Anyone here flown Korean Air long haul?

SixTwoSix

SixTwoSix

SixTwoSix

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First of all why don't we have a travel sub-forum, think it would be useful :)

I'm currently looking around to book return flights to Fiji next June for my honeymoon. Was pretty much set on flying with Cathay Pacific, went with them 3 years ago and one of the best airlines i've flown with.

However, to throw a spanner in the works, i've found that I could fly with Korean Air for £360 less that Cathay. I've checked various review sites online and it's quite mixed, generally most folks given them a good 7/8 out of 10 which is about the same level Cathay get.

The only drawback I can see is a 19 hour connection in Seoul on the way back but i'd just book a hotel for the night and see a little of the city while waiting.

Wondering if anyone here has flown with them long haul and what your experiences were?
 
I wonder if they serve Pepsi?

Korean_Air_Airbus_A380.jpg
 
I worked out in the Republic of Korea for a while and flew with Korean Air.

My experience was mixed. I flew business and it was definitely at the poor end of business class travel. Food was better than average, drinks selection was poor, entertainment was poor, seats were poor. Service was genuinely excellent though. You get what you pay for though - return business flights were less than £2k.

Incheon (Seoul) airport is very modern and shiny. It's quite a distance outside of Seoul though.
 
Tunney said:
My experience was mixed. I flew business and it was definitely at the poor end of business class travel. Food was better than average, drinks selection was poor, entertainment was poor, seats were poor. Service was genuinely excellent though. You get what you pay for though - return business flights were less than £2k.
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Thanks, most of what you said is what I got the feel for from online reviews when reading between the lines. No one was really slating the airline but there were no glowing reviews.

Caged said:
You need to factor the hotel stay into the price and then see how close the numbers are.
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My and my missus aren't overly bothered about nice shiny hotels, when we went to Fiji 3 years back, we spent the first 3 nights in a £7/night hostel which was better quality than some 4 star hotels i've stayed in back here in the UK. However this being our honeymoon, we'd want something a bit better but nothing that would compromise the potential £360 saving.

Scuzi said:
Their culture is not consistent with maintaining a safe operation. I wouldn't fly with them.
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Cathay Pacific it is then :D
 
I flew with them after a connecting flight with KLM. They are a similar level airline as KLM are. Ok.

I prefer Asiana.
 
If it's a "forced" overnight connection (i.e. due to schedule) on a paid ticket (i.e. not air miles) they will often stick you at the Hyatt Incheon which is a very nice hotel.

As economy class experiences go, I'd say they're at the top end of the spectrum. Decent food, great legroom, good service. And a flight attendant uniform that is up there with Singapore Airlines ;)
 
jhmaeng said:
If it's a "forced" overnight connection (i.e. due to schedule) on a paid ticket (i.e. not air miles) they will often stick you at the Hyatt Incheon which is a very nice hotel.

As economy class experiences go, I'd say they're at the top end of the spectrum. Decent food, great legroom, good service. And a flight attendant uniform that is up there with Singapore Airlines ;)
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Incheon is good for the airport. A longish train ride to Seoul though.
 
Have you looked at going via LAX? You'd have a choice of BA, Virgin, Air NZ and AA for the first leg.
 
Seft said:
Have you looked at going via LAX? You'd have a choice of BA, Virgin, Air NZ and AA for the first leg.
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Yup...its £700 extra to fly via Lax with ANZ than via HKG with Cathay, its a shame because its the absolute quickest way to Fiji I've found from the UK
 
Scuzi said:
Their culture is not consistent with maintaining a safe operation. I wouldn't fly with them.
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I almost posted this but didn't, but now I've seen your reply, I will. They had a very bad safety record up until the 00's (They lost 16 aicraft in less than 30 years). I'm sure it's better now but 2000 was hardly long ago and personally.. think I'd just fly with somebody else.
 
So glad I decided to ask this question before buying any tickets, all my google-fu showed Korean Air to be reasonably well rated and reliable.
 
Well don't get too carried away, I'm sure there is nothing wrong with them really, you just asked for personal opinion so thats what you get. Not saying it's rational or logical opinion.
 
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