Flying short haul economy in Asia can be such an absolute delight. The flight crews are kind, efficient, and professional. There are meals on two-hour flights and they are generally quite good! Many Asian carriers still have their in-flight magazine as well, something of a distant memory for most American and European airlines. For all of these reasons and more, my recent positioning flight from Okinawa to Seoul Incheon was an absolute delight. With the exception of one slight technological hiccup, the flight was as perfect as can be and I cannot wait to fly Korean Air again, perhaps long-haul next time!
The in-flight entertainment system on Korean Air’s Airbus 321
The first thing that I noticed upon sitting down was that the screen in front of me was huge, glossy and had an absolutely beautiful resolution. These screens are similar to Delta’s new Sync screens which they have installed on their A321s as well.
There are, however, a couple of drawbacks to such screens. The first is that they are likely maddeningly difficult to keep clean. Because they are touch screens, you have many people tapping away on them on a daily basis. Mine was spotless but I noticed a couple screens across the aisle which bore fingerprints. The other issue is that with such glossy screens, glare is also a significant problem. On so many planes these days, you are asked by the flight crew to lower your window shade so that other people can watch a movie. This did not happen on my particular flight, but with these new screens, I can imagine that this is likely common practice.
For these two reasons, there are a lot of airlines out there choosing not to install this type of screen when they refurbish their fleet. I can understand both sides of this argument, but I must say that when the screens are squeaky clean, it’s almost as sparkly and cool as unboxing a new iPad.
I was very excited to watch a movie as the movie and TV show selection was quite extensive but unfortunately, I ran into a bit of a problem. My Airpods did not connect via Bluetooth to the screen. I have now flown a number of planes offering Bluetooth connectivity for their in-flight entertainment systems, and not once have I been able to connect my Airpods. This time around, I had just purchased a new pair of Airpods, so I am certain that the issue was not on my end. While it is a brilliant idea if implemented correctly, it seems that there needs to be some sort of firmware upgrade to ensure that this works on more and more airplanes. Instead, I used the shiny screen to watch the flight map!
Under every seat was a universal power charger as well as a USB-C cable. I actually prefer this placement to under the screen as it’s easier and less intrusive to tuck a personal electronic device into your seat pocket from under than over, if you ask me.
The food and beverage service on Korean Air’s Airbus 321neo
We encountered a little bit of turbulence after takeoff and the flight attendants had to stay seated for about fifteen minutes after we’d already passed 10,000 feet. Once the seatbelt sign had been turned off, however, they were quickly up and busying themselves in the galley to come through with the food service. Drinks were served first and then the smell of bulgogi soon filled the cabin as the lunch trolley came through. Bulgogi was the only option that day, which was absolutely fine by me. And although it has been a little while since the last time I flew Korean Air, I remembered fondly that every passenger gets a small tube of gochuchang to use on their meal and I was pleased that this approach had not gone the way of miniature soap and shampoo bottles at hotels. The meal also came with a slice of pineapple, a sweet potato salad, and a roll. The pineapple was delicious, but the other two side dishes were quite odd.
The service on Korean Air
As with so many Asian carriers, the service on Korean Air was superb. The flight attendants were warm, helpful and made such an effort to assist with non-Korean passengers even though many of them seemed to struggle with English.
A number of the flight attendants were utterly enamored by our baby and were supremely helpful in assisting us to board and deplane. The gate staff was equally stellar and when we gate checked our stroller, they wrapped both pieces of it in a protective plastic bag so that it wouldn’t get banged up. What’s more is that once we deplaned, instead of tossing it away, there was a place to put it so that it could be reused by the next passenger with a stroller to check!
The bottom line
For me, there are few things that can beat a smooth short haul flight in Asia with nice weather and a decent meal, even if you are sat in the back of the bus. Korean Air goes to great lengths to make even those in economy feel like they are getting their money’s worth from their ticket.
As they refresh their fleet, introducing new planes and new seats, I will keep my eye on them and happily fly Korean Air whenever it is convenient. And of course, being able to transit through the legendary Incheon airport with its high end shopping and comfortable lounges is an added bonus.
