Hello everyone, welcome back to another flight review! Today, we’re trying out a hard product I’ve been extremely excited to test, Korean Air’s new Cosmo Suites 2.0 from Tokyo Haneda to Seoul Gimpo. This was quite a mixed experience full of unexpected surprises and some minor disappointments. Without anything further, let’s get into it!
I arrived on JAL from CDG and was quite knackered. Luckily, KE operates out of the same terminal as JAL, so a quick escalator ride upstairs to the check-in area.
Check-in right opposite their close US Skyteam partner.
Check-in for prestige class was quick, and I was offered access to the Delta Skyclub. Access to a US lounge at a Japanese airport flying a Korean airline, quite an interesting agenda!
I didn’t have high hopes for the SkyClub mainly due to what’s been generally disappointing lounges in the US.
Remember the” unexpected surprises” I mentioned, my goodness was the SkyClub amazing. I’ve tried JAL’s Sakura J lounge and ANA’s J lounge here at Haneda, and I genuinely think Delta’s beats them both. . A funny note was when I scanned my ticket at the entrance, the agent took a while to locate my information through KE’s system. She eventually found my Delta status and thanked me for that, completely ignoring my KE ticket, I thought that was interesting.
First off are these incredible tarmac views, clearer and less obstructed than the JAL ones.
Inside, the lounge was elegant, spacious, and sleek.
. There was a plethora of food options: some fruit, desserts, and cold cuts.
Soup and fresh curry.
. There weren’t too many hot dish options, but they were very good.
Some very elegant little canapes.
An a-la-carte noodle bar.
Perhaps the most unique and a first for me in an airport lounge (way to add an American touch), a popcorn machine!
Directly adjacent to the popcorn was a massive bar manned by a bartender.
A coffee machine with a box of teabags.
Some private pods.
Another little American touch, a small snack station with sweet and savory offerings.
Some more views!
Opening up the hot dishes, we had potato wedges, chicken with mushroom sauce, and I didn’t’ get a shot of it but the other option was teriyaki salmon.
I grabbed a bit of each along with some curry and miso soup. Three hot dishes might not seem impressive, but the chicken and salmon were excellent, and Japanese curry never misses. Color me well and thoroughly impressed, this is probably the best Delta Sky Club anywhere on the planet.
After my incredible lounge visit, I headed over to gate 147 where boarding was imminent.
Prestige class and Sky Priority members were up first.
Upon boarding, the cabin looked great. . A sleek black color scheme with these private little pods. There were a few passengers trying to get snaps of the cabin, including me, and although the crew didn’t visibly show any frustration, they did seem a little unhappy.
Checking out my seat, the first one on the right. A gorgeous hard product. . Waiting at my seat was a pillow, fleece blanket, menu card, headphones, and slippers. There is ample storage space next to your headrest, with a mirror that is exposed when opening. A wireless charging pad present directly beneath.
The screen is enormous and enhanced with your seat’s proximity to it. A cup holder is located near your seat where the slippers are.
There is ample storage space next to your headrest, with a mirror that is exposed when opening. A wireless charging pad present directly beneath. The seat controls aligned nearby.
The hard product really emphasizes privacy. Although you can still be seen by anyone in the alley, you’re essentially out of view when sitting down to others in their seats. For reference, this is what my neighbor’s seat looked like when I sat down, fully closed off.
KE’s Wifi service was advertised on their screens.
Decent leg room. I didn’t’ get a chance to try the seat fully reclined on this flight. Unlike revered herringbones, the leg rest doesn’t angle where it begins diminishing in width the further you go.
Brightness controls were strangely located near the suite door along the wall; I almost missed them completely.
A quick loo review, great that KE includes some amenities even on these shorter routes. Without a doubt, the space was kept very clean throughout the flight, as is truly the norm on Asian carriers.
Back at my seat, I opened the fleece blanket, which was in collaboration with Frette, part of their rebranding. As always, immediately opening it up and covering my legs.
Welcome drinks were offered, with the choice of either guava juice or water, I asked for both and was happily given them. A pack of snack mix also offered.
The menu card was then passed around, with the classic choice of either a Korean or Western meal. There was a time where KE always had bibimbap as the Korean option, I sort of miss that being offered on flights into Seoul since there’s always unlimited bibimbap at the KE lounge in Seoul.
A solid drinks menu.
I checked out the very fluffy slippers on offer; they weren’t quite as comfortable as they looked.
The IFE is always an interesting point of exploration on Asian carriers. KE has quite a few Western movies but not as many TV series. . If I had to rank them among Asian carriers, beats the mainland Chinese ones, but not quite as extensive as the likes of Cathay or JAL.
On the bright side, their WiFi (although you had to pay for it) was excellent and one of the few which allowed seamless Youtube streaming. So, if you’re willing to spare a few bucks, there’s no need to resort to the IFE.
Seat control panel, type C charging available under the wireless pad.
Although most of the hard product was great, I wasn’t a huge fan of this massive metal block that appears when you close the storage system. Nothing wrong with it but just feels slightly out of place with everything else.
Instructions on how to use your suite also appeared up on the entertainment screen.
Regular ports near the lifejacket. The air vents were a great feature, directly blasting into your suite.
KE’s extremely AI heavy safety video began to play. I heard a few flyers share their thoughts on this, and I can’t help but agree, not a huge fan.
As the lights dimmed, we began pushback on our way to Gimpo.
This was probably the bumpiest and scariest takeoff of my life. You could sense, even still on the runway, that the plane was swerving more than usual. It was honestly quite frightening how we continued to twist and turn during ascension. Incredibly thankful for my (and by extension, all) pilots for their composure and expertise for keeping us safe.
Once we did reach smoother skies, we had excellent views of late-night Tokyo.
Shortly, the WiFi signal appeared up above, these were the prices. 11.95 for a 2-hour flight is quite pricey, but at least KE ensures you get your money’s worth with great speeds.
A wet towel was offered as service began.
Haven just stuffed myself on the previous flight plus surprising offers from the Sky Club, I (regretfully) chose the Western option as I didn’t feel I could stomach down an entire set of Korean rice. I still think Japanese airlines now do Western better than Japanese, but the same can’t be said here. I guess I was right choosing the Western meal as the portion was much smaller, but it wasn’t great.
The chicken was extremely dry and whatever the lump beside it was too. On the bright side, the salad was refreshing and bread very fluffy, but I’ll always stick with the Korean option since the accompanying soup itself is enough to win me over.
For drinks, I asked for some red wine, and a little bottle was offered.
Some fruit came after the meal was removed.
I guess it’s my fault for going against the Korean option, but surely some more love could’ve been given to the chicken.
When browsing the duty free, I picked up a bottle of orange scented body wash for 20 dollars and received a little coupon for future purchases. I tried using it on my return flight a few days later but was told its only good for online shopping.
The crew came through offering tea and coffee, but I don’t think anyone took them up on the offer.
As the meal concluded, the lights were turned off, and I passed out for a good hour before descent was announced.
Before wrapping up, I wanted to discuss the crew tonight. Asian carriers have a positive reputation for great crew, and personally that’s been the case. Unfortunately, tonight was an exception. From the moment I stepped aboard with the photo problems to the disinterested meal service, I feel the crew weren’t up to par. Never were they rude or anything, but I swear I never saw any of them smile nor show any passion. My reverse journey also on KE was the complete opposite, and a later trip on OZ was too.
The trip did end on a high note. Since this was the May holiday, I saw pictures of hour-long lines (and some spats) at immigration across the city at Incheon. Luckily, with only a few international flights daily into Gimpo, absolutely no wait!
