Review of Asiana Airlines flight Seoul Los Angeles in Business

Airline Asiana Airlines
Flight OZ 202
Class Business
Seat 23A
Aircraft Airbus A380-800
Flight time 11:00
Take-off 23 Dec 15, 14:40
Arrival at 24 Dec 15, 08:40
OZ 106 reviews
NGO85
By SILVER 5816
Published on 6th January 2016
Background:

This series covers my pilgrimage home to San Francisco for Christmas. For a detailed background, please refer to Part 1 of this series. As a reminder, the routing is:

Part 1 – NGO-ICN [OZ 121, Airbus A321, Business] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-12681.html
Part 2 – ICN-LAX [OZ 202, Airbus A380-800, Business Smartium] – You are here
Part 3 – LAX-SFO [AA 209, Boeing B737-800, First] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13024.html
Part 4 – SFO-PHX [AA 477, Airbus A321, First] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13075.html
Part 5 – PHX-LAX [AA 509, Airbus A319, First] – Coming soon
Part 6 – LAX-ICN [OZ 203, Boeing B777-200ER, Business Smartium] – Coming soon
Part 7 – ICN-KIX [OZ 114, Boeing B777-200ER, Business (First)] – Coming soon

This report will cover the flight from Seoul-Incheon to Los Angeles. This route is pretty heavily operated by KE and OZ given the large Korean population in LA. OZ has two flights per day, one is operated by an A380 and the other a B772. This report will cover the A380 service and Part 6 of this series will cover the B772 service so check back later if you are interested in that product (the seats are not identical…).


Pre-flight:

As a brief introduction, when I booked this ticket about 4 weeks before departure, the only seats left in J were at the back of the bus. After consulting better seat maps, I chose 23A since the odd-numbered seats are the seats along the windows. Why OZ can’t denote this in the seat selection screen? Who knows, but I think this is true of most carriers that opt for these types of seats since I had the same problems with other carriers.

photo 1

I left off the last report as I left transit security and headed up into ICN. The Christmas tree at ICN.

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Since my plane was already scheduled to start boarding, I headed straight to the gate so there will be no lounge stop this time. My whale waiting for me.

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An announcement was made that boarding was going to be delayed for an unspecified time due to some last minute maintenance. They said to stay in the gate area since it shouldn’t be too long. I decided to take a walk down the concourse and do some quick spotting. The seating areas at ICN don’t look like they have enough seats per gate.

photo 4

OZ A321.

photo 5

OZ B772.

photo 6

AI B788 in *A special livery.

photo 7

OZ B744.

photo 8




——————————-

Asiana Airlines, OZ 202
Equipment: Airbus A380-800 [HL7626, delivered July 2014]
Departure: 14:40 (ATD: 15:28)
Arrival: 08:40 (ATA: 08:24)
Flight time: 9:56


By the time I made the brief loop of the concourse, they had already started boarding so they didn’t lie about the time to perform the maintenance.

photo 10

I joined the end of the premium line queue. They did parallel boarding to expedite the boarding process, which didn’t really make sense since both lines merged after the boarding pass check so there was no “priority” boarding. My boarding pass.

photo 9

As the two lines merged, we head down the escalators where two OZ agents are splitting passengers based on their deck. It will be right for me to get the jetbridge to the upper deck. If you notice, there is a separate jetbridge for F on the main deck.

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At the end of the jetbridge is literature.

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No entrance shot after the debacle in the last report. But there were 3-4 OZ FAs standing there greeting passengers checking boarding passes and directing passengers down the correct aisle. Turning into the cabin, here is my first look at the Business Smartium cabin.

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My seat, 23A.

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A picture of 24A, which would remain empty.

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Preplaced on the seat are pillow and blanket.

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The storage bins on the upper deck (more on these later…).

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The view of the cabin from my seat.

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Seat pitch is good and the ottoman is of good size. Preplaced on the ottoman was the amenity kit.

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The amenity kit is light on products, but there are full line of L’Occitane products available in the lavatories. Other than that, a very full offering of items.

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The big IFE with good resolution. You can notice it from this picture; the A380 has ridiculous curvature on the upper deck. I felt very cramped vertically; I really don’t like the A380 and will try and avoid them in the future unless I can sit on the main deck.

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The foldout tray table.

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Safety card is located below the tray table. You can also tell how clean the carpet is showing that the planes are well maintained (or are they?).

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The side table. The headphones are slippers and preplaced here. The “literature,” reading light, USB port, and headphone jack are located here.

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The seat controls and IFE remote. A small storage compartment for personal items is located below.

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Power is below the side table.

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The antimacassar and the funky thing hanging down is for the over shoulder seatbelt you are required to wear for take off and landing. Again, OZ is the only carrier I have seen this on (because of questionable safety record on landings?). The seat fabic is nice.

photo 28

The two bins for my seat, which I won’t be able to use on this flight.

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The first bin, wouldn’t stay shut after I opened it the first time. The tab where it locks was broken. How was this not fixed during the plane’s inspection at OZ’s hub?

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I alerted the problem to the FAs, but since the front door already closed by the time I bothered trying to close it, their make shift solution was to use the “sleep well service” stickers to tape it shut. They were very apologetic and embarrassed about the problem, so I tried to make jokes throughout the flight about it to ease their panic. The other bin I had, wouldn’t open after I closed it the first time… luckily I didn’t put anything in before closing it. So long story short, I had one bin that would not close and one bin that would not open. Who to blame? Airbus or OZ? I chalk this down to a poor Airbus product since the plane is too young to be having these kinds of problems.

photo 31

The view from the window. I also don’t like the A380 windows; it is almost 6 inches between the inner and outer panes making it really hard to take pictures.

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The safety card for this A380.

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Welcome screen on the IFE as the system boots up.

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The FAs pass through with pre-departure drinks. I’ll take a water and champagne.

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The purser came around and introduced herself, addressing me by name.

The FAs then pass through and offer customs forms and a pen. I will give OZ big credit for always giving pens when passing out forms. I always keep a pen in my carry-on, but it’s thoughtful to provide one (if not in the amenity kit).

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I see another FA going through the cabin giving the kids in the cabin an OZ sticker packet. As she passes by, I ask her if I can have one too. She happily gave me one as a souvenir. I really just wanted one as a gift to my niece.

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The slippers, headphones, duvet, and pillow.

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As the front door closed and we started pushback, the safety played on the IFE.

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The ground crew waves us goodbye.

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Mood lighting during the taxi.

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Maybe it’s just me, but the A380 feels like the slowest plane ever taxing. I felt like we were going no more than 5 mph. This allowed for plenty of spotting.

NX A321.

photo 49

ZE B738.

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KE B77W taking off.

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CZ A321 taking off.

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OZ A321 taking off.

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As we turn off the taxiway, a look back at the KE B738 and NX A321 following us.

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The engines wind up and we head down the runway. As we make our way down the runway, we pass a D7 A330 taxing.

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Still churning down the runway, we cross the control tower and the remote stands filled with heavies.

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We finally lift up and off of Incheon.

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We make a sharp U-turn to head east offering an aerial view of ICN.

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We then fly over the southern outskirts of the Seoul metropolis. Very hazy this afternoon.

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OZ:enter fires up with its matching remote.

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The selection is so-so, enough to last through my 4 flights, but the selection is not as good as other carriers.

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The screen is touchscreen, but not that easy to reach. The remote is also touchscreen and has the same display as the IFE making it easy to use.

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The moving map is quite extensive in features, letting you choose different options to customize your view.

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As we flattened out our ascent, oshibori were distributed.

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The FA then came by. She knelt at my side, addressed me by name, and offered me menus explaining the different options.



The FA then returned and laid the linens. (Numero_2: the correct direction this time ;) ) She then knelt and took my dinner order as well as my drink selection for aperitif. She got a good laugh when I asked for the “hansan sogokju.” She said she doesn’t like it. I was the last person to get my order taken, but I asked for the beef. She told me to wait a second to see if there are any left. She consulted with the FA from the other aisle, the came back to me and confirmed my entrée.

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A couple of minutes later, the amuse bouche and aperitif are delivered by trolley.

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The amuse bouche, hansan sogokju, and water. The crab croquette was very good. As far as presentation, I messed up the plate when I was turning it for the photograph (it was not presented to me with the stray pieces of tempura).

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While eating my croquette, I got startled when the bin suddenly popped open.

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The FA cleared the plate and asked me how I liked the drink. I agreed that the taste was fairly strong, so she recommended I try the “makgeolli” instead since it is a little sweeter.

She then set my table for dinner.

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Bread basket was presented. It’s interesting that they offer olive oil for the bread instead of butter.

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Makgeolli.

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A peek outside as the sun sets.

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The starter was delivered by trolley. Three prawns with a small salad on top. The avocado cream on the bottom was very good.

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After I finished my starter, the attentive FAs then promptly cleared my plate and brought me my soup. Soups are rare these days and this was a very delicious offering.

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The FAs at work.

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After finishing my soup, my bowl was cleared and my entrée was brought out. She then returned with the bread basked and more drinks. The hangar steak was very good, very tender and you could pull it apart with just a fork. Portion size is on the small size for US standards, but I guess it is an appropriate amount of beef. The sauce was excellent on the meat.

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After I finished my entrée, the FA came by and informed me that they were going to be dimming the cabin lights as she cleared my plate. I’m a slow eater so was behind the rest of the cabin. She turned on my lights for me and asked me if I wanted the cheese plate and any wine to go with it. The cheese plate was presented and then another FA came by and offered crackers and bread.

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To wrap up, the gateau for dessert. The sauce on the bottom was raspberry. She then took my after dinner drink orders. I asked for a coffee and Bailey’s, which were subsequently delivered. The chocolate cake was okay, nothing special.

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After I finished my dessert, my table was cleared and I was brought an oshibori and a bottle of water.

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A nice feature of these faux-wood tray tables is that they rotate so you can get out of your seat without folding the tray table up when you have to go to the bathroom.

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The bathrooms on this A380 have a window, but not as fancy as the one on the SK A340s. The fake wood floors look nice and there are plenty of L’Occitane products available as well as mouthwash and toothbrushes. They are also big enough to change for bed without needing to do yoga first.

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Back at my seat, I enjoy a couple more glasses of Bailey’s as I watch TV. The FAs were very attentive and regularly checked on me since I was up.

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The mood lighting.

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I decided to put the seat into bed mode and lay down to relax a little more.

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The bed folds down nicely, plenty of privacy, and plenty of foot space. OZ keeps their cabins on the cold side for Asian standards so the duvet was much appreciated.

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The drinks kept coming. My glass was always refilled and my water bottle was regularly replaced.

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About 5 hours into the flight (a little over halfway there), I decide to order a snack. Not incredibly hungry, but interested to see their offering. I press the call button, and within 10 seconds, there is a FA knelt at my side. I ask for ramen noodles and a cup of chamomile tea. She asks if I want spicy or mild ramen, I ask for spicy.

photo 117

She comes back 10 minutes later and lays down a tablecloth (very nice to see for a snack service), then brings out the tray. The ramen noodles were served with pickled vegetables and kimchi. The ramen was a little spicier than I would have liked (not their fault), but was a nice mid-flight snack.



As my tray was cleared, an oshibori was offered.

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After the snack, I took a nap until breakfast service started. I find starting breakfast service 3 hours before arrival ridiculous. It is neither dinner time in Seoul nor breakfast time in LA.

photo 123

The cabin lights slowly come on.

photo 124

The FAs come through and offer orange juice as an aperitif. The FA kneels and takes my breakfast order. I ask for the congee since I’m not that hungry after devouring the ramen just 2 hours earlier. The lasagna sounded really good, but I went for the lighter option.

photo 125

The FA then prepares the tray table for breakfast.

photo 126

Strawberry preserves this time.

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The trolley comes through and I’m offered a fruit plate, yogurt, and then pastries from a bread basket. The fruit plate was okay, the croissant was warm and flakey, and the yogurt was yogurt.

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More bread was offered and the trolley came through with coffee/tea service using the fancy silver pots.

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My main was delivered and served with pickled vegetables. The congee was good with nice chunks of crab meat in it.

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I really like the OZ tableware. I’d get some of this for home use.

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After breakfast, we still had close to 2 hours until arrival. The cabin after breakfast.

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I just watched TV for the rest of the flight. But I did enjoy the always beautiful sunrise over the Pacific. The colors are always brilliant.

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As we arrived at the California coast near Monterrey, water bottles were distributed again for arrival.

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I decided to pull out the 1” thick literature offering.

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The specs of this A380.

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About 30 minutes before arrival, the UNICEF ad played, money was collected by the FAs, and the pre-arrival exercise video came on.

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The purser came through, thanked me for flying, and profusely apologized for the broken bins. The cabin was prepared for arrival; LA is always stunning on arrival.

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We turn east as we reach Malibu and run past the northwestern suburbs.

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Welcome to Hollywood.

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We make our U-turn and lock on to a parallel approach with this DL B738.

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Dropping into LAX.

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Landing at LAX on this beautiful morning about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

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We taxi around to TBIT. If you can see it, the first plane is the AA A319 in PSA heritage livery.

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Crossing a UA B789 that is squeaky clean having just been delivered to UA 3 weeks before this photo.

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The pair of VA B77Ws camping out.

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Half of QF’s LAX operations. A B744 and A380 in the “Go Wallabies” special livery.

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We pull into our gate at TBIT and the jetbridges are quickly engaged. Deplaning through the upper deck.

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At the door, the FAs from my row both address me by name and wish me a pleasant visit with my family. Remembering personal information from a flight exemplifies the level of attention of the OZ crews. I thank them for their excellent service and hard work.

Rushing off to immigration, we are welcomed to the US.

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We beat the rush of Asian arrivals; only the LA flight from SCL was in front of us at the baggage claim. There was no wait for the kiosks to print off my entry receipt. TSA was typically terrible. There was no wait, but the agent didn't even speak to me. I said “good morning;” he didn’t respond or look up. He just took my passport, scanned it, stamped my forms and handed them back before turning to wave the next person up. Isn’t it their job to welcome US citizens home?

It was a 20-minute wait for bags since immigration was so quick. My bags were off and I joined the 50-person line to go through customs, where again TSA didn’t acknowledge my existence. The agent just continued her conversation about the burrito she had for lunch the previous day with the agent sitting next to her. I headed towards the connections area to drop off my bags. They scanned the barcodes, confirmed SFO as the final destination and sent them off down the conveyer belt. So, thank you OZ for checking my bags all the way through to SFO on a separate AA ticket. With 5 hours to kill until my flight to SFO, I started the 30-minute walk to In-n-Out burger to stretch my legs in the perfect LA weather.

I will leave off this series here as I begin my layover in LAX before continuing onto SFO. Thanks for reading this report and please stop by for the end of this series!
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Verdict

Asiana Airlines

8.8/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi7.5
Meal/catering9.0

Seoul - ICN

9.2/10
Efficiency10.0
Access8.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0

Los Angeles - LAX

8.5/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness7.0

Conclusion

This is my first time on OZ long-haul. OZ offers a very good hard product with these Business Smartium seats. OZ service standards are very high and I feel like the crew was excellent (they aren't chatty, but very attentive and don't feel robotic). Catering was very strong with two full meals. IFE content could be improved.

Cabin comfort: Brand new and clean A380, but not really my cup of tea. I find the upper deck to feel small because of the curvature. Broken storage bins is a little bit of nuisance, but I wasn't going to use them anyways. The Business Smartium seats are very comfortable for lounging or sleeping. Plenty of privacy for the window seats (aisle seats, not so much). All of the amenity's you would expect were there.

Crew: I didn't get any bad vibes from any crew member. I would consider their service to be very professional, but not to the point of being robotic. There was some personality to them and they all were smiling and very attentive. I guess they are about what you would expect from OZ.

Meal and catering: Two full meal services on a short TPAC is nice (compared to what is offered ex-Japan). Both meals were done coursed as well and the only time I saw a tray was when they delivered my mid-flight snack. Trolley service is always nice. For dinner, high points were the beef entree and prawn appetizer, but the low point was an average dessert. For breakfast, the congee was very good. I thought the meal services on this flight were very good.

Entertainment: Newspaper available on the jetbridge, magazine rack at the back of the cabin, and the standard seatback literature. OZ’s IFE has a mediocre selection, but at least no ads before each program. The screen was large and good resolution.

On-time performance: Left late for some last minute maintenance, but arrived slightly early.

Information on the route Seoul (ICN) Los Angeles (LAX)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 9 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Seoul (ICN) → Los Angeles (LAX).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Singapore Airlines avec 8.7/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 10 heures et 38 minutes.

  More information

15 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 155199 by
    02022001 GOLD 4367 Comments
    Thanks to share this very good FR ! On board, catering is fine but the seat i not the best I have ever see...
    Good job for Asiana ;)
    • Comment 332608 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1955 Comments
      Thank you for you comments!

      Yes, the seats aren't close to what SQ offers. I find the Cirrus seats to be roomier, but I also prefer forward-facing seats and it is hard to find a really roomy forward-facing seat that still offers a lot of privacy. It is the same product as NH and better than CA so they are offering a competitive product for the north Asian *A market.
  • Comment 155208 by
    757Fan 632 Comments
    Another great report, NGO85. Excellent photos as usual! What kind of camera do you use?

    Asiana looks like they offer a great Business Class product. All the food served looked tasty and very nicely presented. I also am not a huge fan of the A380 ... In my mind, it's way too big, and not as nice as any Boeing aircraft, but I'm biased I guess ... :)

    Looking forward to your next few reports while in the US!

    Best,

    Matthew
    • Comment 332793 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1955 Comments
      Thanks for stopping by Matthew!

      What kind of camera do you use?
      - Nikon D3300

      Asiana looks like they offer a great Business Class product.
      - Unfortunately, the hard product is not very consistent since there are still a lot of angle-lie flat seats floating around their B772s.

      All the food served looked tasty and very nicely presented.
      - The catering on the TPAC segments was much better than the regional catering. There are still areas that it could be improved (but can't anything?), I was very happy with the offering on this route compared to what I've had on the shorter ex-NRT routes into LAX/SFO.

      not as nice as any Boeing aircraft, but I'm biased I guess ... :)
      - Agree 100%, I would happily fly a B77W over an A380. The A330 is maybe the only Airbus product that I would prefer over it's Boeing equivalent (B767/B772). It may also just be the bane of the newer planes, because I do not really like the B787s either.
  • Comment 155224 by
    Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10410 Comments
    Thanks Michael !

    You missed nothing by not visiting the OZ lounge, it's pretty average.

    I don't really like the cabin colours.
    I agree that the upper deck side bins have a pretty cheap closure system...

    The antimacassar and the funky thing hanging down is for the over shoulder seatbelt you are required to wear for take off and landing. Again, OZ is the only carrier I have seen this on -> I guess you haven't read my report about a TG A380 J class HKG-BKK from 2013. ;)

    The bibimbap is still on the menu of all classes. ;)

    The service looks quite good, with proper salt and pepper for both meals, linen laid even for mid-flight snack, plenty of oshibori delivered and personnalized interaction from the FAs.

    The ramen was a little spicier than I would have liked -> The spicier the better. ;)
    • Comment 332794 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1955 Comments
      Merci Clement, I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this report ;)

      You missed nothing by not visiting the OZ lounge, it's pretty average.
      - The KAL Lounge is better than OZ Lounge.

      I don't really like the cabin colours.
      - I don't mind the carpet, but the seats look really busy. It's not as bad as the seats on the A321 with that yellow, but the seats just don't look right. Remind me of the some of weird JL seat patterns floating around. Since you brought up TG with the seatbelt, I would propose that TG has some of the most hideous seat color choices.

      I agree that the upper deck side bins have a pretty cheap closure system...
      - Not robust like the good old fashioned 1970s bins on the B747s ;)

      The bibimbap is still on the menu of all classes. ;)
      - I got it on the way back, but this time I went for the steak since that looked best. I normally prefer Asian meals, but OZ/KE insist on neglecting their country's culinary offerings by limiting to such a boring dish.

      The service looks quite good
      - OZ may have some mixed attributes, but the service by the FAs seemed to be uniformly good on all flights whether regional or long-haul. I'll excuse the disposable chopsticks for the snack, since that wasn't part of the main meal.

      The spicier the better. ;)
      - Not with my heartburn ;)
  • Comment 155309 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6658 Comments
    Again with the ugly seat covers. Is it me? Do they look better in real life? I feel like in every OZ report I see, they look so drab. I've had problems with the side bins on A380s too, so it much be pretty common.

    the funky thing hanging down is for the over shoulder seatbelt you are required to wear for take off and landing.
    - I've seen this on a few carriers, most recently yesterday on the AA 787.

    Yeah, A380 windows are a pain for pictures and forget about trying to do night shots, you just can't avoid glare.

    Maybe it’s just me, but the A380 feels like the slowest plane ever taxing. I felt like we were going no more than 5 mph. This allowed for plenty of spotting.
    - It's not you, I think they tend to taxi slower because they have to be more careful to clear with wings in case any pesky CRJ Tails are hanging around the taxiways. Also, A380s are so huge and you sit up so high in the upper deck that even when taxiing at a normal speed, you barely feel the speed and it's a smooth right. Takeoff roll also feels really slow because of this, almost unsettling, to the point where you wonder if it's actually going to take off and then when it does, you barely feel the push and angle.

    The long haul meal service looks much more premium then the single tray on the regional report. The lack of tray is always a good thing. Along with the soup, overall it's absolutely what I would expect from a carrier deserving of a 5* rating.

    The drinks kept coming. My glass was always refilled and my water bottle was regularly replaced.
    - Dang, that's a lot of Baileys. I love Baileys, but with my lactose intolerance, I would have thrown up after the 2nd glass, LOL

    Great sunrise pics. That's always one of my favorite moments on Eastbound overnight flights.
    Doesn't OZ have a lounge/bar area for J class on the A380? Did you not visit it?

    See you on the next one!





    • Comment 332716 by
      Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10410 Comments
      +1 About the ugly seat covers !
    • Comment 332795 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1955 Comments
      Thanks for your comments Kevin!

      Again with the ugly seat covers. Is it me? Do they look better in real life? I feel like in every OZ report I see, they look so drab.
      - I find the yellow seats to be very nasty looking too. These ones on the A380 don't look that bad in person, I mean, you are sitting in the seat, you aren't looking at it for 10 hours! And since you can't see anyoneelse's seat, it's fine. On the A321, I had to stare at that nasty pee-stain pattern for over an hour!

      I've had problems with the side bins on A380s too, so it much be pretty common.
      - The bane of new aircraft and all these weight-reduction factors. The B787 feels really plastic too (I'm looking forward to your opinions on this matter in your reports, but I don't like them).

      It's not you, I think they tend to taxi slower because they have to be more careful to clear with wings in case any pesky CRJ Tails are hanging around the taxiways. Also, A380s are so huge and you sit up so high in the upper deck that even when taxiing at a normal speed, you barely feel the speed and it's a smooth right. Takeoff roll also feels really slow because of this, almost unsettling, to the point where you wonder if it's actually going to take off and then when it does, you barely feel the push and angle.
      - The Dash8s feel like they are going 30mph when they taxi, those things haul around the taxiways. The takeoff did feel very long with a slow climb (similar to the A340), but that doesn't really bother me (anyways, I'm on the upper deck so if we did end up in the water at the end of the runway, I wouldn't be the first to drown, lol). I don't need to be feeling the Gs on wheels up like on a turboprop.

      Along with the soup, overall it's absolutely what I would expect from a carrier deserving of a 5* rating.
      - You just saw a lot of different products, and I do find the service protocols to be very nice for both meals and the quality of the food was all very good. OZ has other issues as you'll see in the coming reports, but the service standards were always high.

      Doesn't OZ have a lounge/bar area for J class on the A380? Did you not visit it?
      - I think there is a small one at the front that F and J share, but I was wayyyyyy in the back and that is like a 5 minute walk. My seat was the bar ;)
  • Comment 155398 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    The seating areas at ICN don’t look like they have enough seats per gate.
    - Nice hardwood floors though.

    No entrance shot after the debacle in the last report.
    - Still traumatized? :P

    My seat, 23A.
    - Nice throne. ;) Great to see that you were treated like royalty.

    The amenity kit is light on products, but there are full line of L’Occitane products available in the lavatories.
    - I understand that kits are only available ex-ICN. If you are flying from an outstation you are out of luck.

    ..the funky thing hanging down is for the over shoulder seatbelt you are required to wear for take off and landing. Again, OZ is the only carrier I have seen this on (because of questionable safety record on landings?).
    - Not only OZ. I was required to wear the shoulder seatbelt on AA's 772.

    She happily gave me one as a souvenir. I really just wanted one as a gift to my niece.
    - It's OK, you don't need to explain. I say the same thing when I request for infligh souvenirs. :P

    The selection is so-so, enough to last through my 4 flights, but the selection is not as good as other carriers.
    - I agree. Even AA's selection is better with their on demand IFE.

    She knelt at my side, addressed me by name, and offered me menus explaining the different options.
    - I think this is pretty standard procedure on OZ from my limited experience.

    While eating my croquette, I got startled when the bin suddenly popped open.
    - Maybe the plane is haunted or there are elves on board. :P

    The hangar steak was very good, very tender and you could pull it apart with just a fork.
    - Looks so delicious!

    Thanks Michael for sharing another great FR.





    • Comment 332814 by
      jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
      still waiting on HKG-SFO...
      - My bad. It's been a hectic end of Dec. for me with family gathering and in Jan. I flew 2 separate trips on AA already. On my most recent trip last Sat. I had the chance to experience the new DL SkyClub in SFO which is the best domestic lounge by a U.S. carrier so far. I got some interesting aerial shots on my way to DFW too.

      The CX FR is coming up this weekend. Thanks for your patience. ;)
    • Comment 332796 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1955 Comments
      Nice hardwood floors though.
      - ICN does have a nice aesthetic appearance (very different from NRT...), but the way there are shops in between the concourse and the gates is not very practical.

      Still traumatized? :P
      - Yes, very.

      Nice throne. ;) Great to see that you were treated like royalty.
      - It's not as spacious as the CX Cirrus, but I find it really private if you get a window seat.

      I understand that kits are only available ex-ICN. If you are flying from an outstation you are out of luck.
      - That is true, there is no kit on LAX-ICN. I asked thinking maybe it was only special to the A380, but they confirmed your statement.

      Not only OZ. I was required to wear the shoulder seatbelt on AA's 772.
      - Kevin also confirmed the AA B788s have them too, I guess that is becoming more common. They just better never show up in Y...

      I say the same thing when I request for infligh souvenirs. :P
      - A little white lie never hurt anyone ;)

      I agree. Even AA's selection is better with their on demand IFE.
      - It was better than JL's IFE at least. I haven't seen the new AA IFE yet to compare, but UA has a better offering than OZ.

      Maybe the plane is haunted or there are elves on board. :P
      - It was close to Christmas time...

      Looks so delicious!
      - OZ has good catering, much better than KE.

      Thanks for stopping by Adan, still waiting on HKG-SFO...
  • Comment 155406 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing another fantastic FR with us!

    Great spotting shots! Both from the terminal and from the taxiing session.

    The colours in the cabin are slightly bland. There seems to be a good amount of space considering it's a forward-facing seat. The ottoman looks bigger than many other ones I've seen before, I haven't read many business class reports though.

    Well, it's unfortunate none of your bins were functional. I guess there are always some flaws with new stuff.

    OZ's catering on this flight seems to be on-point. Tablecloth for a snack? Now that's impressive. The overall quality in the catering department looks very good.

    Stunning sunrise shots, and great shots upon arrival at LAX!

    Beautiful spotting shots as always, the great weather was a big plus.

    Have a good one, see you!



    • Comment 332800 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1955 Comments
      Great spotting shots! Both from the terminal and from the taxiing session.
      - The others terminal at ICN always has a dense array of various carriers, most are generic to me so I try to just pick the most interesting ones.

      Here seems to be a good amount of space considering it's a forward-facing seat.
      - It's definitely a good balance of privacy and space. Some seats (like TK) have a lot more space, but no privacy. If you can't get a window seat, then I think these seats are not the greatest. I'd hate to be on the aisle since you have no privacy at all.

      Well, it's unfortunate none of your bins were functional.
      - My luck I guess. My first time on an A380 and it was definitely not impressive. Maybe the main deck is better, but the upper deck just feels very cramped, I would never want to be in Y on the upper deck at a window seat.

      Tablecloth for a snack? Now that's impressive.
      - The service during the meal was very good, but I felt like even SK was close in meal service to OZ (granted the rest of SK is not very close...). AA doesn't even bother with a tablecloth for the breakfast service, they just plop down a tray.

      Stunning sunrise shots, and great shots upon arrival at LAX!
      - LAX is one of the best airports for photography because of the weather. SFO can be nice, but only if the weather cooperates since it is often very foggy.

      Beautiful spotting shots as always
      - Next report in this series will have good spotting from the In-n-Out burger during my layover.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
  • Comment 155563 by
    socalnow 976 Comments
    Thank you NGO85 for yet another fantastic report.

    Since my plane was already scheduled to start boarding, I headed straight to the gate so there will be no lounge stop this time.
    -As others have mentioned this is no loss. The KE and OZ lounges at ICN are comically bad when compared to the stellar on board service and catering.

    The light on your ICN spotting shots is spot on. See what I did there?

    I find the color palate of the cabin and the pattern on the sidewalls to be less than pleasing...

    The seats look very private and spacious. It seems similar to the NH J seats on the 777ER and the 789. I prefer the colors on NH.

    I chalk this down to a poor Airbus product since the plane is too young to be having these kinds of problems.
    -Would the air framer necessarily have anything to do with these types of cabin fittings?

    The crab croquette was very good.
    -Certainly an interesting offering and I'm impressed it could maintain good texture.

    Soups are rare these days and this was a very delicious offering.
    -Yes! Soups in J are rare and It just baffles me. They can't be expensive and they hold well for service. More soups please.

    The catering on the whole looks fantastic (aside from the pedestrian dessert). Such care in the presentation too. Very well done OZ.

    The congee was good with nice chunks of crab meat in it.
    -OK, this is making me hungry!

    Thank you again for the report. Looking forward to the next installment. Happy flying.

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