Review of Asiana Airlines flight Seoul → Taipei in Economy

Introduction

Greetings everyone. It's been several months since I've had a chance to go somewhere and write a flight report. Join me today as I fly Asiana Airlines 713 from Seoul Incheon Airport to Taipei Taoyuan Airport. Originally, I was supposed to fly one of their 767s. However, when I got to the gate, an A330-300 was there instead.

To watch the video report, see the YouTube video below. Thanks. 

Taking the Bus to Incheon Airport

I stayed at a hotel near Dongdaemun History and Culture Park. It is also right across the street from the first stop for Bus 6001 to ICN. For 15,000 KRW, $12.77, I had a comfortable seat and didn't have to make any transfers. And because I left around 10 am, there was no traffic and 1.5 hours later, I was dropped off right in front of Terminal One.

I also had a nice view of the Han River and Yeoeuido.

Check In

As Asiana Diamond and Star Alliance Gold, at ICN we have a dedicated line. Check-in procedures were quick and bag checked all within about 5 minutes. The security and immigration took a bit longer, but those procedures are still quite fast and efficient. I got to use the new E-Gate at immigration. No problems and I was through in just a couple of minutes.

Time to visit the Asiana Business Lounge.

 As it was around lunchtime, it was not busy at all. I had a chance to use a massage chair which is amazing as one was out of order and those things are usually in use when I visit. The meal was spaghetti, which tasted quite sweet, similar to Filipino style. Also served was sweet and sour fish and sausages. I also had a cappuccino and water. 

Boarding Time

If you've read my other reviews, Asiana's boarding process seems so chaotic compared to what we do when flying American carriers like United or even JetBlue or Southwest. Basically, the boarding agents will start talking very loudly to start getting in line. There are two lines. One for Business Class, Asiana Diamonds and above and Star Alliance Golds. This is quite peaceful. The rest line line up in the economy line. Other agents will check your boarding pass and passport and check you off. However, for all the "chaos" during boarding, it works and even an A380 can push back on time.

 We were supposed to fly a 767. Last minute sub to an A330.

Boarding just about to begin.

OnBoard

For the short Intra-Asia flights, I like to sit by the window. This flight was no exception. I had been assigned 14A on the 767 and was still 14 A on the A330. Asiana's A330 economy is configured in the standard 2-4-2. The flight was completely full this afternoon. I was greeted warmly by the flight attendants. I found my seat and put my luggage away and settled in. Being one of the first passengers onboard has pros like guaranteed bin space and getting settled quickly.

Even though this is an International flight, there are no amenity kits. There are headphones. But that is all. I guess if you really wanted pillows and blankets, just ask. But being so warm, no need for a blanket no matter how thin it is.
 
Asiana's beige seats in a standard Airbus 2-4-2 configuration. 

My view for the next almost three hours.

Entry card for Taiwan.

The cabin is quite warm and there are no personal air vents above. Pretty much we have to wait until much later before it starts to feel reasonably comfortable.

Bye bye Korea. See you next time? When that will be? I can't say.

In Flight Services

One thing I can tell people is to expect a consistent service. Whether the flights across the Pacific or these Intra-Asia flights, I know what to expect. Flight attendants are warm and speak fairly good English. They're attentive. And it is consistent. This is good since it is consistently consistent. I've never had a bad experience or had a flight attendant who didn't seem to want to be there or just go through the motions.

Even the meals are consistent. Asiana heard my complaint and now when you book a reservation, you can now order a special meal on your reservation page. And, you can choose different meals for each individual flight.

I ordered a Vegetarian Oriental meal. It was exactly the same meal as my flight from Seoul to Taipei in May. It looked and tasted exactly the same. It was braised tofu in soy sauce. There was a block of rice and vegetables like cucumbers and mushrooms. Talk about consistency. 

Unfortunately, the remote control was not working. It was stuck to the port under my arm rest. But the IFE is touchscreen and is fairly up to date, as opposed to the 747 I flew in May.

Overall, the cabin though warm, was fairly comfortable. The seats were fine. I used my coat for lower back support. The cabin looks fairly refreshed.
 
One other thing I observed is that after the meal service, the flight attendants were more busy taking Duty Free orders. There wasn't anyone passing by with water or juice. I suppose you could just ask. I guess because it's a short flight. But usually I saw them walking up and down taking orders and bringing back bags of goods. Did I mention the Duty Free magazine is really thick? I would guess there's close to 200 pages of duty free goods you could order.

 Oh well, shades down most of the flight and just settle in for the last 1.5 hours.

Welcome to Taipei

Though cloudy and a bit windy, it was not raining. There didn't seem to be too much turbulence.

After landing it took quite a while to taxi to the gate. It was about 15 or 20 minutes before arriving at our gate. So I was able to do some plane spotting. Here they are.