A Business Class flight over a Saturday night from London Heathrow to Incheon International Airport on Korea’s flag carrier offered an easy check-in, good inflight entertainment and delicious food.
THE FLIGHT: I flew Business Class aboard a B777-300ER operated by Korean Air from London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 to Incheon International Airport (ICN). Flight KE908 on April 15 took me to Seoul on my way to a truly joyful trip to experience some of the tourism highlights of Korea.
THE CHECK-IN: Checking in was easy and passing through the security at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 was effortless. It never gets easier than this at Heathrow.
The business lounge was friendly, well-appointed and offered plenty of options. Great coffee first, then various visits to the buffet to sample and enjoy food.
BOARDING: The boarding was perfect. It was efficient and easy.
On entering the privileged Business Class cabin I was politely seated and quickly offered a choice of soft drinks along with an eco-friendly and understated amenity kit that provided the essentials. It contained a toothbrush and toothpaste, an eye mask, a shoehorn, a hairbrush and slippers. The kit also had Atelier Cologne hand cream and body lotion products – with an amazing fragrance.
After days of wind and rainstorms in the United Kingdom, the day was glorious. It was a picture-perfect Saturday evening and that helped ensure a trouble-free and on-time takeoff.
THE SEAT: Settling into my comfortable seat, I familiarised myself with the uncomplicated controls as well as the various plugs and lighting options.
I was in F7, a window seat that formed part of the aircraft’s 2 – 3 – 2 seating configuration. Once settled, it felt reasonably private. The allocated space was adequate but not excessive. It proved all that I needed to settle down and get a sound night’s sleep. Later on, I reclined fully, stretching out with my blanket and pillow, and slept a long and cosy night.
The security video did a great job of focusing my attention, utilising K-Culture chic. It struck me as child-friendly too and includes the global K-Pop phenomenon.
Korean Air’s inflight entertainment is the impressive Beyond IFE System. Seat F7 faced a bulkhead, so whereas most screens were set into the back of the seat in front, my screen was a neat pop-up arrangement. Switching it on, I was immediately shown details of the flight to our destination alongside all the wide entertainment options. The choices included: Movies, TV, Audio, Your Trip, Games, Kids and More, which included the Korean Air Skyshop.
The user-friendly system revealed a vast selection of options and entertainment genres catering to both Korean and Western tastes. The list included albums, audiobooks, news, drama, comedy, travel documentaries, sports, music and entertainment for kids. I sampled some K-Pop music and a K-Movie or two, albeit briefly, in eager preparation for the days ahead.
THE SERVICE: Generally the cabin crew were immaculate, kind, and attentive as required. Amusingly though, I was surprised to be very quickly and confidently redirected when I strayed through the curtain into First Class searching for a bathroom, still dozy after waking in the night.
Dinner was served after takeoff, starting with an amuse bouche then delicious smoked salmon and salad. There was a choice of high-quality wines that made a positive impression on me.
For my main course, it felt right to order the Korean dish Bibimbap, so that I could start to feel like I was already in Korea. The popular dish came with pickled or fermented side dishes, rice and soup. Cheese, biscuits and a fruit bowl completed a most enjoyable meal. It was a positive precursor to a few days in the wonderful country of South Korea.
THE VERDICT: My Business Class flight KE908 aboard Korean Air proved very comfortable. It was unfussy, quietly efficient, unobtrusive, polite and offered excellent inflight entertainment.
