It was a big space but it was definitely crowded. As such, on board, one western meal will almost certainly have beef, typically a steak. Appetizer of smoked Sword fish. There are only so many movies you can watch, and I've always had a hard time sleeping on planes. Passengers can store a winter coat at the airport for free for up to five days. It comes as no surprise that Emirates makes the list of best food options: The airline, based in Dubai, is known for its luxury; fly first class and youll enjoy a seven-course spread. Sign up and well send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money. A tub with pasta and fish sauce. And while our site doesnt feature every company or financial product available on the market, were proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward and free. Read on to see what made this flight so enjoyable. Business Class - Main Courses - Asiana inflight food Beef Steak & veggies Beef tenderloin steak, accompanied by roast potato, carrots and asparagus. Bibimbap is one of my favorite dishes, especially when I get a generous amount of gochujang to top it off with. It's light, healthy, and for inflight food, rather unusual. Economy passengers need to pay $100 extra to check an overweight bag (up to 70 pounds) and $200 to check an extra standard-sized bag. There was also a window in the bathroom, which was really fun during flight, but make sure to keep it closed while you're on the ground! How Much Are Travel Points and Miles Worth in 2023? Download movies ahead of time or bring a book with you. Michael Trager is the founder of TravelZork.com. Any chance to fly a premium cabin on an A380 is a treat, and my flight with Asiana was top-notch in many ways. I've heard people complain that Asiana's color pattern feels like a boring office, and while I don't disagree, that's not the most important thing to me either. Accompanied by Black Mushroom and Fried Rice. A great starter, with really good ham that tastes as if it's come straight from Italy. The regular meal options include potato gnocchi with roasted vegetables and spinach puree or herb-crusted lamb with pearl barley, mint and orange salad and asparagus with romesco sauce. Plus, you can get a 5,000-mile bonus for transferring at least 60,000 Bonvoy points. Shortly before we started our descent, the IFE cut out and played a short exercise video to help passengers stay comfortable on the long flight. Her lunch consisted of multiple courses: canaps, appetizers, salad, soup, main course, and dessert. Rookie mistake. Economy passengers will love the Korean noodles, spicy soups, Japanese-style dishes and fresh vegetable salads. Each seat also had a small closet built into the wall. Why? The airline offers a wide range of traditional Korean dishes as well as western options. Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's top carrier, said Monday it will suspend its Busan-Sapporo route from September as travel demand to Japan declines amid escalating trade tension. Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. Flying a Dinosaur: Asiana A380 in First Class From Seoul to Los Angeles, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Two prunes, two dried dates. So how do we make money? I appreciated that she actually held open the drink menu so I'd know what they had on offer that day. Our flight landed in Seoul on time, and it was incredibly easy to find the bright green hallway leading to the transfer security. For U.S.-based travelers, the excellent redemption rates include: Southern South America for 35,000 miles each way in business class. All meals are created with premium and fresh seasonal ingredients. Asiana Business class lounge in Seoul isn't too bad, there is a selection of hot food, salad, instant noodles and a bar area. Next up was a cheese platter, which I admittedly only had a few bites of because I was so full. Much harder than it looks, this chocolate cake was designed I guess to be crunchy, and so it is: inside there is some lovely gooey choclate, but you have to break into it with the fork, and try and avoid hitting your fellow passengers with the shrapnell of the chocolate topping. A bit cheap and nasty, the strawberry is good, but that's about it. It is great to have something mid-flight that seems just right for the time of day when you are over the Urals. Read more. Matilda Geroulis is a frequent traveler and co-writer for The Travel Sisters blog. Once I was through security, I was off to the first-class lounge, which turned out to be rather hard to find. Asiana Club miles are some of the most valuable yet hardest miles to earn. Asiana Lounge Pass . [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Food and Beverage" tpg-rating="21" tpg-rating-max="25" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" meals="2" champagne="Champagne Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs" dine-on-demand="yes" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-service="0" /]. There was a good variety of seating and plenty of drinks to choose from. Even though we landed in Los Angeles at 9:30am, I wasn't quite in the mood for breakfast, so about two hours before landing, I ordered a bowl of spicy ramen and a side of fruit. He went from studying abroad in Paris to moving to Shanghai after graduating college, where he covered all things travel in the Asia-Pacific region for TPG. Glad you asked. My Champagne was also refilled at this point, though the pour was 80% bubbles and the flight attendant disappeared without realizing it. You'll just want to bring your own entertainment options with you and your stretchy pants. The bathrooms were on the left, and a number of rooms with day beds were on the right. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Even the amenity kit itself was L'Occitane-branded. The alternate western meal will then likely be fish. One-way tickets would cost 90,000 Avianca LifeMiles, 105,00 Aeroplan miles or 120,000 United MileagePlus miles. Yum! Korean Air . If you're considering flying to or through South Korea, here's our analysis of Asiana versus Korean Air. . The countrys flag carrier has partnered with consult Chef Peter Gordon for its Business Premier class. I wished it had been a little warmer, but I guess that's what happens when you're flying the biggest commercial plane in the sky with a cabin that's 75% full. Flying like this is always an enjoyable and relaxing experience, and now I can finally say I've spent more than half of a day on a plane. Learn more: Don't just redeem miles redeem them wisely. Viaigrette dressing, hot roll and butter. It's a lifesaver. Just follow the instructions on the tray. She was presented with an extensive menu and encouraged to order everything and anything she wanted. But that shouldn't be the case the airline has an excellent loyalty program with industry-leading redemption rates. Asiana had separate lines set up for first-, business- and economy-class passengers, with three jetways hooked up to the A380. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. This is a great starter, full of flavour with a lovely crisp salad. The lime really brings out the flavour of the rocket in the salad, the melon goes with it perfectly. In the competition of Asiana versus Korean Air, there isn't a clear winner. The menu available will depend on the route and duration of your flight, but also on the class you are flying in. Mine is a little nerdier: Since my first flight on an A380, my goal has been to fly first class on every carrier that operates the whale jet. Something other than beef on an Asiana flight! Special Asiana pepper sauce. It's a French brand, which threw me off a bit, as I was expecting a Korean brand to supply the amenities, but I wasn't complaining. Daniel Gillaspia is a lawyer and the founder of UponArriving.com who flew BAs first class on the Boeing 747 from London Heathrow to Houstons George Bush Airport. The classic Western dish on Asiana. J A B. However Korea, per population, imports more beef than anywhere else on the planet, with a diet raised on the stuff. Asiana airlines inflight meals vary depending on your flight time and your class of travel. . The airline, which is based in Seoul, flies to destinations within Korea and across Asia, as well as Oceania, Europe and North America. There was a small storage compartment to the right of the seat, which was also where the headphone jack and USB port were. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. If you're heading for a "bit of a session" with the onboard bar, it's good to see that Asiana can offer the usual additions that you'd expect after a few nights on the beers too. Asiana airlines inflight meals vary depending on your flight time and your class of travel. Their menus typically feature a full Western and Korean option, which is a great way to try some regional cuisine. Turkish Airlines provides passengers with a taste of Turkey thatll get fliers excited about the country before landing. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Service" tpg-rating="22" tpg-rating-max="25" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="Yes" turndown-service="Yes" /]. In business class, although there are two main meals on longhaul flights, you can also ask for a snack at any time or even a heavy snack (such as the hot ramen). Free bowl valid 4/24/2023-7/31/2023. Plus, you can get a 5,000-mile bonus for transferring at least 60,000 Bonvoy points. Flying on Asiana Airlines from Bangkok to Honolulu!Watch the full Korean food tour layover here: https://youtu.be/oaJoZDJMQyUSubscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxkF42nqXoZ0sZP-GqU-CwwT-shirts: https://migrationology.com/store/December 2017Normally when my wife and I fly from Bangkok to visit family in the US, we have taken Korean Air. And then to add insult to injury, Asiana add the fish oil. They were soft and comfortable without being too hot, and I see myself rewearing the quarter-zip top again. Main courses include an Iranian mix grill of lamb chops, kofta and chicken tikka with broad bean saffron rice or stuffed spinach crpes with mushroom, cheese, and tomato sauce. As a member of Star Alliance, ANA enjoys nearly two dozen airline partners with whom passengers can earn and redeem miles for . This was our first intro to Korean food before arriving to Korea and my boyfriend and I opted for both Western and Traditional Korean meals to try both offerings! To save you time, you'll find the business- and first-class lounges near Gate 11. Mixed Garden Salad. As far as amenities, I was really happy with my L'Occitane products and fluffy slippers. Nearing time to sleep after meal service, I reclined the seat a slow process to its lie-flat position. Check here before booking an award fare. Korean Air provides free standard seat selection for almost all economy passengers. Add come bean curd, and squirt on the fish sauce. SEA to ICN 03 Dec 2019 J A B Rated: 9. Put a cabbage leaf on your hand. The lounge was split up into two pretty much identical sections, with windows that overlooked the runway: prime spot for plane spotting or catching up on work. The amenity kit was well-stocked, and the food was mostly amazing. The hardest miles to earn and why theyre worth trying to get. There were maybe 10 people in the lounge the entire time I was there, so I pretty much had my pick of seating types. In first class on a Lufthansa flight, food is served on fine china, there's high-quality cutlery and drinks are poured from glass carafes. To search for information about a particular airline's offerings, either scroll through the following list or use the search function below. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. This would have been a perfect business-class lounge, but when you're traveling in first class you expect either unique amenities (like boarding directly from the lounge in Dubai or a tarmac transfer in Frankfurt) or top-notch service. Amenity Kits. Dishes include fettuccine, shitake mushrooms, white wine, garlic, chargrilled fennel, and white truffle oil and small roasted pumpkin, Thai red vegetable curry in light coconut milk and Thai sweet basil. Vegitables and Steamed rice. So, we decided to not even touch the stashes of Amex and Chase points and used 75,000 LifeMiles and paid $39 with The Platinum Card from American Express in cash to purchase the transpacific flight. Share this: Facebook Google+ Twitter Email URL. Employees of Asiana Airlines and Kumho Asiana Group plan to stage rallies to protest alleged corruption and abuse of power by Chairman Park Sam-koo in the wake of the carrier's no in-flight meals . Learn more: Reasons you should be using airport lounges. 763 airlines 52363 pictures Last Update: April 29, 2023 < BACK TO HOMEPAGE. Great if you like seafood - other wise, it's to be avoided. The catering team behind the airline brings fliers downright delicious tastes from Gangnams piping-hot popular food courts and Seouls barbecue joints. At this point, I was incredibly full, and the dessert of bread pudding and vanilla ice cream didn't sound all that appetizing, so I decided to close my eyes and try and get some sleep. This was by far the nicest amenity kit I'd ever received, both in terms of the bag itself and the quality and diversity of products. Asiana is a South Korean carrier in the Star Alliance. You can fly anywhere in North America in economy for 25,000 miles round-trip, to Europe in business class for 80,000 miles round-trip or to Africa or the Middle East in business class for 120,000 miles round-trip. Asiana First Class Lounge - Hot Meal Selection Asiana First Class Lounge - Hot Meal Selection Asiana First Class Lounge - Salads Business class on Asiana's A380 was arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration so if you're traveling with someone, you'll want to snag those two seats in the middle. 10 of 15 JetBlue Mixed salad. Beer from OB, Cass, Kloud, Max, Heineken, Becks and Budweiser. Asiana Airlines no longer offers credit cards to U.S.-based credit cardholders. In addition to standard perks like priority check-in and lounge access, Korean Air business class passengers can enjoy an onboard lounge on the Airbus A380 and take a shower upon arrival in Seoul. After that, I was served a beautifully presented caviar course, along with a single rose placed across my table. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. As one of two major airlines in South Korea, Asiana Airlines (IATA: OZ; ICAO: AAR) operates flights to four continents. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 8:30am, but at 6:30am the check-in lines still weren't open. There will be options of Western or Korean options including a Canape, Appetiser, Soup and a choice of three main meal options, followed by cheese and a selection of two dessert options. You would expect that Frances flag carrier would offer cuisine to match the countrys reputation for gourmet offerings. Asiana uses a proper porcelain spoon for the caviar, and it was served with all the usual accoutrements of chives, chopped onion, chopped egg white and egg yolk and sour cream. This tastes as bad as it looks: one of the truly memorable dreadful airline meals. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Passengers in more expensive fare classes even get free extra legroom and preferred seat selection. Dont forget to pack some snacks! Roll up the cabbage leaf, and eat it like a kebab. You can read the Inflight Feed business class meal review right here. Nothing overly fancy, but hey we even got silverware! Australias flag carrier has partnered with Chef Neil Perry and his Rockpool Dining Group to create menus in its premium cabin. One feature I really liked was the handheld tablet, which could be used to control the seat. Anytime food options include a Japanese seafood curry with rice, udon noodle soup with seaweed, octopus fritter balls, spaghetti carbonara with bacon and smoked cheese and tomato omelet. Megan Lee joined the travel rewards team at NerdWallet with over 12 years of SEO, writing and content development experience, primarily in international education and nonprofit work. I had a glass of the Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs, which retails for about $130 a bottle. Shortly after takeoff, I was offered pajamas. Her best meal was lunch aboard a Suites Class flight from Singapore to Shanghai. While Asiana offers a caviar course on the Western menu, the Korean menu notes that they'll be happy to serve caviar upon request. Typically, your best bet for finding award tickets on Star Alliance carriers is to search for it through either United or Aeroplan. However, and I'll keep using Korean Air as an example, it felt like the emphasis was on form and not on warmth and personality. Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card. One of South Koreas two major airlines, Asiana Airlines capitalizes on the countrys foodie-mecca status. I also swapped out the pine-nut porridge for a salad. Food I was honestly expecting peanuts and maybe water for these flights since they were only five and a half and four hours respectively. Like Asiana, Korean Air offers economy passengers two checked bags each of up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds). This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. After working as a tax accountant for a decade, JT turned his analytical skills to points, miles and credit cards. One-way tickets would cost 90,000 Avianca LifeMiles, 105,00 Aeroplan miles or 120,000 United MileagePlus miles. A pretty good cheeseplate with an excelent blue cheese. I had to stop and ask at the information desk after walking halfway down the terminal in the wrong direction. Varied dining service In addition to healthy Ssambap, we serve a variety of unique in-flight meals including Japanese and Western cuisine, Korean Air is increasing award redemption rates as of April 1, 2023. The headphones also weren't the comfiest. There were two bathrooms in first class, one larger one on the right side of the cabin and a smaller one up the stairs near the cockpit. Menus were distributed and meal orders taken about 30 minutes after takeoff. Check here before booking an award fare. Service was perfectly fine, but I was never offered anything to drink and with the automatic entry gates, the lounge felt like a self-service concept. JFK to ICN 20 Apr 2018 Mirek Rated: 10. . Our partners compensate us. Disclaimer: NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. Founded in 1988, Seoul-based Asiana Airlines operates flights to 74 cities across 22 countries. And these two airlines might soon become one. Alas the swordfish is a nightmare of rank, old, fish. A typical meal starts with Roasted salmon with sumac, quinoa salad with tahini yogurt dressing, followed by Lamb shank with golden kumara mash, green beans, spinach and pea medley with mint apple jelly and ending with White chocolate and rosewater pannacotta with pistachio cream. Equally, flying from Europe you'll get dinner on the night flight out, and then as you wake up two hours before Seoul, you'll get dinner again, even though it feels like breakfast time. Espresso, cappuccino and cafe latte are offered on aircraft equipped with espresso machines. The dish was served cold, and while the shrimp was delicious, the scallops were a bit tough. If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion directly. The service was good, though it didn't have that extra something that sets first class apart. Showing Aisana's love of seafood, you get these weird creations which are at best lukewarm, and which are pretty tough. Crackers. Just to clarify, I do not come to the lounge for food . Before your trip, make sure you know these little etiquette rules for flying. The food is suitably swanky too, with a caviar service . - Seat assignment, check-in, view boarding pass. And then there is the choice on board. In business the starters and canapes also are typically fish, so if you are among the small but growing minority that don't eat fish, you'll either starve or long for yet another steak. The food is high quality with meals recognized by the International Travel Catering Association. One thing that stood out to me was that at the end of the flight, the purser and flight attendants did not come by to thank me for flying with Asiana. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. The island carrier partnered with "Top Chef "cheftestant Sheldon Simeon to create meals in its first class cabin on flights from Hawaii to the mainland as part of its rotating Featured Chef Series. An extra checked bag costs $200 and overweight bags cost $100 each. Asiana Airlines and Korean Air are the two largest international airlines based in South Korea. The footwell and ottoman provided even more storage space, but since I used the bin for most of my belongings, I only used it for my shoes. Passengers on flights from Seoul and Busan can also order a special celebratory cake. Megan has built and directed remote content teams and editorial strategies for websites like GoAbroad and Go Overseas. Economy passengers will be delighted that their cuisine isnt a mere afterthought to their higher-flying counterparts. When this comes around you are asked to select some carrot and cellary sticks from a cup. This is a very small gesture, but every other time I've flown in first class (and even many times in business class), the flight attendants have made a point of thanking me for flying with them and asking how I enjoyed the flight. Business class to Europe from 40,000 miles each way. My first impression of the cabin was how tall the seats were, providing a good amount of privacy with the doors closed. Viaigrette dressing, and a mini bottle of oil. In premium cabins on U.S. domestic flights, Barsotti offers dishes including Lasagna with Sweet & Hot Pepper Crema and Grilled Chicken with Haricot Vert and Olives. In fact, the airline is known for providing nourishing snacks and meals, including crispy croissants, juicy fruits, rich soups and even Bavarian beers. first class going out of style for airlines around the world, it would stop selling first class for flights after Aug. 31, The ultimate guide to earning and redeeming Asiana Club miles, the bibimbap I had on Korean Air a few months ago, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.