In the coming weeks, Korean Air will be introducing a premium economy product for the first time. The carrier has now revealed details about its premium economy experience, including the seat, amenities, and more.
Korean Air will offer premium economy on Boeing 777
Korean Air plans to introduce a premium economy product in the near future. Specifically, the first aircraft with the new cabin is expected to fly as of mid-September 2025, initially on short and medium haul flights from Seoul Incheon (ICN).
Here’s what we can expect in terms of the planes on which the product will be offered:
- The airline plans to install premium economy on 11 of its 25 Boeing 777-300ERs
- The airline then plans to install premium economy on some Airbus A350-900s, though Korean Air is currently taking delivery of these planes without premium economy
- The airline plans to install premium economy on Boeing 777-9s, if/when they’re delivered
- Korean Air no longer plans to introduce premium economy on Boeing 787s, including the 787-10s currently being delivered
The expectation is that the new premium economy will debut on the reconfigured 777-300ERs, and it’s interesting to hear what the airline has planned:
- These 11 777-300ERs will also get the carrier’s new business class, which debuted on the 787-10
- When premium economy is installed on these planes, the first class cabin will be removed (which consists of eight seats, spread across two rows, in a 1-2-1 configuration), and it’s also expected that economy will move to a 3-4-3 layout (from the current 3-3-3 layout)
It’s interesting to see how Korean Air is introducing premium economy, but isn’t going all-in, and introducing it on all long haul planes. After all, it can be tricky to sell premium economy to passengers when it’s only available on part of a journey. You don’t want to book a long haul journey only to end up in premium economy on one segment.
Korean Air’s strategy seems a bit all over the place, if you ask me. For example, logically you’d think that the routes that have demand for first class would also have demand for premium economy (since they’re for markets where there’s more of a willingness to pay), so it’s odd that 777s will either have premium economy or first class, but not both.
Similarly, Korean Air plans to introduce a new first class and even expand its first class footprint in the long run, but for the time being, the airline will further reduce its first class footprint.
Details of Korean Air’s new premium economy experience
For the first time, Korean Air has revealed what we can expect from the carrier’s premium economy product. As you’d expect, premium economy is positioned between business class and economy in terms of comfort level.
On Boeing 777-300ERs, the premium economy cabin will consist of 40 seats, spread across five rows, in a 2-4-2 configuration. Premium economy will feature roughly 50% more space than the existing economy class, with 39-41″ of pitch, which is an industry leading premium economy product in terms of spaciousness.
Seats will be 19.5″ wide, recline up to 130 degrees, and come equipped with both leg and footrests. The seats will also feature ergonomic headrests for gentle support, and include wing-shaped sides to provide a greater sense of privacy. Seats will boast 15.6″ 4K screens, larger than the previous business class monitors on the same aircraft.
On long haul routes, premium economy passengers will receive a single-tray meal service, with a main course, appetizer, and dessert, from the business class menu, served on Armani / Casa tableware. Beverages, including wine, coffee, and tea, are the same as those served in business class.
Premium economy passengers will also get priority ground services, including access to Morning Calm check-in counters, priority baggage handling, and Sky Priority boarding.
The product sounds great in terms of comfort, but why is Korean Air so boring when it comes to cabin finishes? Like, could you pick a more generic-looking cabin? I suppose the colors are less controversial than Korean Air’s old shade of blue, but that’s about the only good thing I can say…
The varying takes on premium economy
It’s funny how airline industry executives have varying opinions on the merits of a premium economy cabin.
Among many, the common wisdom is that premium economy is the most efficient use of real estate on a plane, it represents the future, and it’s incredibly lucrative for airlines. But not all airline executives agree, or at a minimum, many airlines have hesitated to introduce this product.
Yes, a lot of airlines have added premium economy, and it has been the fastest growing cabin concept in the world. But it seems like it’s most popular across the Atlantic and Pacific, on airlines from North America, Europe, and select places in North and Southeast Asia.
At the same time, Etihad and Qatar Airways haven’t embraced premium economy, and Emirates only recently started rolling it out, years after other airlines. And then you have some airlines, like Turkish Airlines, which actually removed premium economy from their planes, as the economics weren’t working for them.
Obviously premium economy is largely targeted at premium leisure travelers, so I suppose it’s just a function of some markets having a sizable number of travelers who can’t quite justify booking business class, while also being willing to pay for something better than economy.
Bottom line
Korean Air will be introducing a premium economy cabin as of mid-September 2025, with the product expected to debut on reconfigured 777-300ERs. Oddly, these planes will have first class removed at the same time that premium economy is installed, and then they’ll also get a new business class product.
Korean Air’s new premium economy looks great, and should be among the most spacious out there, with 39-41″ of pitch. The soft product also sounds quite good, with business class food and wine.
What do you make of Korean Air introducing premium economy?
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