Review: Korean Air Business Class Boeing 787-10 (YVR-ICN)

For the first long haul segment of my quick trip to Japan & Korea, I flew Korean Air’s Boeing 787-10 business class on the 11hr flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Seoul Incheon (ICN).

I was looking forward to this flight, as I hadn’t flown Korean Air’s long haul business class in many years. Not only that, but I was flying on the carrier’s brand new Boeing 787-10, featuring the company’s new business class, marketed as Prestige Suite 2.0.

This was ultimately a solid flight, with a nice and modern seat, pretty tasty food, and well intentioned and friendly service. However, I don’t think Korean Air is quite in the top tier in Asia, and I wouldn’t rank this among the world’s best business class products. Still, if the schedule and price is right, I wouldn’t hesitate to book this — it’s a good experience, just not amazing.

How I booked my Korean Air business class ticket

I booked my Korean Air business class ticket using Korean Air SkyPass miles. Long story short, Korean Air SkyPass used to be a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner back in the day, so at the time, I transfered quite a few miles. However, they’ve become so much less valuable over time, given that Korean Air no longer makes first class award seats available (which was my main intent with acquiring them).

However, I figured this trip was a good opportunity to redeem some of these miles, especially given that SkyPass has access to more Korean Air business class award seats than partner programs.

I booked the following in business class for 62,500 Korean Air SkyPass miles plus $308.10 in taxes & fees:

10/06 KE72 Vancouver to Seoul Incheon departing 2:30PM arriving 5:50PM (+1 day)
10/08 KE769 Seoul Incheon to Sapporo departing 12:35PM arriving 3:20PM

In the next installment, I’ll be reviewing Korean Air’s A321neo business class, which I experienced on the connecting flight.

Korean Air business class lounge & boarding

I had spent the night prior to my flight at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport. Then in the morning I visited the SkyTeam Lounge Vancouver Airport, which is where Korean Air sends its premium passengers.

My flight was departing from gate 71, with boarding scheduled for 1:50PM, 40 minutes ahead of the planned departure time.

At the gate I couldn’t help but admire the brand new Boeing 787-10, which entered service within the past few months. I’m conflicted about Korean Air’s livery — I don’t find it to be particularly attractive, though it sure is distinctive, and there’s something I really like about it.

Boarding ended up starting at 2PM, with business class passengers being invited to board first.

Korean Air 787 business class cabin & seats

I boarded the Korean Air Boeing 787-10 through the second set of doors, where I was pointed left into the business class cabin. The first thing that stood out to me is how Korean Air has clearly been undergoing a rebranding. The interiors of new Korean Air jets no longer look like the (very blue) exteriors, and I’d consider that to be a good thing.

Korean Air’s business class cabin on the 787-10 consists of 36 seats, spread across nine rows. Seats are in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, meaning the location of seats varies with each row. Korean Air selected the Collins Aerospace Horizon seat as its new Prestige business class seat. Seats have 46″ of pitch (thanks to the footwell being to the side of the seat in front), plus 21″ of width.

Aeroflot was the launch customer for this product. However, due to trade embargoes, these planes now fly for Turkish Airlines and Air India as well. So Korean Air is only the second airline to purpose-order this product, and it’s the first airline to install this on a Boeing jet.

Those traveling with a companion might like the pair of “honeymoon seats” in the center section in every other row, which have the letters “E” and “F.” With these seats, you’re very close to a companion, so you can enjoy the flight together. If you’re traveling alone, these seats aren’t bad either, as there’s a partition that can be raised to offer privacy between the seats.

Then every other row of the center section has seats that are further apart from one another, and closer to the aisle, with letters “D” and “G.” These would be my last pick seats in this configuration, since they’re not ideal if traveling together or alone.

Then along the windows, seats also alternate between being closer to the windows and being closer to the aisle.

The seats that are closer to the aisle have the letters “B” and “H.” If traveling alone, I’d prefer these to the center seats, but they’re still not my first pick, since it’s hard to look out the window, and you’re also closer to the aisle and door.

My top pick in this configuration would be the seats that are closest to the windows, which have the letters “A” and “J.” I selected seat 15A, the “true” window seat on the left side in the second to last row.

In terms of hard product, I’m a fan of Korean Air’s new Prestige Suite, as the seats are functionally designed, and I also quite like the finishes. As you can see, there’s a huge console area to the side of the seat next to the door and aisle.

This includes an enclosed storage compartment with a mirror, an entertainment controller, and a panel with seat controls.

Underneath the seat controls are a cupholder and another small, exposed storage area.

There’s also an impressive array of charging options, including wireless charging, two USB-C charging outlets (one is 45W, while the other is 60W), and an AC power outlet.

Each seat has a 24″ 4K high definition TV, which is very high quality, though the screen also has quite a bit of glare.

The tray table folds out from underneath the entertainment monitor, and the setup is a bit different than you’ll find with most other seats. The tray table is essentially stored at an angle, and can then be slid out, to be extended the full length.

One point of frustration I had with this product is that Korean Air doesn’t have individual air nozzles on most of its wide body jets, including the 787-10s. Since the airline tends to keep cabins warm, that’s something to be aware of if you’re temperature sensitive.

Here’s another quirk — while Korean Air’s 787-10 business class suites have doors (which are supposed to be 52″ high), they’re not actually allowed to be used yet. I guess they haven’t been certified yet by regulators in Korea, so for now the airline isn’t actually offering business class suites (at least based on how I’d define them).

Anyway, all-in-all I was impressed by the hard product, and by Korean Air’s general rebranding. However, the lack of air nozzles was less than ideal, and I found it strange how doors couldn’t be used.

Korean Air business class amenities

What were the amenities like in Korean Air business class? In terms of bedding, the airline has a pretty substantial pillow, plus a thick, almost wool-like blanket. This is pretty underwhelming for a long haul flight — there were no mattress pads, and I felt like the blanket was kind of scratchy and overly warm, which isn’t great when there are already no individual air nozzles.

There were also a pair of noise canceling headphones at each seat, which were decent quality. However, thanks to the existence of bluetooth audio with the entertainment, these weren’t even needed.

There were also some flimsy slippers, ideal for visiting the lavatory without putting on shoes, but hardly ones that you’ll want to take home as a memory of your flight.

Then there was also an amenity kit, which I thought was on the basic side. It had eyeshades, a dental kit, a shoe horn, a brush, and some products from Atelier Cologne (hand cream, body lotion, and lip balm). The kit itself didn’t exactly have an inspiring design either.

Toward the end of the boarding process, pre-departure drinks were served, with the choice of orange juice, guava juice, or water (the airline doesn’t serve alcohol pre-departure). I selected the guava juice, and that was served with a package of snack mix.

Menus for the flight were also distributed, with all orders still being taken on the ground (including for the first and second meals).

While Korean Air’s new business class hard product is quite good, I’d say there’s still some room for improvement with the soft product.

Korean Air 787 business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Korean Air’s 787-10 business class has 24″ high definition, touchscreen monitors, so that’s great.

The airline also offers bluetooth audio, so you can pair your own headphones to the entertainment system (a trend I’m happy to increasingly see).

The entertainment selection itself was much better than I recall on past Korean Air flights, so clearly the library has been expanded significantly. There was a pretty decent selection of movies, TV shows, kids programming, and music, though it’s still a far cry from the airlines with the best entertainment.

I ended up watching some episodes of “Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby,” which I always enjoy. In particular, I was fascinated by Nusfjord Arctic Resort, and have added that to my bucket list.

Another exciting development with the 787-10 is that Korean Air offers Wi-Fi, as it’s an area where the airline historically hasn’t invested. On this flight, there were three packages available:

• You could purchase an unlimited messaging pass for $5.95
• You could purchase a two-hour internet pass for $10.95
• You could purchase a full-flight pass for $20.95

Regardless of which plan you picked, you could switch between devices, and there were no data caps.

Korean Air offers Viasat Wi-Fi on its 787-10s. Ordinarily that’s among the best inflight Wi-Fi providers you’ll find. The catch is that Viasat doesn’t yet have Ku-band Wi-Fi over the Pacific, so speeds were excruciatingly slow, to the point that I think it’s pretty misleading for the airline to market this as Wi-Fi that’s fast enough for watching videos, when that’s definitely not the case. That should change eventually, but for the time being, expect slow Wi-Fi.

Korean Air 787 departure from Vancouver

The boarding process was pretty efficient. Business class was around 75% full, while economy was near capacity. Boarding wrapped up by 2:30PM, at which point the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time and anticipated smooth ride.

At 2:35PM we began our pushback, at which point Korean Air’s (strange) safety video with “virtual humans” was screened.

At 2:40PM we started our taxi to runway 26L, and I enjoyed the views, as it was a gorgeous afternoon in Vancouver.

We passed a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400… swoon! We won’t see these flying for that much longer, so you’ve gotta appreciate these kinds of sights while we still have them.

We made it to the departure runway at 2:55PM, and were immediately cleared for takeoff. We had a smooth and gradual climb out.

The views departing Vancouver sure are pretty!

About 10 minutes after takeoff, the captain turned off the seatbelt sign, at which point the crew closed curtains between cabins, and began the inflight service.

Korean Air business class lunch

On this Korean Air flight, lunch was served after takeoff. You can find the menu and drink list below.

Around 35 minutes after takeoff, the crew distributed tablecloths, and then around 10 minutes later, they served drinks. I ordered a glass of champagne and sparkling water. Korean Air serves Duval Leroy Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru, which is pretty decent — however, the pour definitely left something to be desired.

The drinks were served with a canapé comprised of cream cheese rolled with roasted zucchini and eggplant.

Around 60 minutes after takeoff, the starter was served. There’s no choice of appetizers, so I was offered the seared tuna with sesame dressing, which was quite good.

While there’s a bread selection and a soup course, that’s only offered if you select the Western main, while I decided to go with the Korean option, which was served around 80 minutes after takeoff.

The Korean option on Korean Air is basically always the same — bibimbap with minced beef and seasonal vegetables, accompanied by sesame oil and hot pepper paste.

I do always enjoy this, though in the years I’ve been flying Korean Air, I don’t think a single thing has changed about this, so it sure would be nice if there were a bit more variety of Korean options.

Once main courses were cleared, a dessert trolley was rolled through the cabin, and I was offered both fruit and cheese. I appreciated that the cheese selection was a bit higher quality than you often find on airlines.

Lastly, I was offered ice cream, with the only choice being a vanilla flavor from Mario’s Gelati. I also had a tea to go along with this.

I thought the meal was quite good, though it wasn’t anything amazing. Like I said, I enjoy Korean Air’s bibimbap, but nothing about the dish has changed over the past decade, so it would be nice to have a bit more variety, as there’s Korean cuisine beyond that.

Korean Air 787 business class lavatories

After the meal, I decided to check out the onboard lavatories. Business class passengers have access to three lavatories — there’s one in front of the cabin in the center, and one behind the cabin on each side. There’s an additional lavatory right by the cockpit, but that seems to be reserved for the crew, since a curtain is pulled in front of it.

The forward lavatory that passengers have access to is huge, so that’s probably the nicest one to visit (it reminded me of the one in Etihad’s 787 first class).

The lavatory even has a little seat that folds down that’s next to the toilet, so that’s how spacious it is.

The forward lavatory also contained some extra amenities, like mouthwash and shaving kits.

Then the two lavatories behind the cabin have a similar design, except they’re smaller, more in line with what you’d expect.

All the lavatories were kept clean throughout the flight, which is such a major advantage of flying with an Asian carrier over a US carrier.

Korean Air 787 business class bed

After lunch I decided to try to get some rest, given that it was basically my bedtime back home. I reclined my seat into bed mode, as the seat converts into a 78″ bed.

There were things I really liked about the bed, and things that didn’t impress as much. On the plus side, the footwell is a good size, so I didn’t find that to be restrictive. However, in bed mode I did find the seat to be quite narrow, especially since the aisle-side armrest can’t be moved around, to create a wider sleeping surface.

My biggest issue with trying to get some rest was that the cabin was quite warm, and without an individual air nozzle, I had little control over how warm I felt. Another thing that didn’t help on that front is that I was seated on the same side of the plane as the sun.

The 787 Dreamliner has dimmable windows, and even when fully dimmed, I don’t find them to do a great job blocking out light. For example, below is what it looked like through my window when the shade was supposed to be made as dark as possible.

By my standards, I actually got a decent amount of rest. I fell asleep a little under 8hr30min from Seoul Incheon, while over Alaska…

…and I ended up getting up around five hours later, a bit over three hours before arrival, while approaching Japan.

I didn’t necessarily get the best sleep for those five hours, as there was lots of tossing and turning and a bit of being awake, but at least I got some rest.

Korean Air business class snack & dinner

Upon waking up, I had a look at the refreshment menu.

I knew that I wanted to order a cup of coffee, though from looking at the refreshment menu, I recalled having some really delicious cookies on Korean Air flights many years ago. I’m not usually someone who orders cookies (as much as I’d like to be!), but I couldn’t help but see if they were as good as I remember. Well, I can indeed confirm that they are still delicious!

Shortly thereafter, around 2hr30min from our arrival in Seoul Incheon, the cabin lights were turned on in preparation for the pre-landing meal. You can find the pre-landing menu below.

This time I mixed things up, and had the Western option. Regardless of which option people chose, the only appetizer choice was a salad with sliced apples, blue cheese, and pecans. There was also a side of bread, and I had a Coke Zero to drink.

For the main course, I tried to order the seafood dish, but they had run out. So I instead ordered the beef stew with creamy polenta and vegetables, which was fine. It was edible, but wasn’t anything great or memorable.

The meal finished off with some fruit, and I had another cup of coffee to drink.

Korean Air business class service

The crew working business class on this Korean Air flight was friendly and well intentioned, so I can’t say anything negative about the individual crew.

However, I feel like Korean Air’s service protocol just feels so assembly line-esque and reactive, and it detracts from the experience. Basically, the crew has a specific task every time they walk through the cabin, and if what you want doesn’t match up with that, then you’ll have to specifically ask.

On most world class airlines, if a flight attendant sees an empty glass in business class, they’ll ask a passenger if they want something else to drink. In the case of Korean Air, they just ignore it — they don’t offer a refill without the passenger explicitly asking, and they’ll just remove the glass once they’re in the part of the service flow where they’re removing glasses.

This really is such a contrast to so many other airlines in the region, as Asia is known for amazing inflight service.

Korean Air 787 arrival in Seoul Incheon

At 5:10PM local time, the captain was back on the PA to announce that we’d be landing in around 40 minutes, putting us in behind schedule due to a little longer than usual flight time.

As we began our descent, the crew distributed landing cards for Korea, and started preparing the cabin for arrival. The seatbelt sign was turned on at 5:40PM, around 15 minutes before landing.

We ended up landing at 5:55PM.

From there we had a roughly 10-minute taxi to our arrival gate at Terminal 2, where we pulled in at around 6:05PM, parking next to a Korean Air Boeing 787-9.

Upon exiting the plane I had to wait nearly an hour to get through immigration, and then headed to the Grand Hyatt Incheon Airport, where I’d be spending the night.

Bottom line

Korean Air’s new Boeing 787-10 business class is good, but not amazing. The airline has a solid hard product, and there are tons of improvements over Korean Air’s other jets, from the existence of Wi-Fi, to the improved entertainment.

However, if you ask me, the soft product is just a little short of what you’ll find on other top carriers, from the food, to the drinks, to the service, to the amenities. The lack of individual air nozzles also isn’t ideal, at least for those of us who easily get warm.

So I wouldn’t recommend seeking out Korean Air’s 787 business class, but if it’s the best option for a flight, I also wouldn’t hesitate to fly it.

What do you make of Korean Air’s Boeing 787-10 business class?