Korean Air has just revealed the interiors of its new Airbus A321neos, which travelers should be looking forward to. These planes will have some notable features compared to Korean Air’s existing narrow body aircraft.
Korean Air Airbus A321neo details
Korean Air has a total of 30 firm orders for the Airbus A321neo, with options for a further 20 of the jets. The airline recently took delivery of its first A321neo, and should put the plane into service on regional routes as of December 2022.
For context, Korean Air has been working on refreshing and expanding its narrow body fleet:
- The airline ordered 10 Airbus A220-300s, all of which have already been delivered
- The airline has ordered 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, five of which have been delivered
- The airline has ordered 30 Airbus A321neos, one of which has already been delivered
The airline will be phasing out its much smaller fleet of previous generation Boeing 737s. Presumably Korean Air is expanding its narrow body fleet because of how capable new generation narrow body aircraft are — these three types of planes can operate some long missions with great fuel efficiency.
There’s not really anything special about Korean Air’s Airbus A220 and Boeing 737 MAX interiors. However, the Airbus A321neos do have some pleasant surprises. Korean Air’s A321neos will feature a total of 182 seats, so let’s take a look at what passengers can expect.
Korean Air A321neo business class
Korean Air’s Airbus A321neos will feature just eight business class seats, spread across two rows in a 2-2 configuration. For the first time ever, Korean Air will have flat beds in narrow body business class. These seats should look familiar, as they’re the Collins Aerospace Diamond seats that you’ll find on a countless number of airlines.
Each business class seat will feature 63″ of pitch and 19″ of width, a 17″ personal monitor, USB and AC power outlets, wireless charging, and a tray table with a mobile device stand.
This is a nicely updated version of these seats, with some features you won’t find on other airlines. While it’s still not groundbreaking, it’s much better than what you’ll find on other Korean Air narrow body jets.
Korean Air A321neo economy class
Korean Air’s Airbus A321neos will feature 174 economy class seats, in a 3-3 configuration. Seats will feature 31-32″ of pitch, 17.8″ of width, and 121 degrees of recline.
Each A321neo economy seat will also feature a 13.3″ personal monitor, USB and AC power outlets, a headrest, and a coat hook. This looks like a really pleasant economy class product.
It’s interesting that the airline went with cloth seats rather than leather seats, as you don’t often see that anymore. Good luck to Korean Air with keeping those clean.
Korean Air is choosing new cabin finishes
I’m curious if the A321neo interiors are a sign of what’s to come at Korean Air. Historically the airline has chosen turquoise finishes for premium cabin seats, and dark blue finishes for economy seats.
For example, below are the pictures of Korean Air’s 737 MAX businees class and economy class.
If you ask me, Korean Air’s old design style is… an acquired taste, to be polite. So I can’t help but point out that Korean Air’s new A321neos seem to have a new design style:
- Business class seats are just really generic with dark fabrics
- Economy class seats are colorful and bright
Personally I prefer the new style design, though I find the contrast between the bland business class seat finishes and the over-the-top economy class seat finishes to be strange.
Bottom line
As of December 2022, Korean Air will start service with Airbus A321neos. The airline has 30 of these planes on order, and they’ll be used for all kinds of routes. What’s most exciting is that these are Korean Air’s first narrow body jets to feature flat beds in business class. This also looks like a pleasant product in economy, in terms of space and amenities.
Korean Air seems to have chosen a new design motif for its A321neos. I can’t say I’ll miss the old interiors.
What do you make of Korean Air’s A321neos?
(Tip of the hat to @mike7534)
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