Upon deplaning I headed towards transit security, where there was a lengthy queue. Since my inbound flight from Tokyo Narita was late and there were lots of passengers with short connections, they were all allowed to cut the queue, which was understandable.
Within about 15 minutes I cleared security and headed towards the Korean Air First Class Lounge.
Seoul Incheon terminal
Seoul Incheon terminal
The first class lounge is located in the central part of the terminal, just past the immigration checkpoint. So it was just a very short walk from the transit security checkpoint.
Seoul Incheon terminal
The lounge is located on the upper level, near the transit hotel and some other lounges.
Seoul Incheon entrance to Korean Air First Class Lounge
Seoul Incheon upper level
The First Class Lounge can be accessed via a walkway which takes you above the concourse of the terminal.
Korean Air First Class Lounge entrance
Korean Air First Class Lounge entrance
At the entrance I was welcomed by a friendly agent along with a fairly large A380 model — neat!
Korean Air First Class Lounge entrance
As a point of reference, my previous first class lounge experience at Seoul Incheon has been with the Asiana First Class Lounge. While it’s not a spectacular lounge by any means, it’s spacious and private, given that it’s a large lounge and Asiana only has a few flights featuring a first class cabin. So I was curious to see how the Korean Air Lounge compared.
Well, the Korean Air Lounge was substantially bigger, with plenty of seating. It features tons of seating and really had more of a business class lounge feel to it than anything. Also, while it was far from crowded, it did feel much busier than the Asiana First Class Lounge, which I’ve never seen occupied by more than a handful of people or so.
Korean Air First Class Lounge
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
The lounge had a sparsely furnished TV/dining room… I’m not sure which it was meant to be.
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
Korean Air First Class Lounge seating
In addition to tons of lounge seating there was also a small room with three massage chairs.
Korean Air First Class Lounge massage chairs
The lounge did boast some pretty awesome views of the tarmac, with good views of the runway in the background.
View from Korean Air First Class Lounge
Having hotels cater airline lounges seems to be the new “thing” lately. For example, the Cathay Pacific Wing in Hong Kong is catered by the Peninsula Hotel. The Korean Air First Class Lounge, on the other hand, is catered by the Hyatt Regency Incheon. Hmm…
Korean Air First Class Lounge Hyatt Regency catering
In terms of the lounge’s catering, they had a cooler with Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Let me take that a step further — they had Haagen-Dazs macadamia nut ice cream, which is quite possibly the most delicious 10.6 ounces on earth. So as far as I’m concerned they get a perfect score on catering for that alone. 😉
Korean Air First Class Lounge ice cream
In all honesty, the food spread was good but not amazing. There was a decent selection, though nothing “first class” about it.
In terms of cold options they had fruit, veggies, cheese, finger sandwiches, sweets, and salad.
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
They also had a handful of hot dishes which looked edible, though I was saving my appetite for the flight.
Korean Air First Class Lounge buffet
Then there was a cappuccino and espresso machine, fridge with soft drinks, and a self serve bar with wine and booze.
Korean Air First Class Lounge coffee machine
Korean Air First Class Lounge fridge
Korean Air First Class Lounge wine selection
Korean Air First Class Lounge booze selection
At around 2:15PM I decided to leave the lounge and make the five minute walk to gate 10, where my flight to Los Angeles would be departing from.
Seoul Incheon terminal
Gate 10 — departure gate to Los Angeles
Gate 10 — departure gate to Los Angeles
I was like a kid in a candy store when I saw the Korean Air A380 whale jet waiting at the gate!
Korean Air A380
Korean Air A380
I’m always amused by how many gate agents the average flight seems to have in Asia. I mean, the picture below speaks for itself, I think.
Gate 10 — departure gate to Los Angeles
At around 2:30PM boarding began, starting with first class.
Gate 10 — departure gate to Los Angeles
Anyway, as far as the Korean Air First Class Lounge goes, it felt more like a nice business class lounge than a first class lounge. It lacked any special amenities, an amazing food selection, servers, etc. It certainly can’t even begin to compete with some of the best airport lounges in the world, like the Air France First Class Lounge Paris, Emirates A380 First Class Lounge in Dubai, Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, or Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa in Bangkok. But it certainly wasn’t a bad lounge either…
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