Flying in business class can be a vacation in itself. With lie-flat seats, unlimited alcohol, gourmet meals, infinite movies, and first-class service, long-haul flights can be a way to have a multi-mile high holiday. With steep price tags and multiple choices in carriers, it can be confusing to know which business class to invest your hard earned money.
When it came time to pick an airline for our trip to the Philippines, we had many options, including a direct flight to Manila on Philippines Air. While we always prefer a direct flight, Philippines Air was the most expensive option, the seats in the cabin did not fully recline, and it was an outdated plane. If we were going to fork over thousands of dollars for a business class seat, we wanted to at least be able to enjoy a lie-flat experience. Instead, we opted out of the direct flight and instead chose to save money and enjoy a more luxurious business class experience on Asiana Airlines from LAX to ICN.
The Airplane
The Asiana Airlines Airbus A380 has two stories and can hold close to 500 passengers. The business class cabin is located on the second floor of the airplane and it takes up one half of the entire floor. The second half of the cabin is for economy passengers. There is also a small first-class cabin home to private suites, which are located in the nose of the plane on the first floor. Following the first class cabin is the majority of the economy class.
There is a relaxation lounge in the nose of the second floor, accessible to all business class passengers. This area has couches to relax, a spacious bathroom, and even enough room to do some stretching!
The Seats
The seats on the Asiana Airlines A380 are completely lie-flat and very spacious. While they don’t have the privacy of the first class suites, they still offer a luxurious business class experience. The seats in the business class cabin are configured in a 1-2-1 format. Both Scott and I chose window seats, one in front of the other, but we actually wished that we chose the middle seats (gasp! When does that ever happen?) For couples traveling together, we would recommend choosing the two middle seats so that you can sit next to one another and enjoy each others company.
Every business class passenger is given an amenity kit with slippers, a night mask, socks, a toothbrush, and luxurious L’Occitane products.
When choosing your seat on this aircraft, check the Asiana seat map or SeatGuru to make sure that you’re choosing the best seat. There are middle seats that lean towards each other, which are perfect for couples. However, there are also middle seats that face away from each other. The same thing applies for the window seats. Certain window seats have the seat up against the aisle while other window seats are up against the window. We would recommend choosing the seat that hugs the window so that you have a bit more privacy from the aisle.
The Service
The service on Asiana Airlines is absolutely wonderful. From the moment we stepped on the plane, we were greeted by gracious flight attendants who offered us water and orange juice. Of course, we asked for champagne, but since the gates were still open, we were not allowed to have champagne (womp, womp). However, as soon as the gates closed, the fabulous flight attendants rushed over to deliver us champagne before takeoff. Legends, I tell you. Legends.
Since we departed LAX around 3 am Korea time, we tried to go to sleep as soon as we got on the plane to help with our jet lag. We kindly asked the flight attendants if they would hold our meals until we woke up and they graciously obliged. As soon as we awoke, the flight attendants quickly brought over our delicious meal for us to enjoy.
The Food
The food on Asiana Airlines was absolutely delicious. We had two choices of menus – the Western version and the traditional Korean version. We both opted for the Korean lunch, which included three starters: Melon, Parma Ham & ricotta stuffed mushroom (…that doesn’t sound Korean), a turnip vegetable roll, and Korean pumpkin porridge ‘Hobakjuk.’ For the main course we enjoyed ‘Ssambap,’ which included steamed white rice topped with grilled ‘Bulgogi’ beef and a bean paste. There were accompanying leafy vegetables with the meal. We placed the beef inside of the greens and ate it like a taco. Throughout the flight, we also had the option to snack on ramen, sandwiches, cheese, and fruit.
The Entertainment
The entertainment system on Asiana Airlines is quite extensive and we were very impressed with the selection of Hollywood films. Oftentimes while flying on foreign airlines, there can be a lack of movie selections, but Asiana had up-to-date Hollywood films, classic films, and Korean films to choose from.
The Star Alliance Lounge at LAX
Prior to boarding our Asiana Airlines flight from LAX to Seoul Incheon, we visited the Star Alliance Lounge in the Tom Bradley International terminal of LAX. As a business class passenger, we were given access to this lounge. The lounge had a delicious Asian noodle bar and plenty of Western options such as eggs, bacon, and sausage. There is also a full bar inside of the Star Alliance Lounge. While there are hundreds of seats, the lounge was quite crowded and it was difficult to find seats together. We opted for outdoor seating, which was louder than the inside seats, but still a nice respite from the cacophony of the airport.
Asiana Airlines Insider Tips
In addition to the seat tips under the “SEATS” section, there are a few other tips when choosing your seats on this aircraft. While a business class seat is always > an economy seat, we highly recommend choosing seats far away from the bathroom. There are seats that back up directly to the bathroom and the noise from the toilet as well as the foot traffic to the restroom can be extremely bothersome.
Leave A Comment