Korean Air’s new first class suite starts on the Boeing 777-300 and will eventually roll out to the 747-8, 787, and A330.
John F. sends me to Korean Air’s blog for photos of the Korean Air first class suite.
The new Korean Air first class suite is not revolutionary, but it looks like a very nice product. I already do like Korean Air first class, even the ‘older’ product, it’s a good bed and they offer good food and service.
What I like most of course is:
- They offer a first class cabin on many of their intra-Asia routes, so you can book a first class award and not downgrade to many of your destinations.
- They have better award availability departing the US in first class than any other airline.
US – Seoul and beyond as far south as Hong Kong are 80,000 points each way in first class. Korean does add fuel surcharges to award tickets, though amounts vary (as they do with paid tickets) based on destination. Chase points transfer directly to Korean Air’s SKYPASS program.
It will of course take time for the new Korean Air first class suite to roll out, but in the meantime I’m glad to see the product moving in an incrementally better direction which makes me continue to want to save my Chase points for Korean Air redemptions (and of course for Singapore Suites redemptions via Singapore Airlines transfers as well, but that award space is much more difficult to get).
Interestingly there does not appear to be any plan to retrofit Airbus A380 aircraft with the new seats. Presently I do not believe the A380 offers a better product that the 777, certainly not better enough to warrant flying out of one’s way to get it. This could become one of the unique times where an airline’s A380 offers an inferior premium product relative to other aircraft in their fleet given the new Korean Air first class suite with doors.
Looks like it’s based on Asiana and Etihad 1st suite. With fuel surcharges, I find Asiana 1st using united miles to be a better deal. Asiana flys 777 and a380 out of LAX and both features same looking suite with much larger screen (32″) with pretty wide open availability on 777 (up to 4 suites per flight) and occasionally 2 on a380 departing LAX
@tjp74 – United charges 240,000 roundtrip for Asiana first to North Asia. I don’t know about you but I’d rather spend 160,000 Chase points transferred to Korean plus $56 in fuel surcharges for, say, Los Angeles – Seoul – Hong Kong and return.
For Los Angeles – Seoul – Los Angeles you’d pay $160 in fuel surcharges through Korean. I’d gladly pay $160 to save 80,000 miles.
I haven’t flown in an enclosed suite before, but whenever I see pictures, it looks like the walls are very short and an average height passenger walking down the aisle would be able to see into the suite. Is this the case? How tall are the walls on planes that have suites? Korean, Singapore, Emirates, Etihad etc?
What Tom said.
I had the feeling of getting an inferior F class product on TG 380 after flying F on the 777’s. However those 777 where leased and not with their own configuration.
With SQ SC, I was able to peer over the top, and take a photo of the suite, by slightly standing on my tiptoes. But just walking by I couldn’t see in. So not absolute privacy, although laying down on the bed it feels like it. If you are planning to “join the club”, that may add or detract from the experience, depending on your personal proclivities. 🙂