What Classes Of Travel Does Korean Air Offer?

South Korea’s flag carrier is the biggest in the country and a major connecting hub for destinations in the Pacific and beyond.

Korean Air is a full-service airline based in Seoul, with this Skyteam member offering flights to scores of destinations internationally and at home. The South Korean flag carrier uses a diverse fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, ranging from the single-aisle 737 to the superjumbo A380. Cabin offerings vary across aircraft as well, so here’s a look at what to expect from the classes on Korean Air.

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Two types of destinations

Like many high-traffic hub airlines, Korean Air operates two types of services. Its shorter flights on smaller aircraft serve domestic routes and some regional international destinations. Meanwhile, other international destinations see longer routes with larger planes. Here’s a summary of how things are categorized.

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Domestic and regional routes are primarily served by Korean Air’s narrowbody fleets of Boeing 737s and Airbus A220s. The 737s offer eight to 12 seats in a 2-2 configuration in business class and 135-180 seats in 3-3 economy class. The A220-300s come in an all-economy layout with 140 seats (3-2), making it the only aircraft type in the fleet that does not offer business class.

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Photo: Airbus

You can find these planes on domestic routes to cities such as Jeju or Busan, as well as nearby locations in Japan, China, and others that are under four hours away.

However, most of Korean Air’s destinations are abroad, ranging from nearby cities in Asia to far-flung locations across the Pacific and into the vast continent of North America. The carrier offers three-class layouts for these routes to maximize passenger comfort and cater to business travelers. Widebody planes such as the A380, A330, 747, 777, and 787 often fly on these routes.

Your aircraft equipment varies by route and timings, so don’t be surprised to jump on a 777 for a domestic flight or a 737 for an international one. Once you know your plane type and class of travel, here’s what you can expect from them.

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Three classes of travel

Korean Air offers three classes across its fleet, with first class being its top-end product. The carrier is well known for offering first class cabins on nearly all of its widebody aircraft, except for the 787 and select A330s, given the high-paying traffic to and from the country. However, not all first class cabins are built the same.

On Korean Air’s older Boeing 777-300s, first class is laid out in 2-2-2, akin to a smaller business class cabin. However, on all other planes, the carrier offers its Kosmo Suite first class, which is laid in a luxurious 1-2-1 configuration and offers a truly private experience. Selects 777-300ER and 747-8 present the latest product, which includes closing doors and a personal closet for all travelers.

Coming down a level, business class is a mainstay on all of Korean Air’s aircraft apart from, as mentioned, the A220. While the airline offers recliners on narrowbodies, it has ‘Prestige Suites’ on its 777s, 747s, and 787s, and select A330s.

These seats are laid out in a staggered 2-2-2 layout, allowing all passengers to access the aisle by creating a gap, and offering privacy through a rising partition. Older A330s and the A380 feature ‘Prestige Sleeper,’ which is laid out in a conventional 2-2-2 setup. Unfortunately, this means no direct aisle access from the window.

Meanwhile, Korean Air does not offer premium economy on any aircraft, creating a wide gap between economy and business class. Economy class is laid out in a 3-3-3/3-4-3 on widebodies, giving passengers a comfortable 32-34″ of pitch.

However, they do have to compromise with a tighter width of 17-18″, due to there being several more seats per row. As expected, seats come with USB ports, a power plug, IFE, and service. Overall, Korean Air offers a standard cabin offering for a full-service airline, balancing revenue needs with passenger comfort.

Photo: Korean Air

Korean Air’s fleet in a nutshell

Having established the sorts of aircraft that Korean Air has at its disposal, and the cabins that you will find onboard them, let’s conclude by examining how many examples of each design the airline has at present. According to data from ch-aviation.com, the South Korean flag carrier has the following passenger jets:

Airbus narrowbodies: A220-300 (10), A321neo (1).
Airbus widebodies: A330-200 (8), A330-300 (21), A380-800 (10).
Boeing narrowbodies: 737 MAX 8 (5), 737-800 (2), 737-900 (10), 737-900ER (6).
Boeing widebodies: 747-8 (10), 777-200ER (11), 777-300 (4), 777-300ER (25), 787-9 (10).

Have you flown with Korean Air before? If so, what was your aircraft and cabin of choice? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: ch-aviation.com