Short review
Lounge (Asiana Airlines Lounge in Incheon): 3/5
Cabin: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Food and beverages: 4/5
Pros:
- Delicious meals on board
- Great massage chairs in the lounge
- Enjoyable shower experience
Cons:
- Food and drinks in the lounge were pedestrian
Long review
In my next flight, I flew with Asiana Airlines business class from Qingdao, China, to Bangkok, Thailand, with a transit in Seoul, South Korea. Asiana Airlines is one of two large airlines in South Korea (the other airline is Korean Air, the national carrier of the country). This Star Alliance member is a 5-star airline according to Skytrax. It was the “Airline of the Year” according to Air Transport World in 2009 and was the best airline in the world according to Skytrax in 2010. However, it seems that its performance has declined recently, particularly after the incidents during landing in San Francisco in 2013 and Hiroshima in 2015. In 2018, Skytrax ranked Asiana number 24.
Flight OZ318 was scheduled to leave Qingdao at 10:35 and to arrive in Seoul at 12:55 with a total flying time of slightly more than an hour. It used a narrow-body airplane Airbus A320. Since Qingdao is not a big city (for Chinese standard), there was no Asiana lounge in the Qingdao Liuting International Airport. Instead I was given a voucher for food and drink in one of the restaurants there. I ordered an enjoyable bowl of noodle soup and orange juice, while waiting for boarding.
As usual, business class passengers were asked to board the plane first. There were 12 seats in the business-class cabin, organised into 3 rows. The configuration for each row was the 2-2, thus no direct access to the aisle for those sitting on window seats. The seat was the usual recliner seat commonly fitted in short or some regional flights. A flight attendant offered a welcome drink, which I declined.
Soon after take-off, lunch service was commenced. Even though the business-class cabin was full and the flight time was short, the service from the flight attendants was efficient. The meal, a kind of traditional Korean dish, was very good for such a short flight I must say.
After a rather quick lunch, the plane landed in the Incheon International Airport, the largest airport in South Korea and the main airport that serves the capital Seoul. The transfer process to the next flight was easy and quick. It took me about 2 minutes in fact.However, finding the Asiana lounge was rather problematic for me. I think the lounge was recently moved when I was there, so some maps have not been updated. I went to the old location of the lounge before I saw the correct sign.
My next flight, Asiana OZ741, left Seoul at 18:20 and was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok at 22:10 with a flight duration of 5 hours and 50 minutes. My transit time was long, about 5 hours. In the lounge entrance, there was a large reception area. I liked the Asiana A380 airplane model in the entrance as well.
The lounge had 2 wings, and both had a dining area. The shower rooms were located in one wing along with a few massage chairs. Each chair was placed in a private room. The food selection was not good in my opinion. The choices were limited and they were tasteless. I also could see some infamous cup noodles. The drink selection was mediocre as well.
Since I had a long lounge time, I decided to take a shower. The shower was great actually because the water pressure was strong, but the water felt soft on my skin. The amenities provided were good as well. The toilet was another highlight here. It was one of those‘smart’ toilets, which seems to be quite common in Japan. Probably it was common as well in South Korea since the country is a Japan’s neighbour.
After taking a shower, I tried a massage chair for about 40 minutes. It was quite advanced since it was able to massage my entire body from my feet to my neck. Surely it was not as comfortable as a masseur, but it was above my expectation. I felt good actually after using the chair.
I spent the remaining of the lounge time by having some light meals and working on my laptop. Before boarding, I watched a procession of people showing some cultural aspects of Korea. I am not quite sure what that was about. Probably it showed the king and the queen, which were then followed by their heir. I also managed to take 3 Asiana planes in one shot.
The photo below shows the seat in Asiana Airlines B777-300ER business class. The cabin was dominated by cream and a touch of gold here and there. The design looked plain probably because of the soft tone of the colours. The seat configuration in the cabin was 1-2-1, giving all seats direct access to the aisle. The seat could be converted into a fully-flat bed. The size of the monitor was rather small. Slippers and blanket were already provided on my seat.
As usual, flight attendants walked around to distribute newspapers, magazines and welcome drinks. Unfortunately, amenity kit bag was not provided in this flight. It seems that Asiana deemed that the flight was too short and was not a red-eye flight.
Dinner service began not long after take-off. The appetiser was a kind of salmon tartare with bread and salad. The portion was too small in my opinion. For the main course, I chose a beef dish with red wine sauce. The beef was delightful and tender. The presentation was mediocre though. The dessert was cheese cake, which was rather enjoyable as well. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo. Red wine was my choice of beverage throughout the dinner service.
After I finished watching a movie, I slept for a few hours until about 30 minutes before landing in Bangkok.
Overall, this was a good flight experience. However, I did have a higher expectation since Asiana is a 5-star airline. The flight attendants were indeed professional and efficient, but I felt that they were rather impersonal and rigid. The food on board was delicious and the cabin was very good for business class. The food in the lounge, however, was disappointing.
