AvGeeking around Japan and Korea

[Harrison_133]

Welcome to my first AFF Trip Report!

I recently returned from 2 weeks in Japan and Korea, and being a bit of an AvGeek, I ended up doing a fair few flights during that time. I thought I'd document them here for you all to enjoy. This trip report will just cover the flights I took on this trip. If I have time, I might add some other snippets of the trip.

Forewarning, there are 10 flights to cover, so feel free to skim through.

Flight 1: Virgin Australia, Cairns-Haneda, B737-8 VH-8IB

We start off at the International Terminal in Cairns, having flown up from Melbourne the day before. I'd never flown internationally out of Cairns before and with only two departures that afternoon, the experience was easy.

There were about 140 passengers heading to Haneda, with what appeared to be a pretty even mix of Aussies and Japanese tourists. Scored an empty middle seat which meant there was plenty of room to stretch out in the exit row.

This flight had a superb set of crew. Really top notch service. Two BOB services were conducted and the crew were very proactive with the water runs. The only real disappointment of this flight was that the inflight entertainment and wifi was inoperative but the ground crew did inform us of this prior to boarding.

Overall thoughts: I was dreading spending well over 7 hours in Economy on a 737, but honestly, it wasn't that bad. I came prepared with snacks and movies, and the time flew by. It was the crew though that made this flight enjoyable. If Virgin wasn't ending the route, I would have considered it again at the right price.

 

[Harrison_133]

Flight 2: ANA, Haneda-Hiroshima, B787-8 JA818A

The next destination on the itinerary was Hiroshima. The Shinkansen is the obvious choice, but I opted to fly with ANA on a Velocity reward seat.

After check-in, a visit to the observation deck was in order.

Boarding commenced 20 minutes before departure, and in true Japanese fashion, the whole process was incredibly efficient. Doors were closed 5 minutes early.

This flight was operated by one of ANA’s domestic Boeing 787-8s with a dense configuration of 12 Business and 323 Economy seats. The seats were basic and the fabric was starting to show its age, but they were adequate for a short flight.

Take off out of Haneda with Mt Fuji in the distance.

Wifi was available on this flight and worked fine, but did drop out occasionally. The onboard service consisted of a range of complimentary beverages. The crew on this flight were fantastic and did a great job of serving so many passengers in so little time.

The approach into Hiroshima provided for some scenic views of the surrounding valleys.

The only downside to flying into Hiroshima is that the airport is 45 minutes out of the city, but the Airport Limousine bus runs regularly into Hiroshima Station.

Flight 3: ANA, Hiroshima-Haneda, B787-8 JA840A

After a short stay in Hiroshima, it was time to head back to Tokyo.

This flight was on one of ANA’s international Boeing 787-8s. Compared to the previous flight, these seats were actually padded and came with headrests and PTVs. The seats were comfortable but the legroom was on the tighter side. The PTVs had a decent range of content to watch, and although Wifi was available on the aircraft, I could not get it to connect no matter what I tried.

The same selection of beverages were on offer, and yet again the crew were fantastic. On this flight, lollies were stationed at the boarding door and also handed out on descent.

The cabin crew made an announcement as we flew past Mt Fuji but I was seated on the wrong side. I was able to capture some shots of Mt Fuji at sunset on final approach into Haneda, but 787 windows are not exactly conducive of good photography.

 

[Harrison_133]

Flight 4: ZIPAIR, Narita-Incheon, B787-8 JA851J

Next up, Seoul. This was my first visit to South Korea.

You're not short of options between Tokyo and Seoul with 16 different airlines flying the route. I was most interested in trying out ZIPAIR and their Full-Flat option. With ZIP Full-Flat, you’re only paying for the seat itself. Other inclusions like baggage and food still need to be bundled in.

I might be in the minority here, but I really like the ZIPAIR livery.

The flight was operated by one of the two new-build Boeing 787-8s in the ZIPAIR fleet, delivered in August 2023. The rest of their aircraft are hand-me-downs from JAL dating back to 2012.

The ZIP Full-Flat cabin consists of 18 seats in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration. The seat itself was well padded, comfortable in the fully flat position and had ample room in the foot well. I could see myself being quite comfortable on one of their longer flights.

There were only 8 or so passengers booked in ZIP Full Flat on this flight, although the option is available to pay to upgrade after take off. Only a couple of people took up the offer.

One of the things I was most surprised by is that wifi is complimentary to everyone onboard. The wifi itself was quite fast and, in my opinion, a major draw card compared to other LCCs. Food, drinks and merchandise are available for purchase through the wifi system and items are brought directly to your seat. Items can also be pre-ordered before the flight.

Apart from rubbish collections, you don’t see the crew a whole lot. The crew on this flight were professional, albeit a little bit robotic. They lacked the warmth of the ANA staff on the previous flights, but provided good service nonetheless.

Overall thoughts: I’m a fan of ZIPAIR and would happily fly them again. If you’re willing to sacrifice the bells and whistles of a full service carrier, they’re a great value option if you’re looking for something comfortable without the price tag. I’d love to see them start a route to Australia.

 

[Harrison_133]

Four flights, four airlines, one day

The next part of the trip started off as a day trip to Jeju Island, flying with T’Way and Asiana. I had planned on spending the day exploring the island, but those plans were quickly thwarted with an abysmal weather forecast.

Being an AvGeek at heart, I explored options to fit in some more domestic flights and stumbled across some sectors on the original and wingletless version of the Boeing 737-900 – a type I hadn’t flown on before. I would also tick off two additional airlines: Jin and Korean. Both flights were booked the day before travel and cost $18 AUD and $32 AUD respectively.

What began as a simple day trip to Jeju had now turned into a day of domestic flying, with four flights on four different airlines. Layovers between the flights were about 3-4 hours each. Miraculously, everything went to plan and the only delay (of 20 minutes) was on the last sector of the day.

Call me crazy, but this was my idea of a fun day out.

Some general points about flying in Korea

In my opinion, the airlines in Korea are more-or-less the same. None of the airlines stood out as being particularly different from the other, apart from their colour choices.

Seat selection is free during online check in on all four airlines, even the low-cost ones. I didn't bother paying extra at the time of booking on any of these flights, but still managed to secure a window seat on each.

This was definitely a rookie error, but they are sticklers for middle names appearing on boarding passes in Korea. For whatever reason, I didn't add my middle name on the Jin Air booking so I wasn't let through the ID check. After a slight communication breakdown, I was sent packing to the Jin Air service desk where they had to add my middle name and issue a new boarding pass. The friendly Jin Air staff – clearly used to this issue – promptly fixed everything and the whole ordeal was over in about 5 minutes. Moral of the story, make sure your travel documents match your ID.

 

[Harrison_133]

Flight 5: T’Way Air, Gimpo-Jeju, B737-800 HL8056

For what would emerge as a theme for the trip, boarding was done using a bus.

The cabin was nothing to write home about. The aircraft was a former Ryanair frame, but all vestiges of yellow had been removed. The seats were surprisingly well padded, but the legroom was dismal. T’Way fly some pretty long sectors on the 737. I’d be splurging for the exit row on those.

The flight itself was nothing to write home about either. Apart from conducting their safety related duties, the crew were non-existent. There simply was no service at all. They hid in the galley the entire flight. Granted, the flight time was 50 minutes, but I was surprised they didn't try to flog the BOB menu being an LCC. That aside, the crew were very friendly in their limited interactions with passengers.

Overall thoughts: T’Way was fine. Not memorable, but they got the job done.

Flight 6: Jin Air, Jeju-Busan, B737-900 HL7719

If I'm being honest, it did not cross my mind to even consider flying Jin Air until I saw a flight on the 737-900 for $18.

Jin Air is one of five carriers still flying the original version of the Boeing 737-900. All of their 737-900s are wingletless, which is also increasingly rare for the Boeing 737NG family.

All of Jin’s 737-900s started their life at their parent company Korean Air. They retain their original Korean Air cabin configurations of 8 Business and 180 Economy seats. The seats were in pristine condition. K-pop music was blaring over the speakers.

The crew on this flight were a standout. Definitely the best set of crew out of the four Korean carriers flown on this trip. Really fantastic service.

Compared to T’Way, the cabin crew did attempt a BOB service. Although this consisted of one of them walking down the aisle holding up the menu and duty free catalogue. I didn't see any takers.

Overall thoughts: Jin Air was not on my radar at all, but they turned out to probably be the best of all the Korean airlines I tried on the day.

Flight 7: Korean Air, Busan-Jeju, B737-900 HL7708

For the flight back to Jeju, it was time to fly Korean Air on another Boeing 737-900.

All the domestic terminals in Korea have these delay notice boards at every gate and the ground staff write delay information on them with whiteboard markers. I did laugh when they rolled out the board for a delay of 5 minutes.

Stepping on board, the cabin was identical to the Jin Air 737-900 I had just flown on. Similarly, it was in pristine condition.

With a flight time of 35 minutes, I didn't expect to get any sort of service on this flight but Korean Air offers complimentary beverages on their domestic flights with a long list of options available. Even with such a short flight time, the crew promptly served drinks to all passengers. The cabin crew on this flight weren’t overly friendly and were the most reserved bunch of the day.

And just like that, I was back in Jeju.

Flight 8: Asiana Airlines, Jeju-Gimpo, B767-300 HL7528

This was the flight I was looking forward to the most. The 767 had always eluded me when Qantas flew them, so I was quite eager to finally add it to my logbook.

Only 1 767 remains in Asiana’s fleet, and it spends its days flying back and forth between Gimpo and Jeju. The aircraft was built in 1998 and is configured with 290 Economy seats in a 2-3-2 layout.

The flight was delayed 20 minutes because of the late arrival of the aircraft. The delay also meant we got switched to a bus gate, which at least provided an opportunity to snap some photos of the 767. Stepping on board into the retro cabin I was surprised by how immaculate the cabin was for such an old aircraft. Despite being 26 years old, the seats were well maintained with no visible signs of wear and tear. I was expecting fraying fabric or broken seat mechanisms, but the Korean carriers seem to do a good job at cabin upkeep.

Like Korean Air, Asiana offers a complimentary beverage service on their domestic flights with identical options available. The crew were more senior and a little robotic but provided good service.

Overall thoughts: this flight was well worth the trip. I really enjoyed the 767 and wish I had the opportunity to have flown on it more. I think the novelty of flying on Asiana’s sole remaining 767 was also quite exciting.

 

[Harrison_133]

Flight 9: Asiana Airlines, Incheon-Narita, A380-800 HL7634

Instead of taking the AREX train, I took the Airport Limousine bus back to Incheon Airport. It was so much easier and saved the hassle of taking your luggage on the subway.

Incheon Airport was stupidly busy. There were people everywhere. Check-in was done on a kiosk, but the queue to drop off bags took at least 40 minutes. Then it took a further 30 minutes to pass through security and immigration. If you’re departing from Incheon during the morning peak, arrive with plenty of time.

Today’s flight with Asiana was operated by an Airbus A380. I managed to snag a seat in the small economy cabin on the upper deck. The seat itself was very comfy and the legroom was phenomenal. It would make for a very comfortable long haul flight.

A hot meal was served on the 2 hour and 20 minute flight. Only one option was available: Kung Pao Chicken with Fried Rice. It was served alongside a madeleine cake and jelly cup. The usual range of drinks were offered, with top ups offered after meals had been distributed. The cabin crew were very attentive.

The arrival process in Narita was a bit slow, and just my luck, my bag was one of the last delivered. Being a fully loaded A380, there were a lot of bags, so I was waiting a while.

Overall thoughts: I don’t know why, but I was expecting Asiana to be a bit mediocre. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised and my expectations were exceeded. Their onboard offering is solid.

Flight 10: Virgin Australia, Haneda-Cairns, B737-8 VH-8IF

After 2 weeks, it was time to return home, again via Cairns.

Boarding was done using a bus. The first bus wasn’t filled up too much, so priority boarding somewhat worked, even if it was not intended. There were around 150 passengers. This time, it was mainly Aussies returning home with a large chunk connecting to Brisbane. Again, another superb set of crew.

Once again, the inflight entertainment and wifi was inoperative. This time there was no mention of it until just before the final door was closed.

Unlike the departing flight from Cairns, the arrival experience was anything but a breeze. The flight landed 30 minutes early, meaning we arrived just behind the Jetstar 787 from Osaka. Immigration and biosecurity were a complete mess. The main pinch point seemed to be the line to have your declaration card checked which snaked all the way through the tiny baggage claim area. It took well over an hour to get from the aircraft to the Uber.

After a night in Cairns recuperating from the red eye, I flew home to Melbourne.

And that concludes my trip report. For those of you who made it to the end, well done! I hope you've enjoyed reading about these flights.

 

[RooFlyer]

There were only 8 or so passengers booked in ZIP Full Flat on this flight, although the option is available to pay to upgrade after take off.

I wonder if anyone else does that?

 

[PERLHR]

What fun and great pics and reports. Well done.

 

[WilsonM]

I wonder if anyone else does that?

Emirates offers upgrades with miles while onboard - not 100% sure if they allow it after takeoff. Can't think of anyone else.

@Harrison_133 Great trip report - did you have a particular favourite airline? I loved ZIPAIR full-flat, and ZIPAIR in general - a great example of what an LCC should be

 

[Dmac59]

Great TR @Harrison_133 and thanks for sharing.
Also good to see that you’ve added the elusive B767 to your logbook.

 

[Harrison_133]

Emirates offers upgrades with miles while onboard - not 100% sure if they allow it after takeoff. Can't think of anyone else.

@Harrison_133 Great trip report - did you have a particular favourite airline? I loved ZIPAIR full-flat, and ZIPAIR in general - a great example of what an LCC should be

ZIPAIR was definitely my favourite. Really high quality as far as LCCs are concerned. And I think their branding is on point.

I wonder if anyone else does that?

Pretty sure Scoot offer it for ScootPlus on their 787s.

 

[markis10]

I wonder if anyone else does that?

Most of the Chinese airlines offer upgrades onboard, China Eastern have a QR code sticker on the chair.