for 24 hours, I needed coke!!!! They also had, from what I saw, that urine looking type apple juice and orange juice..... Then the food was swiftly dealt. I didn't get a choice and was served some beef and rice. The beef seemed okay, and with little fat (which was a surprise). The sauce served with it was hot, as is the norm in Korea... A bit too hot for my delicate palate!
In flight Entertainment: Non existent. There was some locallly produced TV show on the small monitor. headphones weren't issued, and occasionally the sky map thing was shown. There were lengthy breaks between these, as they had to be manually switched by one of the cabin crew on a box close to me (for the geeks, they were using Sony 8mm video tapes from what I could see). I pity anyone that has to fly long haul with them!
Seat back mags.... Well, actually quite interesting, and written in Korean on one side of the page with English on the other. Most of the articles were syndicated from other sources, but there was one which was about great drives in Europe. Of course, there was a lovely drive mentioned in N.Yorks.... Kept me busy for around 20 minutes....
What else can I tell you? Well, the cabin seemed quite.... The passengers seemed quite subdued, which was most welcome. The staff were courteous and seemed to be professional, and mainly female.
Baggage delivery: After getting through immigration unscathed, the bags were delivered with around a ten minute wait, and in one piece.
Final thoughts: Would I fly with them again? Possibly, but only short haul and only if ANA and JAL weren't available (Two of the national Japanese carriers). They seemed okay for value for money (Around £200 between Tokyo and Seoul), but if you are flying from the UK to Korea, Korean Air are the ONLY choice. BA pulled out of the route a couple of years ago. Personally, if it's your own money, fly via Tokyo or somewhere with someone else......
More details
Class flown most frequently
Economy
How often do you travel with this airline
First time
Where did you book
Online Travel Agent
Safety
Good
How well does it cater for disabled people
OK
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