Over the summer, Korean Air introduced a new business class product, which was an exciting development for the airline. I wanted to talk a bit about this product, and also cover on which routes you’ll find it, as this is now available on select long haul services.
Details of Korean Air’s new business class suites
Korean Air has debuted its new business class product:
- The new business class debuted on the Boeing 787-10, as the airline has 20 of these aircraft on order
- Existing Boeing 777-300ERs should also be retrofitted with these cabins eventually, and the airline has 25 of these in its fleet, though the timeline remains to be seen
- While Korean Air also plans to soon introduce premium economy, this is no longer debuting on the Boeing 787-10, but rather will likely first be available on the Boeing 777-300ER
You’ve gotta respect the way that Korean Air has introduced this product. Rather than teasing it for years, the airline didn’t even put out a press release about it, but simply updated the page dedicated to the Boeing 787-10.
Korean Air’s new business class is named Prestige Suites 2.0, and it’s a staggered business class product in a 1-2-1 configuration. Specifically, Korean Air has selected the Collins Aerospace Horizon seat, which is already in service on a few airlines. It initially debuted on Aeroflot A350-900s, but due to the trade restrictions in place against Russia, these A350-900s now fly for Turkish Airlines and Air India. I’ve reviewed Turkish’s A350 business class, and found it to be excellent.
Each seat has 46″ of pitch (since the footwell for the seat is to the side of the seat in front), 21″ of width, and turns into a 78.2-79.2″ flat bed. Seats also feature privacy doors, which are 52″ high. Seats feature excellent tech, including a 23.8″ ultra high definition entertainment monitor, 60W USB-C charging, AC power outlets, wireless charging, bluetooth audio, and more.
Korean Air is also offering Wi-Fi on its Boeing 787-10s, making it the first wide body aircraft in the fleet to have connectivity (this has otherwise debuted on select narrow body jets, including the Airbus A321neo and Boeing 737 MAX 8). For those curious about pricing, the airline charges $10.95-13.95 for this on medium haul flights, and $10.95-20.95 for this on long haul flights, with no data caps. Messaging plans are available at a lower cost.
The Boeing 787-10 has a total of 36 business class seats, taking up the entire space between the first and second set of doors.
Korean Air Boeing 787-10 routes & flights
Want to fly Korean Air’s new Boeing 787-10? The jet has been operating short haul flights within Asia in recent months, but is now also starting to operate long haul routes. Specifically, here are the current planned long haul routes for the largest version of the Dreamliner:
- The 787-10 is flying between Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Vancouver (YVR), on the KE71/72 frequencies
- As of December 1, 2024, the 787-10 will fly between Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Honolulu (HNL), on the KE53/54 frequencies
- As of January 1, 2025, the 787-10 will fly between Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Seattle (SEA), on the KE41/42 frequencies
My take on Korean Air’s new business class product
It’s exciting to see airlines introduce new business class products, since seating choices have come a long way over the years. That being said, Korean Air currently has Apex Suites as its standard long haul business class product, which is one of my favorite business class seats in the world. The window seats in this configuration are simply awesome, and offer an unparalleled amount of privacy and space.
The catch with Apex Suites is that they’re not at all efficient in terms of their footprint, so while they’re great for passengers, they’re not great for airlines.
With that in mind, Korean Air’s new business class product looks great, and I think passengers will mostly view it as an upgrade:
- The seats have excellent tech, from charging options, to a high-definition monitor, to bluetooth audio, to Wi-Fi; hopefully Korean Air also updates its entertainment selection in the process
- The seats offer lots of privacy and should be quite comfortable
- Many people will appreciate the staggered configuration, since you can choose to sit alone by a window, or can choose one of the pairs of “honeymoon seats” in alternating rows in the center section
One other thing that really stands out to me about the new product is the cabin finishes. Korean Air has historically leaned heavily into using a powder blue color, which is… a choice. I can’t help but feel like Korean Air’s cabin finishes have just felt very dated, between the powder blue and the weird faux wood.
Korean Air is now going for much darker and more neutral cabin finishes, described as a “contemporary yet culturally resonant look.” While no doubt a bit less distinctive, I think the aesthetics are much better. With the Korean Air and Asiana merger soon expected to be finalized, presumably this is Korean Air’s new planned cabin design going forward.
Honestly, if we saw the end of Korean Air’s powder blue and Asiana’s brown, it wouldn’t be much of a loss, if you ask me. I’ll take it a step further — it should be a contributing factor in support of the merger. 😉
Bottom line
Korean Air has launched its new business class product, dubbed Prestige Suites 2.0. These new seats have debuted on the Boeing 787-10, which have already entered service, and they should also eventually be retrofitted on Boeing 777-300ERs.
Korean Air selected the Collins Aerospace Horizon seat, which is an excellent product, with lots of privacy and great tech. Then again, Korean Air’s existing Apex Suites are quite comfortable as well, but not nearly as efficient for the airline in terms of space utilization.
What do you make of Korean Air’s new business class?
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