Review of Korean Air flight from Manila to Seoul in Economy

Greetings Flight-Report Community. Thanks for stopping by and having a look at this report. This series covers a recent trip to the Philippines, with this flight being the third Korean Air flight for this journey. Please refer back to Part 1 for introduction. On this flight from Manila - Seoul, we were supposed to fly on an Airbus A330-300 but in late-January, there was an Aircraft Change from an A330-300 to a Boeing 777-300, which we were notified by the airline in advance. I was looking forward to fly on the A330, as it would have been the first time I'd tried an A330 with a 2-4-2 seating configuration in Economy Class, but unfortunately we ended up on a Boeing 777-300. I just want to let you know that if you've been keeping up with my travels, I've been very busy lately so I'm very sorry that I haven't been able to upload a new trip report on Flight Report.

This trip report will cover a recent flight from Manila - Seoul Incheon. As a reminder, this is the routing for this trip:

I arrived at the airport roughly three hours before the schedule departure from Manila. At the distance, three aircraft were parked at the gate such as a Philippine Airlines A321, Japan Airlines B767-300ER, and another Philippine Airlines B777-300ER. I was surprised to see Japan Airlines deploy their Boeing 767-300ER's to Manila, as they usually deploy their Boeing 787-8's to Manila on a regular basis.

The check-in lines for Korean Air were quite long, as there were many passengers on our flight to Seoul waiting to check their bags. After long waiting on lines, we finally checked in. The check-in agent was very friendly, and unlike on our previous segment (JFK-MNL), we were given baggage tags for all our carry-on items. I was just wondering why we were not given baggage tags from Korean Air on our JFK-MNL segment? Could be due to the second flight being operated by a smaller aircraft where carry-ons were free of charge? The check-in agent at JFK probably forgot? We didn't ask for one? Please let us know in the comments what you think.

Finally, we were airside after a rather short wait at security. The security at NAIA's Terminal 1 was rather efficient, as police guards managed to have all passengers clear security in a short amount of time.

Here is a Philippine Airlines A321-200 parked at the gate. During my stay in the Philippines, I'd had many flights with Philippine Airlines on the A321-200, so please stay tuned for when those Flight Reports come out. 

Here is a Philippine Airlines A321neo parked at the gate. While I did fly on Philippine Airlines, I didn't get to fly on this wonderful aircraft. Since Philippine Airlines will be retrofitting its A321-200's from 2025, I can't wait to see what those cabins look like once they are revealed and would also like to try that out when I get a chance to visit the Philippines again.

Over the distance was a Philippine Airlines A330. I did fly on a Philippine Airlines A330 from Davao to Manila, unfortunately I do not have pictures of that flight, since I couldn't get any footage since I was in a middle seat. This was the case because I was originally supposed to fly on PR1806 on an A321, however there was a last minute change where we were put from PR1806 to PR1812, while there was an Aircraft Change from an A321-200 to an A330-300. This particular aircraft (RP-C8764), as well as the A330 we flew on (RP-C8765) features the rather cramped 3-3-3 Economy Class setup, something I was disappointed to see as I was hoping to fly on their 309-Seater Tri-Class A330-300 where Economy Class is configured in the normal 2-4-2 setup.

After some time walking from Security to the gate, we finally arrived at Gate 11 where the Korean Air B777-300 was waiting for us. I was surprised that I didn't get to see any passengers deplane that particular aircraft on KE621 because when I flew this same flight on KE622 back in 2017, I was able to see passengers deplaning KE621.

Here is our Boeing 777-300 that will be taking us to Seoul. At the time of writing this Report, this Boeing 777-300 is a 25.5 year old aircraft having been delivered to Korean Air back in 1999 (the 1990's) just before the turn of the century. This aircraft bears the aircraft registration HL7532 and is currently one of the oldest aircraft in the Korean Air fleet. This is also the first of four Boeing 777-300's, as well as the first of dozens of aircraft in the Boeing 777-300 portfolio (both non-ER and ER versions) to ever be delivered to Korean Air.

After some time waiting at the Gate, they finally called our flight KE622 to board the aircraft. Since this is nearly a full flight, the boarding process took some time but eventually, everyone boarded the aircraft. I apologize for the lame boarding footage and the blurry images, as I had to rush to board the aircraft, in order for other passengers to board as well. Below is HL7532, the Boeing 777-300 that will be taking us to Seoul. The window was probably blurry, so this is probably the reason why the image of the aircraft during boarding wasn't clear enough.

Awaiting at the seat was a pillow, blanket, and headphones. I was surprised that earplugs weren't distributed during boarding, as the crew gave every passengers headphones. Since they were rather uncomfortable due to the quality of the headsets given to us during the flight, I decided to use my own earplugs instead.

After some time waiting at the gate for the rest of the flight to board, we finally pushed back for departure. The inflight safety video played and soon enough, we pushed back for departure.

Far at the distance was a China Airlines B747-400F, along with an Asiana Airlines A330-300 registered HL7792 also bound for Seoul. I would have liked to fly on Asiana Airlines due to the later departure of their OZ224 flight to New York JFK, but because I didn't get to experience the new Terminal 2 at Incheon Airport yet since its opening back in 2018, I decided to take Korean Air instead, so I can get to experience the new Terminal 2 at Incheon International Airport.

Far at the distance was a Thai Airways B777 bound for Bangkok. Upon taxiing to the runway, I was surprised to see Thai Airways relocate to NAIA Terminal 3, since I remember them being located at Terminal 1 when I last visited the Philippines back in 2017 when they used to fly Boeing 747-400's to Manila so nice to see them move to Terminal 3 to alleviate the passenger congestion at Terminal 1.

After some time waiting at the runway for takeoff, we finally took off. I'm not sure what exact runway we took off at, but during my travels in the future, I'll try to recall the exact runways our flights take off and land at.

Upon cruising, I actually saw an SM but unsure what SM mall that exact building was. But I can tell you that I personally enjoyed my stay in the Philippines and hoping for an even better one when I return someday. Below is possibly a view of either Makati or Bonifacio Global City. If you know which city that is exactly, please leave us a comment below.

Upon cruising altitude, the cabin crew turned off the seatbelt sign and began the meal service. We were given two options, and I went for the Korean Bibimbap. The meal actually reminded me of my inbound A380 flight from New York - Seoul back in July 2024 where I also opted for the Korean Bibimbap, except that the rice was catered differently and we were not given Dessert, unlike on the inbound A380 flight from New York - Seoul where I was given a Chocolate Muffin for Dessert. Unlike on the A380 flight, we were given Ice Cream, which the Ice Cream given was a Mango Ice Cream. Unfortunately, I didn't provide footage of the Ice Cream given to us inflight, but I can tell you that the Mango Ice Cream was very good and I was personally grateful to have Ice Cream catered on our flight to Seoul.

After the meal service, the crew dimmed the lights so that all the passengers can rest. We were also asked to close our window shades during this time. The only big disappointment about this flight is that when I tried to access the inflight map with my hands and the remote, I wasn't able to access the inflight map. Also, the touchscreen monitor did not work, so I had to use the remote whenever browsing through IFE content. I tried asking the crew to reset my IFE screen unfortunately once my IFE was reset, I still couldn't access the inflight map to see where exactly our aircraft was during the course of the flight, as well as the touchscreen monitor still not working. I really feel like this aircraft is really showing its age, and despite ongoing Aircraft Delivery Delays over at Boeing and Airbus, I still believe and think that Korean Air really needs to retire its Boeing 777-300's, as these planes are really showing their age and feel that it is really time for Korean Air to retire these birds from the skies for good, especially when newer aircraft like the Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-10 can really improve the quality of flights like these, especially with their massive and responsive seatback entertainment screens. An hour before landing at ICN, I couldn't resist getting off this plane, so I looked at Connecting Flight Information to see where the passengers on this flight who will be transiting at ICN are headed for next, along with the gate numbers that those flights will be leaving from.

For all the connecting flights where passengers on this flight will be connecting onwards to, I noticed that some passengers were connecting on flights operated by Delta Air Lines, WestJet, and MIAT Mongolian Airlines, as well as connecting flights still operated by Korean Air. For me, I was connecting onwards to New York JFK on KE085, which departed from Gate 231. I was a bit disappointed to see that our connecting flight would be leaving from Gate 231, because I was hoping that our flight would depart from the East Wing gates of Incheon Airport (Gates 265-268; includes Gates 266 and 267) since we'd be arriving at the West Wing of Incheon Airport T2 and wanted to explore much of the terminal before our flight to New York. Despite me having been to the East Wing of Incheon Airport, I only went to those East Wing gates when we arrived at Gate 266 on our A380 flight from New York - Seoul but didn't get a departure experience at those gates since our KE625 from Seoul - Manila departed from Gate 234 (originally assigned to Gate 242 upon the issuing of our boarding passes) which for me was a bit of a bummer since I didn't get to explore much of Incheon Airport Terminal 2 during our rather short connection at ICN.

Finally, we began our initial approach into Seoul's Incheon International Airport after nearly or more than four hours in the air. It finally felt good to be landing in Seoul again after a rather dark four hour flight due to the age of the aircraft.

Final Approach to ICN. I'm not sure what this ocean is, but let me know what you think.

We finally landed at Incheon International Airport at Runway 34L. Our landing actually reminded me of my recent trip to Osaka, Japan due to the landscape outside the airport.

At the distance were two Korean Air aircraft, an A330-300 parked at Gate 229 and a Boeing 777-300 parked at Gate 230. Both Gates 229 and 230 are remote stands so passengers would have to take a bus to reach the terminal, something I do not like doing, since I think that jet bridges are more convenient than remote stands since remote stands may either include walking to the terminal or taking a bus to reach the terminal, especially when most remote stands involve stairs (something not suited for passengers with physical disabilities). The Boeing 777-300 (HL7573) actually arrived from Bangkok on Korean Air flight KE660, while it is unclear where that particular A330 came from.

Far from the distance are two A380's currently in long-term storage (HL7614 & HL7615). Just hope they can be reactivated and return to passenger service, as passenger air traffic increases again and not enough A380's are flying with Korean Air at the moment. Also at the distance is the newly opened Phase 4 section of Incheon Airport Terminal 2. While I didn't get to visit this portion, due to the Phase 4 section having opened to the public in December 2024, I would personally like to visit this portion of the airport someday, especially when that portion of the terminal looks very modern.

At the distance is a Korean Air 747-8 (HL7637) that will be taking me to New York parked at Gate 231. It just arrived on a flight from Atlanta, GA and the aircraft is currently being cleaned to prepare for the flight to New York JFK.

We finally arrived at Incheon Airport. We actually deplaned from Gate 234, the same gate we departed from on our inbound KE625 flight flown by a Boeing 737-900ER from Seoul to Manila back in July 2024. It was just nice to be arriving at the same gate we departed from going in the opposite direction from Seoul - Manila. If you want to refer back to those two flights, just view the Routing Section, where all my Korean Air flights are listed. Just click the one you want to read, but I recommend viewing Part 1 first, as it will give you a better understanding on what to expect when flying Korean Air.

In general, the flight experience was great, but the only issue I had on this flight was the IFE screen. The crew were polite, and the flight experience was rather okay. They were able to respond to the problem regarding my IFE screen in a timely manner by resetting my IFE mid-flight. The onboard service was great, and the crew were very passionate to all the passengers on this flight. The only thing that should be fixed is the aircraft type being deployed on this sector (KE 621/622). I would personally like for KE to either deploy their Boeing 777-300ER's (277-Seater) or Boeing 787-10's on this segment (KE 621/622), in order to enhance the experience on their daytime flight (KE 621/622) between ICN and MNL and vice versa.