Korean Air First Class Los Angeles to Sao Paulo

Is there a list of great fifth freedom routes like this and the CX YVR-JFK. If not, I think you should make one. 🙂

@AdamH-Great idea! A list like that would be really useful.

i have never flight on first class on long trips, so the amenities are just a joke. How they sanitized the Bose Headphones? i supposed they are not a gift?

Very nice review! I myself have been on Korean Air quite a few times. I mainly fly them as a connection to India and I have got to say that your claims of excellent service is very true! From their 744s, A380s, 777s, and A330s, I have been on all of them and I have got to say the service is unprecedented.
Great review, hope to see more with Korean!

Hi Lucky! I am an avid fan of your blog and read you daily but I wanted to ask if you could PLEASE post a pic of both the Food Menu and the Wine Menu for each of your airline reviews! I work in the wine industry in Napa and I share all of this info with my colleagues and we love knowing whats being "served" in the sky on the different carriers!!!! Its so fascinating to us :-)))

I know Ben, you love LH service but I have to say after flying them several times, I personally don't like them. I think asian airlines do it best. LH service seemed "fake and cold", meals felt rushed (my recent flight they took my dishes without ever asking), and every passanger onboard always seems snobby.
Asian airlines number 1 in my eyes.

Would love to see you spend more than a quick overnight in Sao Paulo so you can really get to know this great city's restaurant scene and nightlife.
And after a few recent international flights on US carriers in which the cabin was uncomfortably cold the whole time, not sure what you mean about too warm. Never experienced that myself on a flight.

The captain was from the Caucasus? Do you happen to know if he was from the modern-day Georgia or perhaps Armenia or another state?

I think Asians in general prefer the cabin to be bit warmer because the likes of NH, TG, SQ, CA, KE, OZ all seem to keep their cabins really warm. And on 1 NH flight, when I felt the cabin was really warm, I saw a Japanese passenger huddled up in a blanket.

@ AdamH @ Matt J. -- Let me see what I can put together!

@ eduardo morales -- Sadly not a gift, they are cleaned and repackaged after each flight.

@ Andy -- Thanks for reading! I always include the menus with the full trip reports, so stay tuned - glad you're enjoying them!

Any availability using Alaska miles?

Fifth freedom routes list? There you go, guys: http://hackmytrip.com/2012/12/taking-advantage-of-fifth-freedom-flights/

(it's not mine, but it's a pretty good list)

Very interesting review! I would never have thought of Korean bwtween LA and GRU. As it happens, I just bouht a revenue ticket SFO to GRU this morning. For work so not first class for me. this time next year. I'll be back again and likely on my own dime so I'll use miles. That will give me a chance to try this route and service. How far in advance do. I need to book to get first class? Cheers. LF.

@Hyacinthe thanks for posting this list. I noticed SQ from Sao Paulo to Barcelona. That looks like a fun route to take. Nice to end up somewhere thst is not a typical hub.

@ Johnd -- Unfortunately you can't redeem Alaska miles for Korean Air first class.

@ Levy Flight -- They release TONS of first class award seats, so you should have no trouble finding space whether booking far in advance or close to departure.

Is business class on the route lie flat or angled?

Hi Lucky! Based in my experience and time in Asia, I can tell you that the level of service and careful, attentive style of both ground and flight crews is just something Asian carriers do. The level of service is so bad in the US, that any smile or genuine flight crew response is perceived to be five-star service.
If you go to Tokyo, any customer service worker will show you a level of courtesy and politeness, not unlike the service you received on the Korean Air flights. I feel Singapore and Thai's crews to pawn over you too much, and that their service concept is too heavily based on calling you by name and helping you to do absolutely everything. Korean Air and Asiana are both style over meaningful substance, where their service concept is far too embedded in appearing like you are trying hard to help customers. The method by which the flight attendant served your salad is a service style that is present on all five-star Asian airlines, and is their take on premium service. I would much rather prefer a subtle style with flight crew out of sight, rather than a "butler and maids" service. (Don't get me started on Emirates.)
As a seasoned traveller, what is your take on the above?

@ turgutbey -- It's angled.

@ Laurel

Warm cabin temperatures are common among European carriers as well. British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air France all have very warm cabins. In fact, according to my experience as a German immigrant living and traveling in and out of the US, I am inclined to think that it's US carriers that keep the cabin too cold.

@Lucky Well if you are going to live in hotels it sure seems like a no brainer to do it at the end of a Fifth Freedom flight.......what am I missing?

@Lucky two captains probably because one is being "reviewed" and assessed?

@ JustSaying -- You mean in terms of staying at the destination longer? In this case I didn't since I'm actually moving in a few weeks and have a lot of loose ends to wrap up prior to doing so.

It was probably an evaluation flight of the flight crew. Just like on Qantas 32, there were 3 captains (2 of them were evaulating the crew) + 1 first officer on board. (if I recall correctly)

I've been tempted to book a quick trip to Sao Paulo recently but the visa requirements are preventing me from doing such a trip. Seems like a chore for a quick flight like this one you just did. Is there something I'm not aware of like do they permit short stops without a visa?

@ DaninSTL -- Nope, if you're on a US passport and leave the airport you need a visa unfortunately. I have a German passport, so don't need a visa.

Are there fuel charges/taxes to be paid with the award ticket ? If yes how much did you have to pay for your first class redemption ? thanks

@ Emilie -- There's a $100 fuel surcharges, to the total taxes and fees were about $120 for a one-way.

@ lucky -- One explanation of the warm cabin and no air nozzles particularly on Korean Airliners is their long held belief in fan death. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death

@ lucky - Korean Air's "All" B777-300ER Biz class has full-flat(180degree) bed seats. not angled

I have traveled six or seven times using the LAX to Sao Paulo route offered by Korean Air. I have also been permanently spoiled by the professionalism, courtesy, and service I've encountered on each of these flights - and that's in the economy section. It makes flying domestic in the US an impossible chore. With in excess of 100,000 Skypass miles, I'm looking forward to moving up the ladder toward first class - until then, this school teacher can be spoiled in the economy section. Thanks for the report and to Korean Air.