Review of Korean Air Business Class

Incheon International Airport (ICN) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is located 30 miles (48 kilometres) west of Seoul and is one of the busiest airports in the world. It officially opened on 21st March 2001 and replaced Gimpo International Airport (GMP), which now primarily serves domestic destinations.

Incheon is an airport that regularly wins accolades for its amenities. It offers a spa, private sleeping rooms, an ice rink, a casino, a movie theatre, a video game centre, indoor gardens, a museum of Korean Culture, an observation deck, and plenty of dining and retail opportunities. Whether starting your journey or just transiting, rest assured that you will not get bored!

Incheon also features the airside Airport Transit Hotel - where you can book a 6-hour block if you need proper “bed sleep”. The rooms vary in size but all feature showers, are clean and resemble a luxury motel rather than The Ritz! Head to Gate 28 for this excellent airport facility. 

Korean Air's Business Class is branded Prestige Class, and its SkyPriority benefits include dedicated check-in and exclusive security and immigration lanes (at select airports), plus speedy boarding and baggage claim. Passengers have a free baggage allowance of two checked bags of up to 32 kilogrammes each plus two pieces of hand luggage not exceeding 18 kilogrammes in total or greater than 115 linear centimetres (45 inches).

Two Prestige Class Lounges are available at Incheon Airport, located on the east and west wings of Terminal 2. Each lounge offers plenty of comfortable seating, some with window views of the concourse. There are plenty of charging points throughout, and Wi-Fi is complimentary. Shower facilities and a relaxing area with massage seats are also available to Business Class passengers.

There are hot and cold buffet options with a combination of Western and Korean dishes, a bar offering complimentary wines and spirits, and beer and soft drinks on tap.

The Korean long-haul fleet consists of diverse wide-body aircraft, including Boeing 787s, B777s, 747s, and Airbus A380s, with differing seat types and configurations. The airline has bounced back strongly post-pandemic and plans to introduce a brand-new Business Class cabin with "Business Class Suites Seats" in the near future. Although specific details about the product are limited, the suites are expected to feature on Korean's new order of 20 Boeing 787-10s due for delivery in the coming months, with a retrofit then coming to existing 777-300ERs. Despite eager speculation over the likely suite design, we shouldn't have to wait long to find out, as the first aircraft is already assembled.

Korean Air Business Class cabins are bright, relaxing spaces with off-white plastics and teal and light blue seat materials. Three main types of seats are available to Business Class passengers – the Prestige Suite, Prestige Sleeper, and the Prestige Plus. The Prestige Suite is based on the highly regarded Apex Suite and found on the airline's Boeing 787-9s, B777-300ER (277 seats), B747s, and Airbus A330-300 (272 seats) laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration with seat availability ranging from 24 to 42 seats depending on the aircraft. Each seat has direct aisle access despite the configuration, thanks to a staggered formation.

Although named "Suites," the seats do not have siding privacy doors but do have electronic central dividers for added privacy. The seat pitch is a generous 75 inches (190 centimetres) and 80 inches (203 centimetres) when fully reclined, with a seat width of 21 inches (53 centimetres). Integrated seat monitors are either 17 or 18 inches, and all seats have USB and AC power connectivity.

The Prestige Sleeper is a lie-flat bed with a slightly narrower seat width and a marginally smaller seat pitch in a 2-2-2 configuration. The entire top deck of the Airbus A380 has 94 Prestige Sleepers over three cabins, while two versions of the Boeing 777-300 and Airbus A330-300 offer Prestige Sleepers in a 2-3-2 and 2-2-2 configuration, respectively. All come with 15.4-inch monitors, USB, and power outlets.   

The third seat option, Prestige Plus, is a reclining seat (170 degrees) available on the Boeing 777-200 in a 2-3-2 configuration over four rows of 28 seats. It has the least space or privacy compared to the other Business Class seats on offer.

With such a choice of seat options, pay attention to the seat map for your plane to know what seat to expect.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes images, videos, and seat maps for most airlines and aircraft. Search results also include details such as seat pitch, width, and recline. This way, you can see the seat and cabin configuration of the flight in which you are interested before making your choice.

Korean Air allows passengers to pre-book enhanced menu options directly from their website with dishes to suit Western tastes and Korean specialities. On long-haul flights, passengers select from three or four main course options, typically a Korean Bibimbap – a rice bowl topped with minced beef and seasonal vegetables accompanied by Gochujang (hot pepper paste) and sesame oil, a seafood dish, and a meat option.

Meals are served on elegant white traditional tableware and presented on linen-lined tray tables with metal cutlery and stylish glassware. Service begins with appetisers and is completed with a cheese tray and seasonal fresh fruit or delicious cake. A soup dish and bread selection accompany Western and Chinese main course options. 

A second light meal or breakfast is served on longer flights, and depending on the local time, menu options typically include a Korean-style seafood rice dish, a Chinese-style stir fry, or a Western meat dish. Korean rice porridge, scrambled eggs, or continental breakfast selection are served on early arrivals. Snacks of Ramyeon (instant noodles), pizza, cookies, and more are available throughout longer flights.  

A new Korean-style vegan meal option has been introduced on international flights departing from Korea – available for pre-order up to 24 hours before departure. This eco-friendly meal option is inspired by traditional temple cuisine and features fresh vegetables and seasonal ingredients. Dishes include steamed barley rice with burdock, roasted shiitake mushrooms, mung bean jelly salad, and roasted tofu with plum salsa sauce. Ginkgo nut porridge and roasted yam with soybean paste will also be available.

The airline also provides five other vegetarian meal options, including lacto-ovo vegetarian, East Asian vegetarian, Hindu vegetarian, Jain vegetarian, and raw vegetarian.

A new selection of inflight wines has been curated in collaboration with Marc Almert, the "World's Best Sommelier 2019." The airline's wine selection now includes diverse wines from European countries, such as Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Australia, and the United States. Top quality French wines include La Perriere Megalithe Sancerre from the Loire Valley.

There is a decent selection of spirits and cocktails, plus its very own craft beer named KAL's Lager. Tea drinkers will enjoy a fine selection of black and herbal teas from Dammann Frères, including Darjeeling, Earl Grey, and Red Ginseng teas, plus Starbucks coffees.  

Champagne options vary depending on the route but include Perrier Jouët Grand Brut, Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne, or Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésimé.  

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on which Champagne is served in Business Class and First Class on many airlines. We do our best to keep track of any changes but feel free to let us know if we missed something.

The onboard service is excellent, with attentive and well-organised flight attendants who make the cabin a welcoming experience.

The cabin crew wear stylish outfits designed by renowned Italian fashion designer Gianfranco Ferré, a former stylistic director of Christian Dior in Paris. Female flight attendants look striking in celadon green blazers with matching silk blouses and stone-coloured pencil skirts accessorised with white silk neck scarves and chic leather gloves in a colour combination that complements the cabin's interior. In contrast, male flight attendants wear smart suits.

Korean Air offers a variety of in-flight entertainment screen sizes depending on the seat product – from 18-inch (46-centimetre) or 17-inch (43-centimetre) monitors on the Prestige Suites to 15.4-inch (39-centimetre) monitors on the Prestige Sleeper and Prestige Plus seats. A reasonable entertainment package includes a combination of Hollywood, Korean, and international movies, television shows, sports, music, etc. Noise-cancelling headphones are provided, and you can use your mobile device to access the services on select flights. A bit of a letdown is that Korean Air does not offer Wi-Fi connectivity on many of its aircraft in the fleet – currently, only international Boeing 737-8 and Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi.

Prestige Class passengers receive a premium amenity kit containing a dental kit, an eye mask, and moisturising skin care products from the luxury French perfumery Atelier Cologne, including lip balm and face and hand creams. Other amenities include a pair of slippers, a shoe horn, and a hair brush. Each seat has a large pillow and a thick Korean Air-branded blanket. Business Class lavatories also contain extra toothbrushes, body lotion, pouches of shaving cream, packaged razors, and refreshing mouthwash in disposable packaging.

Korean Air is one of few airlines to offer a bar in the sky, although only on the small fleet of A380s. The Celestial Bar is located at the back of the upper deck right behind Business Class, and features contemporary, minimalistic design. 

Korean Air has introduced a new Business Class cabin on its short and medium-haul narrow-body fleet of Airbus A321neo aircraft – offering eight customised Collins Aerospace Diamond fully lie-flat seats in a 2-2- configuration. The seats have a sleek design with high-tech features, including wireless mobile charging, USB outlets, advanced IFE monitors, and Wi-Fi connectivity. The airline is adding 30 modern A321neo aircraft to its fleet by 2027, with an additional 20 on order.

Existing short and medium-haul Business Class cabins are available only on narrow-body B737 aircraft. These provide reclining lounge seats rather than lie-flat beds in a 2-2 seat configuration. The Korean Air A220 fleet does not offer Business Class.

Korean Air aims to reduce carbon emissions by introducing next-generation, environmentally friendly aircraft like the Boeing 787-9 and the Airbus A321neo. In 2017, it was the first Korean airline to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and, in 2021, partnered with Korean petroleum and refinery company SK Energy to supply carbon-neutral jet fuel. In 2019, KAL replaced single-use plastics with eco-friendly paper products, and it has ongoing tree planting initiatives (for example, in Mongolia and China's Kubuqi Desert).

Interestingly, Korean Air has developed a new method of inspecting aircraft using drones - not just one, but a 'swarm'. Other airlines already use drones to conduct aircraft inspections, but KAL uses four working together for the first time. These drone teams can identify defects as small as 1mm and work very quickly, reducing inspection times by up to 60%. Welcome to the future!

The airline also offers aviation enthusiasts the chance to purchase unique goods as part of its upcycling program. It began in 2021 when a decommissioned Boeing 777 was first used to make 4,000 name tags. Most recently, retired cabin vests were upcycled into eco-friendly cosmetic pouches and made available to purchase at Korean Air's e-Skyshop.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on CO2 emissions for each flight. Our quality algorithms also give a higher score to flights operated by the most modern and environmentally friendly aircraft.