Welcome everyone. Well time goes by very fast and especially holidays go by fast - so did the week in Korea. And regarding the report, we reached already part 3 - my return flight from Seoul to Paris with Korean Air A380. So sit back and enjoy. :)
As I already told, my hotel was located near Gongdeok metro station. At Gongdeok station the airport express train stops which takes you in just 50min from the city to ICN airport. Definitely the most effective and unstressfull way to get to the airport.
When I arrived at ICN Terminal 2 about 3 hours before scheduled departure, there were not many people in the check-in hall.
I proceeded to the Korean Air check-in counters and checked-in. Not too many people were waiting.
After check-in I proceeded to the security and imigration checks, which were done very quickly. Once again the experience was awesome, effective personel and always very friendly.
Right behind checks, lot's of shops were located in the Gate area.
For me it was not about shopping - I prefer to do some plane spotting and getting something to eat as I had no breakfast that morning.
Finally some food. Just a basic bagel.
ICN Terminal 2 is amazing! There were not many people in the area, the general atmosphere is amazing as there is also an natural habitat inside the building which is great. An band was playing all the time, which was also good for the atmosphere.
There was still a lot of time left until boarding after I finished my bagel, so more plane spotting.
Oh yeah and there were a lot of Korean Air beauties!! <3
Look at that B747-8 which was getting ready for her flight to FRA! The queen just looks sexy - and her paint scheme is fabulous.
As I walked along the great glass walls of ICN airport, I got to my Gate and saw my big belly monster A380 for the first time! Stunning over and over again!
Another A380 from Asiana just landed and was taxiing to the terminal.
Flight KE901
Finally it was time to board my Korean Air A380 to Paris - HL7615. She is about 7 years old and is used on the main Korean Air routs to Europe (LHR, CDG) as well as to the USA (LAX).
Boarding was on time and the first impression was "wow amazing". The cabin looked in good shape and the cabin crew already smiled a lot while I proceeded to my seat. My seat was far in the back - 56A …. hurray another window seat. It was not necessary to pay for that seat this time as the seat selection was already included.
My first impression of the seat was amazing. Well seat width - standard as on any other A380. But seat pitch was …. AMAZING. And yes, I write AMAZING in uppercase because the pitch was the biggest I have ever experienced! My complete hand fitted between the seat in front of me and my knees!
View from my seat across the cabin.
And my window view! A nice wing you have there Korean Air A380. ;)
Inflight magazines - headphones were distributed by the crew.
There was a bottle of Jeju Island water in the seat pocket of each seat.
Taxiing to the runway with a slight delay of about 40min.
Asiana B777 gets some fresh air. :)
Sad but true … it was time to say good bye Korea. :( Full trust and here we go …..
Just seconds after takeoff we turned left towards China over the Yellow Sea.
Weather over the Yellow Sea was not too good, lots of thick fluffy clouds.
90min into the flight, lunch was served. There was an Korean and European option available. This time I chose the European option - beef.
Korean Air branding cutlery.
Starter - salad with ham.
Main dish - beef with potatoes and vegetables.
Dessert - cake.
Still the same weather after lunch - anywhere over China.
Shortly after that picture all the window blinds were closed until about 2 hours before landing at CDG.
We had a very far northern route that day.
Over Mongolia the weather got a little bit better and clear skies were underneath us.
During that time I watched a few movies on the inflight enterntainment system. The system is the standard A380 one - it also has the remote control to play games, select movies or music. Regarding selection: There were a lot of Korean, Asian and European movies, musics or shows. Even some of them were available in French and German.
Most of the passengers took a rest during the long 12h flight.
Already half way done after I watched a couple of films. With the extra seat pitch - biggest one I have ever experienced - it was very comfortable throughout the flight.
Midway through the flight, a snack was served - Magheritta Pizza was the only option. And sorry … I forgot to take a picture of the pizza itself, as it was so hot and not easy to eat … .and I was hungry, too. :)
After the snack I walked a little bit around the aircraft. Thankfully the back galery was just a few steps away AND the stairs to the upper deck had no barriers - hurray!! So I took the chance and walked the stairs in the A380 for the first time - finally for the first time! :) I had to do it 5 times, because it was cool. :D Anyway, at the end of the stairs, there were barriers … but it's the feeling that counts! ;)
I wanted to take some pictures but then a passenger asked me about Screen Golf, he was playing with a new device. If you don't know Screen Golf … it is very popular in Korea, there are also professionals who compete it in offical tournaments. Basically you use a real club which is connected to a system which simulates the golf ball and golf course - to sum it up, most of it happens virtual. Never played it, but it feels very very real! I was allowed to do a few swings, not so easy as you expect, but nice to play. We also talked a little bit about that and that and so fast 2 hours fly by and I totally forgot to take pictures.
When I return to my seat we were already in North-Europe and the second meal of the flight was served.
Tray for the second meal - once again Korean and European option was available. Korean option this time. ;)
Salad as starter.
Korean option as main course - spicy chicken. Taste was once again, very good!
For the last few hours the weather was not bad and blue sky offered great views.
Except over Germany …. there were some thunderstorms over North-Germany. We had to do some slight adjustments to the rout to pass them.
Another pic of the huge A380 wing.
And descent into CDG started ….
Some left - right turns to get lined up for our final approach.
Wing detail a few minutes before landing @ CDG.
Gettinger closer to the ground …
… touchdown! Welcome back to France …. winning country of the World Cup 2018. ;)
Taxiing took a while.
But at CDG you can see a lot …. once again a great AF wide body lineup! <3
Post Flight @ CDG
Disembarkement took a little bit, but we landed perfectly on time - 7min earlier after a 50min delay in ICN. As I had about 2,5 hours until my connecting flight I took my time and got off the aircraft as one of the last passengers. From the gate I had a great last view across my Korean Air A380.
She was parked right next to an AF A380 … both looked happy to see each other. ;)
For me it was time to wave and say good bye as I headed to the F-Gates to get my connecting flight to MUC.
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Verdict
Korean Air
9.1/10
Cabin9.5
Cabin crew9.5
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering9.0
Seoul - ICN
8.8/10
Efficiency8.5
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness8.5
Paris - CDG
7.9/10
Efficiency8.5
Access7.5
Services8.0
Cleanliness7.5
Conclusion
WoW what a great experience at Incheon Airport and Korean Air. I would compare ICN Airport Terminal 2 with Changi in Singapore. It was clean everywhere, the atmosphere was great and the glass walls offer a gret view across the ramp! Regarding Korean Air .... I have absolutely nothing to complain! The cabin was amazing, the seat pitch the biggest I have experienced on any aircraft! Catering was very very good and the crew very friendly and professional!
To sum it up shortly: If you have a chance to fly Korean Air .... juts go for it. I am really happy with my decission when I booked the flight and would defenitely reccomend it.
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Thank you. Once again, a short, informative flight report that sheds light on the individual phases - from the check-in to the catering. I particularly liked the individual descriptions for the catering.
Very good flight report indeed.....However I must differ with your views on the catering side…I think catering is very plain and boring. Notice the chunk of ham on the first service appetizer? Not impressed…. At least KE keep its catering standardized everywhere they fly.
It may well be true that only the own interpretation of the photos had to serve the actual quality of the catering. So a "block" of pieces of ham as an appetizer is already very rustic. And yet: Overall, KE has a respectable standard. European airlines can hardly keep up with comparable flight lengths.
Yes no doubt, the piece of ham was not the nicest one to look at. But my experienced showed that this is at most airlines the standard in Economy class. It might does not look pretty, but tasted good, I hade worse meals on an airplane.
Thanks for this FR. Good experience as always on KE. Was there an asian option for the main meal ? It's unusual to have actually friendly FAs on KE, they have the reputation of being courteous and professional but not more.
Awesome experience. I was in the air on a Delta heavy that day heading to Hong Kong, and the weather over China was not too good. It was super shaky for the last 4-5 hours, and there were clouds even into descent into HKG. I haven't been to Korea yet nor been on an A380. I hope I'll get to both of these soon!
If you can, give it a try. I was on Qatar A380 a few weeks ago, that was also an awesome experience. I would say QR und KE offer the best A380 experience I have flown. Well of course I have not been onboard AF A380, EY A380, SQ A380, CZ A380, 5K A380, BA A380 and QF A380 ... I guess I have everyone^^
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9 Comments
I particularly liked the individual descriptions for the catering.
Notice the chunk of ham on the first service appetizer? Not impressed….
At least KE keep its catering standardized everywhere they fly.
And yet: Overall, KE has a respectable standard. European airlines can hardly keep up with comparable flight lengths.
But my experienced showed that this is at most airlines the standard in Economy class.
It might does not look pretty, but tasted good, I hade worse meals on an airplane.
Good experience as always on KE.
Was there an asian option for the main meal ?
It's unusual to have actually friendly FAs on KE, they have the reputation of being courteous and professional but not more.
Of course it always depends on people itself, if they are more or less friendly - I only have this experience with KE and it was good.
I would say QR und KE offer the best A380 experience I have flown.
Well of course I have not been onboard AF A380, EY A380, SQ A380, CZ A380, 5K A380, BA A380 and QF A380 ... I guess I have everyone^^
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