Korean Airlines A380 - First Class - Seoul to Los Angeles

[Alanslegal]

It's been a while since my last report but here I am again.

It didn’t take me much drinking of that Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle Champagne to actually come out ahead. At $319.00 per bottle, my break-even point would be at 1.43 bottles. You see, Korean Airlines, my online travel agent, the currency devaluation of the Burmese Kyat or a combination of all these factors meant that I was able to buy a chance at these flights that offered this great champagne at the wildly insane total cost of US$457.02.

Ok, not just one flight, but six of them! Having to start in Burma was the only requirement and where you went, or who you flew with, well that was up to the imagination of those who were willing to take a punt at what is a ‘mistake’ fare. These mistakes happened many months ago, many flyers booked, and waited, and waited, and waited some more, to see what move the airlines or the travel agents would make. Good news though, Round 1 ‘mistake’ fares were to be honoured, so we flyers were onto a good thing.

Most took the safe road and bought something to the USA. I followed along and bought something heading that way too. I snared a simple Rangoon, Burma to Los Angeles, USA return trip. This routing would be RGN-BKK-ICN-LAX with the main star of the trip and my favourite plane type, an A380 that would take me from Seoul to Los Angeles and then back. I could not wait!!!

 

[Alanslegal]

I had flown into Rangoon from Bangkok six hours earlier, just enough time to duck into Rangoon City, explore the largest pagoda there, consume my tourist visa, have a quick meal and then return back to the airport to make my way to the USA. It was my first time to Burma and definitely not going to be my last.

A meandering queue of 60 or so passengers awaited me at the airport. No priority queues for business class flyers or Star Alliance Gold Card holders, I was a bit disappointed that my status matched Turkish Airlines card that I had brought along, wasn’t going to be of any use in these lines. Well not right now, anyway. Once at the front, there were no issues issuing my ticket to Bangkok, from there I was to pick up my ongoing boarding passes to Seoul and to Los Angeles.

Straight to the to the nearest airline lounge inside the Rangoon International Terminal, this time making use of my Turkish Card and allowed complimentary entry. For anyone else, there was the pay USD$10 option and enter at your own leisure. A visit to this basic lounge, a quick Gin & Tonic, and an uneventful 50minute flight later, I was in Bangkok holding my two new Korean Airlines Boarding passes. Seated 1A all the way to America, this was going to be just perfect. Jokingly any seat closer I would be flying the damn thing!!!.

 

[Alanslegal]

Bangkok to Seoul starred a KAL Boeing 777-300. It was a typical red-eye flight that had a midnight departure, 5hours of flight time and an early morning arrival. These attributes only meant one logical thing, sleep-time. Skip the champagne, skip the dining service and straight to bed on a flat seat. No pyjamas or amenity kits provided, and a seat that was the same as the business class product two rows behind, this was nothing special for First Class but luckily I had missed most of it.

Arriving into Seoul brought back memories. 12 months ago I was in the same place but heading in the other direction to Frankfurt, Germany. That time I flew Asiana Airlines and they impressed me, very impressed me. So now this time, Korean Airlines better step up and deliver some results.

 

[Alanslegal]

Straight to the KAL First Class lounge for an 8 hour layover and a First Class ticket was the only requisite to gaining entry, anything else would have failed. With my boarding pass sighted by the KAL host, I was warmly welcomed in. No mention of my ridiculously cheap fare that I had paid but then again I would have just smiled at the host if there was such a mention. Did I mention that this was like the 6[SUP]th[/SUP] or 7[SUP]th[/SUP] pretty Korean Airlines host I have met so far and they were all so pretty?! And in my opinion they beat hands down those famed Singapore Airlines’ Girl - from a look perspective that is. The lounge was near deserted with only two other passengers inside.

At first glance anyone could have guessed that the interior designer used here were the same as those engaged by Asiana Airlines. If you have read my Asiana Airlines trip report previously http://www.australianfrequentflyer..../asiana-airlines-first-class-seoul-37594.html , then you would see that the colours and furnishings looked similar, the set up was similar and the food on offer was similar however Korean Airlines forgot to add in a baby grand piano. That was the only difference.

Here are some photos of the lounge:-

 

[Alanslegal]

Finally, after a mammoth 8 hours of doing nothing in the lounge – apart from reading the news, checking my emails, then listening to some EDM (electronic dance music) – my wait was finally over! I was not going to wait for my host to let me know boarding had commenced. In fact I don’t even know if that attentive service exists with Korean Airlines but make my own way to the boarding gate of flight KE017, bound for LAX. My anticipation was high and I was excited!!

KAL's A380:-

Look at the spacious inside:-

Amenity pack with Davi skin products, I have never heard of this range before though:-

 

[Alanslegal]

Off to a flying start with the Laurent-Perrier:-

And then the early dinner meal service started, about an hour into the flight.

Marinated Apple in Pomegranate w Garlic Cream Cheese, Stuffed Prosciutto Ham:-

Champagne flavoured Foie-Gras Terrine w Fig Compote:-

My bread choice, the Korean ‘Makgeolli’ Rice Roll:-

Korean Porridge, more like a black sesame soup:-

 

[Alanslegal]

Seasonal Garden Greens w Garlic Balsamic dressing:-

Korean ‘Bibimbap’ w Minced Beef, Seasonal Vegetable, Sesame Oil and ‘Gochujang’ (Korean Hot Paste):-

Cheese Tray, Seasonal Fruit:-

Tiramisu w Ice Cream:-

 

[lmere12]

Great, can't wait for more

 

[Alanslegal]

I loss count of how many glasses of Grand Siecle I had so far consumed but it definitely was not a whole bottle, well not yet anyway. There were two other passengers in the cabin and I am certain none were drinking that champagne. I will prove that assumption that they didn’t touch the champagne later during the flight. With 9 empty seats, I start to wonder how airlines can turn a profit when flying 25% First Class cabin full. For my paltry US$457.02 outlay I was starting to feel a bit sorry for the airline and more so for the hundreds of others passengers cramped behind those curtains, who all probably paid more than what I had.

With 10 hours of flight to go, what else should I do, than to explore. It was my first time on a Korean Airlines jet, my first real experience in First Class on an A380, and my first time flying on a mistake fare. The last time I had a chance to enjoy some time in First Class in an A380 was on a Qantas jet. With CSM’s permission, that 30 or so minutes that I spent with my girlfriend in her Seat 5A were nice. A couple of glasses of Taittinger later I had to retreat a few metres behind to my seat at 50C, and as a bonus gift, clutching a brand new Payot First Class amenity pack. Qantas, you made my day that day.

Now, here’s what Korean Airlines have done with their A380’s. With more space to poke a stick at, here’s the first of three little bar areas on this plane. For First Class passengers, there is a mini self service bar area. The drink offering is good, Johnny Walker Blue Label, Remy Martin XO, and more.

Up the stair case, and to the all business class upper deck:-

Business Class Lounge, much similar to Qantas’ A380:-

Mix your own drinks, some coughtail menu cards to give you some inspiration on what to drink:-

 

[Alanslegal]

Whilst enjoying the surrounds of this lounge I bump into another exploring passenger and we start talking. He is also on his first A380 flight and is mightily impressed. Big, spacious, quiet and those on-board bars, wow was his thoughts. I soon find out that he is a 767 captain for a large cargo company, heading back home for a two week break. We have a good chat, mostly about flying, and then he tells me that we should head back to the other lounge at the back of Business Class where more of his other off duty colleagues were drinking on board but more importantly, where there is an attendant mixing and shaking drinks!

Here at the back of the upper deck, we find the Celestial Bar and Lounge. Another pretty attendant, turned mixologist, mixing drinks whilst we laze around and chat. Have I yet mentioned that I think Korean Airlines have the prettiest attendants ever? Oh, I am going to like this very much!

And the Absolut Vodka sponsored coughtail menu:-

 

[Alanslegal]

Wait till they switch on the mood lighting!! [It wasn't this dark though, it's just that my camera wasn't up to the task of catching the real lighting].

One of my coughtails, Absolut Vodka White w White Chocolate:-

 

[Alanslegal]

A tonne of fun was had at this bar. I learnt a lot of flying from these pilots and my fear of flying became less and less, with the more and more I drank. My main dislike, turbulence, was helped. According to them, they have flown through some very nasty stuff and that planes were designed to withstand much more than that. The biggest danger is with a fire onboard but I shall stop talking about doom and gloom right now. I spent a good deal of time at this bar with these pilots, drinking round after round. It was a jovial atmosphere all night. The mood lighting helped, that tinge of blue ambience gave it a nightclub vibe. Too bad there was no EDM playing.

Let’s explore a bit more, just down stairs in the main cabin, we find this shop. An on-board Duty Free shop! OMG! Ok, it’s only a small area but being able to look at items for sale. That’s pretty neat!

 

[Alanslegal]

Heading back upstairs to the bar, I remember that my turned-down bed back at Seat 1A was all prepared some 5 hours ago. Still neatly laid presumably without any creases, and the occupant, that is me, was still upstairs resuming his drinking way. Remember that bottle of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle Champagne that I was drinking earlier? Well I kindly asked the bar attendant if they were willing to bring it up from First Class so that I could share the remains with my new friends. They gladly did and I was more than impressed at their willingness to do so. Each had a glass and the bottle was empty. I calculated that I had at least half of that earlier Ha ha ha!

Here’s the bottle sitting all pretty at the bar:-

After that we tried every Absolut Vodka inspired coughtail off the menu, we finished a bottle of Inniskillin Ice Wine in no time, then it was time for some Johnny Walker Blue Label on the rocks, again from the First Class Cabin, before heading off to bed for the last five hours of flight time remaining before our morning arrival. The pilots and I exchanged details just in case we crossed paths once again and we all set off for rest.

My turned down seat; freshly lay with thick seat cover with matching thick blanket and a supportive pillow welcomed me to sleep.

 

[LadyC]

Great report! Mistake fares are awesome. I'm glad it all worked out for you.

What was the food like? It looked a little....maybe simple? Sounds like you certainly got your fill with the champagne and coughtails

 

[Alanslegal]

I managed to sleep for the rest of the five hour flight and was only woken up 20 minutes prior to landing. I had slept through the entire breakfast service!!!!! We flew due east from ICN and here is the route map just prior to our landing into LAX. And that personal screen is a 23 inch widescreen HUGE!!!

Good things sadly comes to an end and I am 1 bottle down to reaching the 1.43 bottles of Grand Siecle that I have set my targets on. We land into the busy LAX and taxi to our gate which seemed like forever. I savour the last moments of this enjoyable flight for now and step off this big bird. I quickly tap my hands twice against the outside of the plane as I get off. This is a tradition that I always do, to thank the plane for getting me to my destination safely. I will miss this fun for a while, I will miss the good looking Korean Airlines hostesses, but more importantly, I won’t be able to drink the 0.43 bottles of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle Champagne for another week that I need to to come out ahead!!!

 

[missafternoondelight]

haha. Sounds like lots of fun. Really enjoyed the trip report, and great photos. Thanks very much.

 

[Alanslegal]

And just to finalise, here are some photos of my lunch service (and some mid-flight snacks) for my return trip back to Seoul. And for those wondering, yes I am certain I drank more than 0.43 bottles of that Grand Siecle he he he he! Thanks for reading.

Asparagus rolled with smoked salmon:-

Caviar:-

Roasted Sweet Pumpkin Cream Soup

Seasonal Garden Green Salad:-

Roasted Cod Fish w herb crumble, served dill cream sauce, mashed sweet pumpkin:-

Strawberry Cheesecake w Ice Cream:-

Cheese tray, fresh fruit selection:-

 

[Alanslegal]

I can't recall the name of these dishes, so my description may not be precise.

Noodle Soup w Prawn Dumplings, served w Korean Side Condiments:-

Another green salad, lots of thick garlic sauce:-

That's all for now and till my next report, happy and fab travels to everyone!!

 

[Alanslegal]

Great report! Mistake fares are awesome. I'm glad it all worked out for you.

What was the food like? It looked a little....maybe simple? Sounds like you certainly got your fill with the champagne and coughtails

Thanks for the comments. Food presentation was very simple, creativity was a bit lacking, however the taste was good. I have flown several J/F long haul sectors in the last 18 months and I this meal would have passed my standard for F. It would have been a very good J meal though. Of course, the drinks of offer were much better than those found in J.

But hey, if I take the price of $457.02 into consideration then everything from start to finish was awesome!!

 

[LadyC]

Definitely value for money!