Review of Korean Air flight Amsterdam → Seoul in Economy

Introduction

Today I take advantage of a break in my studies to go to east Asia for a week; half in Hong Kong and half in Seoul.

The trip was originally booked as a round trip with Air France between AMS and ICN with layovers in CDG, and a separate round trip between ICN and HKG operated by Hong Kong Airlines. However, due to multiple delays, the trip was changed to a direct Korean Air to ICN. Then, the section between ICN and HKG had to be changed to Cathay Pacific.

For notes on how Air France - KLM handled the issues, please look at the Bonus section at the end.

It is a cold morning in Amsterdam. There is a nice view of the train station, since Christmas lights were still up at the time of the picture.

From this station, there are frequent services to Schiphol, both with stops and direct. Journey times are usually below 15 minutes and cost around 4 €.

Departure: AMS

I arrive to the airport 12 hours before the departure time, because I originally booked a flight that departed 10 hours earlier. Just outside the train station there are multiple restaurants and gift shops, as well as train ticket salespoints.

Here, I have some Albert Heijn frikandelbroodjes for breakfast; it seems like even the airport stores accept the loyalty card to purchase some goods at "normal" prices.

The check-in areas are not far from the station, unlike other airports. I, however, only bring cabin bags and already have my boarding pass, so I proceed directly to security. There is some considerable (but not extreme) queue, though I skip most of it thanks to the free timeslot service offered by Schiphol: Travelers may book a slot in advance to enjoy a shorter security queue, at the booked time.

I queue for 5 minutes and the check takes 12, since my bags are yet again flagged.

Schiphol Airport features multiple waiting areas, which are named Lounges but are not a premium service. These lounges have multiple "standard" chairs, and some more comfortable reclined seats. There are also two sets of seven screens with information for upcoming departures.

Glass walls allow for a great view of the tarmac, and of the many aircraft that pass through AMS. Here is an ITA A320 and the snow storm that contributed to the cancellation of my flight…

Passport control takes less than 5 minutes, queue included. In the non-Schengen zone there are even more waiting areas, such as this one featuring more comfortable seats and the famous Schiphol clock.

Between the E and F piers, there is a great variety of seating options, including a library. Most seats have nearby power outlets. There is also a multitude of shops and restaurants, in one of which I get a good burger with the voucher I got due to the delay.

My flight today departs from gate F7, at the end of the pier. There are great views outside the passenger area, and there is no lack of seating. There are also benches and work desks, both with plenty of power outlets.

Outside the window I can see a Cathay Pacific A350 that would arrive to my destination more than 12 hours before me… Some hours later, our plane arrives from Seoul.

Flight: Korean Air B777-300ER

This will be the longest of two flights on my way to Hong Kong. It is a Korean Air flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Incheon International Airport, which serves the South Korean capital of Seoul. It will be my first time in over a decade flying more than 11 hours straight.

Airline: Korean Air
Flight: KE926
Model: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration:  HL8209 (South Korea)
Age: 13 years

Boarding is very quick, and I am seated 20 minutes after the gate opened despite having waited until I was among the last seated passengers. And the plane seemed quite full, which makes this time even more surprising.

Today I was assigned 36J, a standard Economy class window seat. The padding is alright, though not the best. The seat features a headrest; adjustable vertically and with foldable "wings" for more comfort, as well as a fancy cover.

In the seat, we are given a mediocre pillow and a soft but not very warm blanket. We also have bottled water, headphones and an amenity kit. In Economy! It contains cheap slippers and a toothbrush with toothpaste. The headphones have decent sound quality, but not much can be heard over the massive engines.

The seat in front has the IFE screen and a controller, a USB charging port, a coat hook and a foldable tray table with a cup holder. There is also a universal power outlet under my seat. Overhead, there are personal reading lights but no air vents.

The space deserves its own section. Being rebooked into Korean Air is an upgrade in all aspects except for the fact that it arrives in ICN 6 hours later than I had originally booked. Thanks to a 3-3-3 configuration, not only are the seats wider, but the aisles are also way more navigable. And the legroom is the most generous I have ever seen in Economy class. For reference, in the photo I am 171 cm in height.

Class: Economy Light (Y)
Includes: 1x Meal + 1x Breakfast. 1x Cabin bag + 1x Small bag.
Seat: 36J (Window)
Price: 0 € (Rebooked flight, originally ~575 € round trip with Air France)
Ancillaries (this segment only): -

The IFE screen is quite big and has good quality. It has a great variety of movies and music, especially Korean-made. The map cannot be controlled, but there are multiple zoom options to choose from. There are also two cameras; front- and down-facing.

The safety video is quite strange, the movie itself is good but it's led by a realistic-but-not-real 3D model that makes me think of the uncanny valley hypothesis. Furthermore, the screens seemed to really struggle displaying it, as the quality noticeably dropped while it played. It was spoken in Korean with Korean and English subtitles. Most cabin announcements were also given in pre-recorded Dutch.

At 20:18, around 30 minutes after scheduled pushback, we depart from 36L; which means we were also treated to the lovely Polderbaan taxi.

45 minutes after takeoff, I am served dinner. The options are Korean, Bibimbap, and Western, beef Goulash and chicken with mustard sauce. Naturally, I chose the Korean option. Cutlery was metallic and the dishes were of good quality hard plastic. We were offered drinks, but I didn't want caffeine or even more sugar before sleep.

The tray had pickles with a chili oil or paste, a bowl of hot rice, the Bibimbap bowl with the cold toppings, a piece of butter cake, some fresh fruit and an optional bean paste soup. There was also a tube of Gochujang chili paste, sesame oil, a napkin and a refreshing towel.

The pickles were alright, but the bean paste soup was quite good. Not unlike the miso soup I make at home.

The Bibimbap was very tasty, and the rice was way fluffier than I'd expect to find in a plane. No salt or soy sauce were provided, so I used the whole tube of Gochujang to salt the dish. It tasted amazing, but my stomach did not agree with it.

The butter cake indeed tasted buttery. It was deliciously crumbly but not dry, and the fruit was alright. As usual, the pineapple overwhelmed the other flavors.

The lavatories between both Economy cabins were quite small, as expected. They were clean throughout the flight, and feature cologne and fresheners. No malfunctions to note.

Around two hours before arrival, breakfast was served. I chose the Korean option, rice porridge, while the Western option was omelette. Again we had metal cutlery as well as drinks, where I went for some orange juice.

I mixed the porridge with the seasoning packet and ate it alongside the vegetables. It was pretty tasty, though the seasoning had a bit of an artificial taste. The fruit was the same as before, but the orange juice was actually very good. It was actual orange juice, from real oranges, and not the sugary stale Fanta-like drink that I was served in most flights.

As we reach eastern China, some significant turbulence starts shaking the plane, after a mostly calm ride. It is not long before the cabin crew ask for the window blinds to be opened as we are approaching Incheon.

Route: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) – (ICN) Incheon International Airport
Great Circle distance: 8574 km
Flight length: ~10500 km
Flight time: 11h 41m
Delay on arrival: +23 minutes (late)

The landing was uneventful, after some turbulence over China and the sea. We touch down on 15R at 15:58 local time and taxi to our gate.

Arrival: ICN T2

There is a decent walk from the gate to the transfer shuttle, 20~30 minutes from the plane to the stop. The hallways are separate from the departures area, and features large glass walls with views of the apron and many restrooms are available.

Thanks and image credits

Thank you for reading this report! The section below will explain my experience with Air France - KLM handling a cancelled flight.
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Photography: Own work
Maps: Google
Flight route: Flightradar24