After searching for some cheap fares from ICN to Japan with 2 days in advance, Sapporo and Naha seemed to be the most affordable routes for a short hop. We ditched out Naha after realizing it's not that easy to move around the island, and renting a car and driving on the left side for the first time it wasn't that "cool" .
Easterjet is a South Korean LCC operating a fleet of 22 B738. Most of the frames are quite old but in a good shape. They recently received their first 737 Max, which is the first one to be registered in Korea too.
The plane that flown us on this route was 20 years old, flying previously for Hainan Airlines for 16 years.
As it was an early departure, we had to be at ICN at 5.30 AM. If you want to depart from Seoul in the middle of the night, the only option available is the bus. Trains do not operate during the night.
An empty airport at 05.30 am * Terminal 1*
Check-in Area
Got our boarding passes extremely fast
The cabin was clean but quite old
Seat pitch was correct. I'm 191cm and no major issues. More comfort than you can find on Air France, BA or Iberia for example.
Rainy day
There was a BoB service. Water was provided for free for passengers, which is common on Korean LCC
A really classic 737 NG.
Arrival at CTS Airport.
On the ground, there ware many heavys from Southeast Asia, mainly Thai and Air Asia x.
The Hokkaido region is famous in the southern part of the Asian continent because it offers beautiful sceneries, cold weather, and snow ( several ski resorts)
And then a big surprise. The new 777W of the Japanese Air Force which is replacing the aging 744.
After disembarking. Plenty of ads with Royce Chocolate ( by the way, it's delicious )
And some pics from Sapporo City :
BONUS PICTURES-
Return flight was with another Korean LCC, T -WAY on a brand new 738. But in levels of comfort, the shiny new 738 was worst than an old 738.
Approaching the Korean Peninsula from the East Sea.
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Verdict
Eastar Jet
8.3/10
Cabin7.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Meal/catering10.0
Seoul - ICN
10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Chitose - CTS
7.3/10
Efficiency1.0
Access10.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness10.0
Conclusion
Everything went smoothly. It is a please to fly a Korean LCC in comparison with Ryanair or Easyjet. On longer flights to South East Asia, they even provide free meals and wifi.
The Hokkaido region in Japan is beautiful, the food is awesome and the beer is good :)
I recommend you to visit this part of Japan in the winter when it's snowy.
7 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Nice review of Eastar. I've flown with them once before from Gimpo to Jeju return. I didn't realize they had such old planes. I had a pleasant experience. The crew was young, and not all women either. T-Way I flew just once, between Guam and Seoul. I don't remember most of it as I was asleep most of the flight. The service on Korean LCC is very basic but still much better than something like Spirit here in the US. Jeju is the other one I've flown, and they are probably my favorite of the bunch. Sapporo looks nice, the food especially!
With Eastar Jet everything was correct. They have low fares and a friendly crew. I still think that the best LCC in Korea is Jinair, but they are expensive unless you fly GMP to CJU. Haha... and regarding the food pic, we did some research about restaurants in Sapporo and I must say that the Ramen and Sushi are amazing. I guess that everything tastes good if you eat it where it comes from... Thanks for reading my report :)
Nice review. I've flown Eastar once from Gimpo to Jeju. It was pleasant. Although my plane seemed a bit newer than what you flew. T-Way is also pretty pleasant. I flew it on a red eye from Guam to Seoul so I don't remember most of it. All the Korean LCC seem the same. But the service is really nice. Out of all of them, Jeju Air was my favorite. Also, nice picture of the ramen.
I can’t believe ICN is ever that empty! Not that lineups are long, but it’s always been buzzing anytime I’ve been there.
The seat product looks good for an LCC — nice that the legroom is solid. How was the seat comfort? Not that it’s a big factor on these 2:30 short segments.
Lovely scenery — and food — shots in Sapporo!
Interesting perspective so directly comparing two Japanese LCCs. Too bad T-Way didn’t seem to live up to the same levels of service as Eastar. Were the fares around the same in each direction?
Why the 1.0 on efficiency for CTS? There must be a story behind a rating that low!
Thanks for sharing this quick flight-report. Happy flying!
Hi Hometoyyz. It was a pleasure to be in the terminal 1 with almost no people... But I was quite sleepy so I couldn't enjoy that much. Seat factor was low, around 50% but on the return flight was 100%. A few days ago I read that Eastar is increasing frequencies to CTS so I guess the route is doing well. Regarding the pricing, I paid around 120 euros for 2 persons, for the first leg with Eastar and return was 100 eur with Tway (bought the tickets only with 2 days in advance) On the other hand, the 1.0 on efficiency it is because they made me turn around twice from security to buy transparent plastic bags for the liquids. I had non-transparent bags and it was not ok for them. And well, in the international area * departures * there are not too many restaurants or bars. It is not that convenient.
Hi KAL1, thanks for sharing the first report on Eastar in English! The older style seats look surprisingly comfortable for an LCC. Very nice picture throughout the report!
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7 reviews
8 Comments
I can’t believe ICN is ever that empty! Not that lineups are long, but it’s always been buzzing anytime I’ve been there.
The seat product looks good for an LCC — nice that the legroom is solid. How was the seat comfort? Not that it’s a big factor on these 2:30 short segments.
Lovely scenery — and food — shots in Sapporo!
Interesting perspective so directly comparing two Japanese LCCs. Too bad T-Way didn’t seem to live up to the same levels of service as Eastar. Were the fares around the same in each direction?
Why the 1.0 on efficiency for CTS? There must be a story behind a rating that low!
Thanks for sharing this quick flight-report. Happy flying!
On the other hand, the 1.0 on efficiency it is because they made me turn around twice from security to buy transparent plastic bags for the liquids. I had non-transparent bags and it was not ok for them. And well, in the international area * departures * there are not too many restaurants or bars. It is not that convenient.
Very nice picture throughout the report!
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