Review: Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Airport ICN

looking at the lounge pics... one would think you were in North Korea!

LOL

KAL certainly have their own F lounge, dont you have access to that ?

@ choi -- Nope, the invitation was specifically for their satellite business class lounge. I asked the Etihad check-in agent if they didn't have a separate first class lounge, and she said no.

To be honest if I am in a nice airport (Singapore, Hong Kong, etc..) and the lounge is underwhelming like this one I'd rather do a tour at the airport and check the duty free, stores and restaurants than sit in the lounge. Sometimes I just pass on the lounge.

The furnitures looked like they're from ikea...

I agree the lounge is underwhelming. It felt like an Ikea store. Although I did like the bathrooms; they were at least more interesting than most lounge bathrooms.

Lounge Club membership includes the MATINA lounge at ICN: Might that be a better alternative? Do you have any experience with the MATINA lounge?

I'll have four hours to kill in ICN in February. I will be traveling with four friends, but I could always leave them at the KE lounge : )

Santastico has the right attitude. Once I saw the fridge with post-apocalyptic water and grade school milks, I would have bounced. Spend a few credits for something that evokes a more memorable Korea, rather than this mix of cultural dissolution.

OMG...this just reinforces my determination, based on your prior trip reports with Etihad, to only fly with them if forced to so at gunpoint.

They left a First Class passenger standing in line for 45 minutes, and kept checking in Business and Economy passengers? AA customer sevice may not be World Class, but if I was left standing in the First Class line for more than 3 or 4 minutes the agents in the Bus or Econ line would be certain to take me next.

I can't understand how ICN can be considered "one of the top airports in the world" when security and immigration take a full hour for a FC passenger. And my eagerness to fly Korean, after reading on VFTW how FC availability is wide open, really got delated by those pictures of the lounge. Food plates with 4 pieces of cheese and maybe 20 individual crackers. Dishes of potatoe chips and pretzels that seem to only hold the contents of a individual snack size bag. Water containers fit for a gerbil. Seating that wouldn't be fit for a hospital emergency room.

You have to get there hours in advance, since there is no telling how long it may take you to get from the door to the gate. Then as a FC passenger, you are "invited" wait in a lounge so dismal that sitting at the gate is truly better.

ICN just landed on my list of "airports to avoid at all costs". Thanks for the warning.

@ Robert Hanson -- In fairness, the Korean Air first class lounge is much nicer:
https://onemileatatime.com/review-korean-air-first-class-lounge-seoul-incheon/

Misread it. So Etihad FC doesn't have a better lounge, but Korean FC does. So then it's only that hour or so to get from check in to the "nice for Business Class quality" lounge. Not especially appealing, but much better than Abu Dhabi that's for sure. I might consider Korean FC then, but Etihad out of ICN and AUH is still on my 'wouldn't fly them for free' list.

Ben, you missed the best feature of ICN airport, Spa on Air. For just 20,000 won, you can use their spas, steam rooms, hot tubs, or even get a sleeping room for 12,000 extra wons. If you've never been to a korean spa before, it's a really unique experience but a much better way to kill time than sitting in those terrible lounges. They also serve food in the spa.

Lucky,

Are you aware of a site that has reliable reviews of airport bars and restaurants? I like a good lounge like anyone else but one of my favorite things about traveling is sitting at a restaurant bar, ordering a drink and meal and chatting with other travelers. I've made good friends this way. I imagine you would have had a better time finding a good restaurant in this airport and befriending people than sitting in this lackluster lounge.

Ben, while that lounge was modest ('lackluster' was being complimentary, I believe) - it did have one pearl in there - the Remy XO. Very surprising to see a $150 bottle of cognac amongst an otherwise incredibly cheap offering.

Shame about the poor quality of the lounge, but the Asiana concourse lounge is much worse, especially the catering!

I guess since KE's own passengers don't use the lounge, they couldn't care less...

As for pre-check, it's coming. Trials have already started from what I hear...

Sorry, i meant to say fast track and not precheck

I would have used the Asiana lounge if i were you because it's way better assuming you got a priority pass

It's nice to peruse a cranky review now and then where not everything (or anything?) met expectations. Your reactions/wit made this fun to read. 😉

errrm....the Korean Air FIRST lounge out of ICN isn't anything to write home about.
The food offering is quite underwhelming as well.
Cheap chinese food, and few bakery items...
Which is quite stark contrast to what Cathay pacific does in HKG...literally day and night difference.

Korean generally doesn't have flights out of ICN concourse A (ie the satellite terminal) so the lounge is basically just for contract.

The seats, showers, etc all look very different to the KE business lounge in the main terminal. Food & beverages, however, is the same. Some of it is tastier than it looks.

ICN is a great airport for its amenities (eg free showers for anyone, lots of comfortable loungers for sleeping on, live entertainment, etc), not for the lounges.

@ Anthony -- That's a good question. Don't know of such a site specifically.

Ben,

Don't you have access to Star Alliance Gold lounges? They have the Asiana Business class lounge and the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Business and First Lounge. Sorry to hear that the KAL Lounge was a terrible disappointment. I would be upset, too if I had a C or F class ticket. You should do some major complaining at KAL customer support. Judging by the pictures, this doesn't look like a business class lounge, it looks more like a start-up coffee shop.

Wow. That sure looks like one crappola lounge.

@ Ed -- Nope, can't access Star Gold lounges unless flying Star Alliance. Ultimately I think my complaint should be with Etihad and not Korean Air, since they select the lounge they use for their passengers.

What's ironic is that they have a $200+ bottle of cognac in this pretty lame lounge...Remy XO is legit

Saltines and raisins. Now that's says class. I generally have low expectations of airline lounges, but that's worse than an American lounge.

@Wanderingentrepreneur - That caught my eye too. They had Jack which is normal, Ballantines´17 y.o. is a FC lounge whisky and Remy XO is probably found in 3 or 4 of the best world FC lounges only.

So I would just polish off a couple of those ! 🙂

@ Lucky -- at least you should've felt very safe in the lounge knowing there are fire extinguishers nearby (see photo about midway through the post) 😉

This business class lounge is mainly for the use of other airlines who fly to ICN and that have agreements with KE.
The KE lounge at the main terminal
Building is much, much better and very comfortable seating and facilities
Next time fly KEnto get in to thier real business class lounge

Isn't this lounge in the satellite terminal? I think they have a nicer lounge in the main terminal and it's specifically called the "Korean Air Prestige Class Lounge", whereas the lounge in this report is just the "KAL Lounge" in the satellite.

Is it not?

@ Bobby S. -- Correct, this one is primarily contracted out to other carriers. I've heard the other one is nicer as well.

I am mistaken - your report does in fact reflect the KAL Lounge in the satellite terminal. From other sources, I saw that their "Prestige Lounge" in the Main Terminal is much nicer, which I hope to visit when I fly to ICN in July.

Were you entitled to access in the real lounge?

@ Alvin -- Nope, I don't believe so. The invitation was specifically for this lounge.

I am sitting at the prestige lounge and it is not "much nicer" -- not nicer at all. i have a transit flight to bali but was told they don't have F for the icn/dps segment. so here i am. food is just the same as what Ben had described. this is my first time flying KE. compared to asiana or jal or sg business class, this is really a 1.5 (those others are an 6.5 to 8): food-wise, equipment-wise (lack of massage chairs), restroom-wise (ugly-or-dirty looking toilets, while asiana has clean-looking bidets [that are fun to play with]), and even the receptionist lacked the usual extreme-korean-care-and-devotion, had no smile and cared less to answer questions.

okay i just spotted one possible positive - free international call via skype to landlines in 42 countries worldwide (located in the small room at the back of the lounge) - and no you don't need a computer to do that. they provide a phone-like device.

now i only hope the upcoming flight will provide a decent meal.

"The hot dishes just all looked gross beyond words." -Ben Schlappig

Interesting choice of words. I've been to that lounge and the food is fine. It may look "gross beyond words" to some culturally-ignorant European blogger, but I'm sure it's edible to the thousands that pass through there.

Flying to Houston on Kal from KLumpur.Am Sky pass member too. Have 3 hour layover at ICN. Can I use lounge? Thanx

The Asiana Lounge at ICH is not much better. It's a much nicer space but the food and drink options are very disappointing.

What an arrogant little prick you are with an overwhelmingly immense sense of entitlement.

Your drole desription was tenfold more painful than your actual experience.

This is the worst lounge I had ever visited

Can anyone tell me if Towels & Shower Gel etc are provided in the Shower a Room ? Thanks

I feel like kind of an idiot for replying to a 6 year old comment, but I cannot begin to imagine what kind of retard would take the time to create an account just to say something like this that's incredibly hateful yet lacking any real substance. You don't provide lucky with any feedback about what you found annoying, you just called him a prick, as well as some other rude words. If lucky found the lounge's chairs and spread disappointing, he has every right to share his opinion about it. I hope that in the time that has passed since you made this comment, you have grown as a person, and that you would feel ashamed of yourself if you saw this comment today.