✈️For only 288 yuan, you can enjoy a lie-flat business class flight from Seoul to Kunming.
Ten years ago, my family flew to the US on Korean Air and accumulated 22,500 miles. We received an email that the miles were about to expire, so we redeemed them for the less popular ICN-KMG route.
💰The tax was only 60,000 won, equivalent to about 288 RMB.
🧳Our flight was at 6:40 PM, arriving at Incheon Airport Terminal 2 at 2:16 PM. Korean Air's KE counters at Incheon Airport are huge; A, B, C, and D are all their counters. If you have a business class ticket, I recommend checking in at the dedicated A area. Just a short walk before exiting is departure; there's no queue, and you go straight through security into the restricted area. You don't need to find the fast-track security for business and first class. I don't know if Incheon Airport offers that.
🚶The Prestige Lounge was so delicious, I didn't want to leave! At 6:13 PM, we went down to gate 208, Zone 1, and queued to board. The jet bridge was incredibly long. Small planes don't differentiate between business and economy; everyone enters through the same gate.
📢The boarding announcement came early, and I was still eating and drinking in the lounge. When I arrived, I was third to last to be seated. Unable to take a picture of the overall business class environment. The flight attendant asked me in Korean what I would like to drink, since I was the only foreigner. After switching to English, I said I didn't want juice, and then they brought me a glass of sparkling wine.
💺Korean Airlines uses four types of Airbus A321 aircraft: A321neo (182 seats), A321neo (180 seats), A321neo (188 seats), and A321-200 (174 seats). The flight on that day was an A321neo with 182 seats, not an A321-200. This is a narrow-body aircraft, registration number HL8713, 0.8 years old. It's a new generation of aircraft using the latest technology. The business class seating layout is 2-2, with eight seats. The occupancy rate that day was 100%. The Elite Seat 2.0 features a stylish and minimalist design and is the first time a Korean Airlines narrow-body aircraft has been equipped with a 180-degree fully lie-flat seat. The seat width is 53cm, recline is 160cm, and the bed length is 198cm. It also has a USB charging port and wireless magnetic fast charging. What surprised me most was the touchscreen control panel, which is very user-friendly for those with nearsightedness. The seats were new and clean, which was really comfortable.
🛜The only downside is that even business class requires an additional fee.
🩴Before I sat down, slippers, blankets, and pillows were already laid out. The slippers were of good quality, and the blankets were from the Italian brand Frette! If I didn't have so much carry-on luggage, I would have taken them with me. Frette has had a close relationship with European royalty since its inception, having been a supplier to the Italian royal family and producing altarcloths for the Vatican. Today, it's a standard feature in over 1500 luxury hotels worldwide.
Like the Chestnut, Aman, and Peninsula hotels, they are truly the hard currency of the hotel industry. Their understated luxury, not relying on eye-catching logos, focuses on providing the ultimate private sleep experience, making them a representative of the old-money style that pursues understated luxury. KE Airlines' aesthetic sense is top-notch!
🥂 The flight attendant confirmed the meal before takeoff. I chose champagne and guava juice for drinks. After takeoff, the meal was quickly prepared. Kudos to EVA Air and Korean Air for their high efficiency! Hurry up and finish so I can sleep. I definitely can't skip this; I get hungry very quickly.
The flight attendant saw me and smiled. She so proactively pulled out a folding tray table and prioritized laying out a tablecloth for me.