Korean Air: new business, first class on Sydney, Brisbane flights
By Chris C., April 7 2015
SkyTeam member Korean Air is now flying its new business class Prestige Suites from Seoul to both Sydney and Brisbane, giving business travellers more space to work during the day and a fully-flat bed in the evenings for a well-rested journey.
Also in for an upgrade: the first class suites – yet as a Korean Air spokesperson confirmed to Australian Business Traveller, these are almost identical to business class aside from a larger 23-inch entertainment monitor against the 17 inches in the Prestige Suites…
Korean Air's first class suites: similar to Prestige but with a larger corridor and TV
While both cabins are arranged in a 2-2-2 layout, every passenger in business class and first class can still enjoy direct aisle access, as travellers in the window seats can pass their seatmate via a small corridor rather than stepping over them or being stepped over themselves:
It’s a similar concept as found with the Sky Suites aboard Japan Airlines’ newer Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which are crafted from the same basic seat.
Sky Suite business class on Japan Airlines' newer Boeing 777-300ER aircraft
Read our review: JAL ‘Sky Suite’ business class, Sydney-Tokyo
On the ground, Korean Air’s pointy-end passengers can visit the new SkyTeam lounge in Sydney or the Air New Zealand Koru Club in Brisbane, and can stop by the Grand Hyatt Incheon Hotel in Seoul on arrival for free use of the showers and sauna.
When returning home KAL’s business and first class lounges are available to eligible travellers, while first class high flyers are personally escorted from check-in to the lounge and then again to the departure gate, with a duvet sleeper service and Gianfranco Ferre pyjamas greeting them in the sky.
From its hub in Seoul, Korean Air flies daily to Sydney and to Brisbane four times each week, with Asia-bound flights during the day and overnight services when returning to Australia.
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Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Mar 2014
Total posts 26
Im confused. Just checked out prices and first class cost $8000 return while Biz is as low as $4000. Yet first is the same seat with a slightly bigger screen.
Garuda Indonesia - Garuda Miles
30 Jan 2015
Total posts 23
Maybe the soft products in the first class are better? Logically there should be a separate lounge too in Seoul.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 May 2011
Total posts 732
They must pay their ground handler who is personally escorting you from check in to lounge to aircraft very well! :)
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards Platinum
29 Aug 2014
Total posts 34
Hah! Don't forget the heated Macadamia Nuts in a bowl in your calculation mate
20 May 2015
Total posts 579
That's because the article is mistaken. Korean Air's new First Class is a fully private suite with sliding doors. It isn't the same as the Prestige Suite.
Korean Air call their First Class suite the "Kosmo Suite." The site is here: https://new.koreanair.com/index.html
The Korean Air spokesperson was greatly underselling the product. Its bigger than the Prestige Suite (both in width and length).
20 May 2015
Total posts 579
NOTE: I wanted to make a correction to my previous post. Apparently, yes, Korean DOES use their "Prestige Suite" product as a First Class product in their A330-200 aircraft (they refer to it as a "Sleeper"). Their Business Class product is currently called a "Prestige Sleeper" and is basically the same as QF's Skybeds.
If they're upgrading the Business AND the First, the Business will probably become the Prestige Suite as we currently know it. The First Class, however...
Would they really keep with the same product, just a little bigger? I'm skeptical of that. It doesn't seem like a good strategy. Bigger TV simply isn't enough to sufficiently differentiate the hard product. Surely it would make more sense, especially when they're charging twice the amount, to use the Kosmo Suite 2.0 instead of the Sleeper Suites.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Feb 2015
Total posts 20
what plane do they use for these routes? a330?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards Platinum
29 Aug 2014
Total posts 34
currently a330 but I believe KE will fly a380 or b747-9i to SYD-ICN sometime soon. At the moment they have 8 a380 and they ordered heaps more a380 and new b747-9i
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