Review: Korean Air Boeing 777 Prestige Class from Hong Kong to Seoul

Featured Image: The Korean Air Boeing 777-200 in Hong Kong

This post is a continuation of my first guest review series. For those of you who didn’t read the first and second reviews (from Detroit to Seoul in Delta One and Seoul to Hong Kong in Korean Air Prestige Class), I will briefly explain the format. With this review (and probably most guest reviews), I will write the review in the third person. How do I do that? The person who flies on the flight takes pictures of their experiences and then reports back to me on how the seat was, how the airport was, how the meals were, and more. I then put the grand experience into a final report on my website in review form. A person that I know recently traveled to Hong Kong and back on Delta and Korean Air, whose name shall remain anonymous the reviews. In this mini-review series, the following flight reviews have been done:

• Delta One Suites (Business Class) – Airbus A350-900
• Korean Air Business Class – Boeing 787-9 
• Korean Air Business Class – Boeing 777-200 

Please Enjoy the reviews!

The Flight At A Glance: 

Pre-Flight:

The reviewer decided not to visit any lounge, although he would have had access to the Sky Team Lounge Hong Kong. The reviewer instead chose to walk around the terminal before the flight and took pictures of some interesting airplanes. Check-In at Hong Kong Airport went very fast, as the reviewer was able to access the business class line, and security also was quick and efficient. The airport overall was relatively modern and was  easy to navigate. As the flight was departing close to the security checkpoint and not at the end of the concourse, the reviewer didn’t need to take the train down to the other end of the terminal.

A Panorama of the interior of Hong Kong Airport

A Philippines Airlines Airbus A330-300

An EVA Air Boeing 777-300ER

An Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER

A KLM Asia Boeing 777-200

A Dragonair Airbus A330-300

A Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8

A China Airlines Airbus A330-300

An ANA Boeing 787-8

A Mandarin Airlines Embraer E190

The Flight: 

After walking around, Korean Air announced the boarding of the flight to Hong Kong. The Boeing 777-200 described in one word was worn. The first and business class sections were outdated for long-haul aircraft, and the seats themselves have seen better days. The reviewer first walked through the (empty) first class section before entering business class. The first class consisted of eight open flat-bed suits in a 1-2-1 configuration, which have little to no privacy, regarding modern first class. While the cabin might have been state-of-the-art ten years ago, it doesn’t have the flash that it might have had in days gone by. However, keep in mind that the first class on this aircraft is still much better than the first class on some of Korean Air’s 777s and A330s that features the same seats as in business class.

Korean Air 777-200 First Class

Korean Air 777-200 First Class

Korean Air 777-200 First Class

Business class consisted of 28 angle-flat seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. The seats were at an angle of around 170 degrees, so the angle was quite noticeable when the seat is put in lie flat mode. While the seat was more than enough for a flight less than three hours, for business class, the seat wouldn’t be ideal for long-haul flights. Compared to on the 787, these seats were less comfortable and had much less privacy. The seats had a reading lamp near the headrest, a side table (which was pretty small), an entertainment screen situated on the bulkhead, and a remote for it. Please note that the seats had little to no privacy, and didn’t have any places to store items. While the cabin wasn’t particularly modern, it also didn’t seem like it was from the 1990s.

Regarding amenities, a pillow and a blanket were offered at your seat upon boarding, which seems reasonable for a flight of this duration. Upon boarding, flight attendants came around with welcome drinks, where they offered both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The reviewer says that the cabin crew was friendly and attentive enough, although would not be anything to write home about.

You can see the angle of the seat in this photo

The IFE Remote

The Side Table – Nice Yin and Yang Pattern!

A View Of The Cabin

The Seat

After boarding, the pilot announced a flight time of around 2 hours and 30 minutes. The taxi was relatively long, as they had to taxi to the other end of the runway to take off. 

A China Eastern Airbus A321

Hong Kong Airport

A T’Way Airlines Boeing 737-800

A Xiamen Air Boeing 737-800

A Jet Airways Airbus A330-200

A Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-200

Hong Kong Airport

Hong Kong Airport – Look at all the Dredging Going on!

Around 30 minutes after takeoff, the meal service began. For starters, the reviewer chose the seared tuna with a salad with a side of bread. For the entree, the reviewer preferred the beef and noodles. Both meals were flavorful and delicious. Desert consisted of the same strawberry ice cream as shown on the previous flight from Seoul to Hong Kong. Please note that all meals were served on a tray, and not directly on the tablecloth on top of the tray, as some airlines do. After the lunch, the reviewer decided to use the in-flight entertainment system, which had a couple of hundred entertainment options.

Korean Air Starter

Korean Air Main Dish

After that, the flight went by very quickly, and soon, it was time to start the plane’s final approach into Seoul. The flight landed at around 4:55 PM at Seoul Incheon Airport, and it was then a long taxi back to Terminal 2. The reviewer then connected on to another Delta A350 business class flight back to the US, which will not be reviewed due to the similarity of the other Delta flight he took to Seoul.

The Hwaseong stadium at Doi-Ri, viewed on approach to Seoul Incheon

A China Southern Airlines Boeing 737-800

A KLM Boeing 747-400 and a Korean Air Boeing 787-9

An Asiana Airlines Airbus A319

A Delta Airbus A350-900 viewed from the terminal

Conclusion:

The reviewer had a  good experience on Korean Air. Yes, the cabin was pretty worn, but it was more than enough for a three-hour flight. Yes, the angle was noticeable and wouldn’t be ideal on long-haul flights. However, in the US, we don’t even get recliner seats with a leg rest on five-hour flights! The service and meal were excellent, and the service was attentive but not amazing. Overall, based on the last two reviews, Korean Air offers a solid experience for short haul business class, which while isn’t the best in the world, is a great way to travel within eastern Asia.

Further Reading: 

• Airline Profile: Korean Air
• Review: Delta One Suites on the A350 from Detroit to Seoul
• Review: Korean Air Prestige Class on the 787 from Seoul to Hong Kong

Have you ever flown on Korean Air? Share about your experience below in the comments section!