Booking The Trip: A (slightly crazier) Southeast Asian Path to India
Review: P.F Changs LAX (Priority Pass Restaurant)
Review: EVA Air 777-300ER Premium Economy Class Los Angeles to Taipei
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Taipei Terminal 2 Zone A
Review: UNI Air A321-200 Economy Class Taipei to Seoul Incheon
Review: The Millenium Seoul Hilton
Trip Photos: A Day and a Half in Seoul
Review: Korean Air First Class Lounge Seoul Incheon
Review: Korean Air 777-300ER Kosmos Suites First Class Seoul Incheon to Bangkok
Review: Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Golf Resort & Spa
Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge Bangkok
Review: Miracle Business Class Lounge Concourse G Bangkok
Review: Malaysia Airlines 737-800 Business Class Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur
Review: Malaysia Airlines Satellite Golden Business Class Lounge Kuala Lumpur
Review: Kuala Lumpur A330-300 Business Class Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai
Review: SpiceJet 737-900ER SpiceMax Pune to Goa
Review: Air India A321-200 Economy Class Goa to Mumbai
Review: Air India A320Neo Economy Class Mumbai to Bengaluru
Review: Air India A319-100 Economy Class Bengaluru to Mumbai
Review: GVK International Business Class Lounge West Wing Mumbai
Review: Singapore Airlines 777-300ER Business Class Mumbai to Singapore
Review: Crowne Plaza Hotel Singapore
Trip Photos: 8 hours in Singapore
Review: Singapore Airlines A380-800 NEW Business Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge Hong Kong
Review: United Club Lounge Hong Kong
Review: Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong
Review: Hong Kong Airlines Club Bauhinia Lounge Hong Kong
Review: EVA Air A330-300 Premium Laurel Class Hong Kong to Taipei
Review: EVA Air 777-300ER Premium Economy Class Taipei to Los Angeles
YOUTUBE: EVA Air: Los Angeles to Taipei
YOUTUBE: UNI Air: Taipei to Seoul Incheon
YOUTUBE: Korean Air: Seoul Incheon to Bangkok
YOUTUBE: Malaysian Airlines: Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur
YOUTUBE: Malaysian Airlines: Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai
YOUTUBE: SpiceJet: Pune to Goa
YOUTUBE: Air India: Goa to Mumbai
YOUTUBE: Air India: Mumbai to Bengaluru
YOUTUBE: Air India: Bengaluru to Mumbai
YOUTUBE: Singapore Airlines: Mumbai to Singapore
YOUTUBE: Singapore Airlines: Singapore to Hong Kong
YOUTUBE: EVA Air: Hong Kong to Taipei
YOUTUBE: EVA Air: Taipei to Los Angeles
After spending some time in the ok first class lounge that Korean air has in their hub, it was time for a 6 hour flight to Bangkok.
It was only a 5 minute walk to my gate 253 where my flight was leaving from.
Also, I just love flying on the 777-300ER too so this was even more fun.
By the time I had arrived at the gate, a long line had already formed in the SkyPriority lane and there was no separate line for first class. Though don’t worry. An agent was coming through the line to verify everyone’s boarding pass and as soon as the agent saw my dad’s and my first class boarding pass, she immediately took us to the front of the line which was good.
Soon enough we began boarding and we were the first ones on board behind a couple wheelchair passengers.
ICN-BKK
Boeing 777-300ER
6/3/19
As I reached the door, one flight attendant greeted me, and another escorted me to my seat.
I was in seat 2J which is the second window seat on the right side of the plane. There’s really only 2 kinds of seat on this plane. The window seat like above, and the middle section like below.
This is ideal for couples, though for my dad and I, he knew I’m a window guy, so he took the middle section 2E right next to me while I sat in the indow 2J.
The cabin was a good size at only 8 seats with 2 rows of a 1-2-1 configuration. These first class seats are no longer Korean Air’s newest first-class but are still perfectly good seats.
The seat cushion was nice and plush which is important to me, but the back was a little hard for my liking. However there was a plush pillow at each seat so this wasn’t an issue for me.
Of course, as expected, there would be no shortage of legroom, and you could store smaller backs (like my backpack in this case) in the area under the ottoman.
To the right side of the seat, there was a reading light with different intensities as you pushed the button more and more times.
Along the sides there was plenty of storage to store your personal items. I mean plenty plenty storage.
Then the tray table came out of the compartment to the right of you. It was rather stiff so definitely not easy to remove. On the bright side, the tray table is huge.
To the left of you were all the buttons of the seat controls which controlled nearly everything that you could want from your seat such as headrest angle, the hardness of your seat, leg rest position, etc.
Shortly after sitting, a crew member brought around headphones for the flight. What was supposed to be noise-cancelling headphones wasn’t quite that. Though, not an issue for me since I enjoy the sounds of the plane.
I was also asked what I wanted to drink and I went with sparkling water, which was also served with a ramekin of almonds.
About 5 Minutes later, the purser came to greet us and told us our flight time would be 5 hours 15 minutes. Wow! That’s almost a full hour less than the 6 hours, 5 minutes blocked flight time. I was a little sad, but it’s whatever.
Shortly after, the crew brought around a blanket for the flight.
The blanket was soft but I sure hope the only reason they are giving such little for bedding is because the flight was not long at all. If this were the offering on a long haul flight where I was actually going to sleep, I’d be mad. Even then for a 5+ hour flight, I was expecting more.
Soon enough we pushed back and had a 10-minute taxi to the runway, after which we took off, turned south, and we were on our way.
The menu and drinks menu were already at the seat when you sit down so let’s have a look at the food.
And here is the drinks list.
Within 5 minutes of being airborne, the seatbelt signs turned off, and thus begun what was probably the most efficient meal service ever.
The crew working my aisle came around to take orders for meal service and drinks. Then came a hot towel right after.
My table was set up minuted after that.
Before beginning my meal, I quickly went to check out the bathroom up front.
It was pretty nice and well stocked with amenities.
It also smelled really good in there probably due to the dried flowers.
Now let’s go to the meal service.
First was an amuse-bouche which was a Balik Salmon with bell pepper and some more sparkling water.
The salmon with cream was flavorful for sure, but a little too salty to eat too much of it.
Within seconds of finishing, and I literally mean seconds, my plate was cleared and they reset my table for appetizer preparation.
They offered bread in the meantime and I had to go with garlic bread.
Then they brought me my appetizer which was a boiled lobster with mango. The lobster was as bland and unseasoned as anything, thank goodness there was mango to add some dimension of flavor because the lobster was lacking.
Next up was a potato and leek soup which was nice, rich, creamy and tasty. This was probably my favorite aspect of the meal…..a soup.
Next up was the salad course.
They also gave me a nice looking butter for my bread.
They served the salad with a choice of balsamic vinegar or ranch and I went with the former.
The salad was pretty hard to mix since the leaves were dry and rubbery but the flavor overall turned out decent.
Next, my course was set up for the main course. Now, whenever I am flying an international airline, I’m all about trying the local food they offer. So I went with the Korean Style Ginseng Chicken soup.
Keep in mind, the way a ginseng chicken is served is whole as you can see.
The broth and the chicken were bland. The chicken is fine because of how it is served but I was expecting more out of the broth.
Here was my other problem with the dish. I would absolutely have enjoyed this dish more on the ground. I’ve eaten dishes where you have to take fishes apart from the bone, chicken, etc. I have no problems with that since bone helps trap the flavor in more nicely. However, in this case, I found it very inconvenient to have to break down an entire chicken in the air especially with turbulence. It became messy and harder. I don’t mind doing it, however when you have to put that much more effort to enjoy the meal, its harder to enjoy it. On the other hand, I did enjoy the side dishes that I had separately.
Next up was dessert. The crew came around with a tray of fruits.
I was also not too happy here. Don’t get me wrong; I love a bowl of fruits and vanilla ice cream, but I was expecting something more first class-y here.
A short while later, we got immigration cards and a fast track as well which would prove to be useful since the normal immigration line was crowded.
Then another round of hot towel service was provided.
The entire meal service was done in under an hour which was good. Overall, I thought the portion of food was perfect. I ate mostly everything and I didn’t feel overstuffed at the end of the meal. However, I wasn’t thoroughly impressed with the food across the board. The meal was definitely thorough, but like the salad leaves being extremely dry, the chicken being hard to eat, and a dessert which took 2 seconds to think of.
Ultimately this is all a personal preference of course, and many of you will be perfectly fine with fruits and ice cream. I am too, but I certainly can do that from the comfort of my own house.
There were slippers were already at the seat when you board, though I only opted to switch to them now, but they are provided on the flight.
The rest of the flight was just views.
The crew kept checking in on us even after everyone was supposed to be sleeping, which was good and I appreciated that.
Here is what the seat looks like in flat bed mode. I didn’t sleep on this flight because I was juggling doing work while watching a ton of lightning right outside my window, but I just wanted to show you guys what it looks like.
Eventually, we began descent into Bangkok and had great views of the city in the distance. At the end, all the crew working the first class cabin came around and thanked us for flying with them which was a nice touch.
And after landing, we had a roughly 10-minute taxi to our gate.
Overall, this flight was decent. The hard product on this plane isn’t the newest, but it’s still perfectly good and private if you choose it to be. The seat features are placed nicely, however the soft product wasn’t up to par for me. There was no amenity kit (granted it wasn’t needed for a 5 hour flight, but other airlines provide them on even shorter flights in lower cabins), very little bedding (again, not needed on a 5-hour flight, but others provide them), and the food wasn’t my favorite. Ultimately, I’m sure this was all just bad luck and unfortunate. But otherwise, it was a pleasant flight and comfortable way to fly of course.