Flight review: What it’s like flying with Korean Air from Auckland to Seoul

Spacious seating, tasty Korean cuisine, and smooth arrivals make KE412 a great choice for Kiwi travellers.

Stephanie Holmes flies from Auckland to Seoul on Korea’s national carrier.

AIRLINE: Korean Air KE412

FROM: Auckland International Airport

TO: Incheon International Airport, Seoul, Republic of Korea

VISAS AND REQUIREMENTS: Until December 31, NZ visitors don’t need to apply for a K-ETA (electronic travel authorisation) but need to fill out a simple arrival card. From January 1, apply for a K-ETA online (k-eta.go.kr). This must be done no later than 72 hours before arrival in Korea, costs KRW10,000 (about NZ$12), and is valid for two years.

DEPARTURE AIRPORT EXPERIENCE: Auckland International’s check-in area was incredibly quiet at 9.30am on a Tuesday, despite a full board of departing flights. The Korean Air counters were categorised by Economy, Bag Drop, Morning Calm (the airline’s frequent flier programme), and Skypass Elite (check). All were moving quickly and I was checked in within minutes.

I had Strata Lounge access, the premium lounge for airlines without their own dedicated lounge, as well as paying customers. There was plenty of space, and a range of freshly prepared food, barista coffee and self-service full bar. Free Wi-Fi meant I could finish off some work in comfort before boarding.

SEAT: 44J, an exit row seat by the starboard side emergency exit over the wing. It was a row of two, and seats were snug, with a fixed armrest between me and my neighbour. The good thing about this seat is its expansive legroom and no passenger in front. The drawbacks are that there’s no seat back pocket to store belongings and you can’t have your bags on the floor in front of you because the emergency exit must remain clear at all times.

Exit row seats on Korean Air offer excellent legroom but require passengers to store screens for takeoff and landing.

You also have to store your TV screen for take-off and landing. Keep a book near you or watch downloaded entertainment on your phone (tablets and laptops have to be stored for take-off and landing too).

The seat is next to the galley and toilets so there’s a lot of foot traffic, and the space in front was used as an exercise area by the flight’s mostly Korean passengers during the 11-hour flight. Their stretching routines were very impressive and made me feel slovenly as I sat in one position for the duration.

CREW: The immaculately presented Korean crew spoke good English and were patient and friendly.

FOOD AND DRINK: Dinner was served about an hour after take-off - a choice between Western, Chinese or Korean, with full bar service. I opted for the Korean meal - soybean soup, bibimbap, kimchi, fruit and a muffin. It was all delicious, but I was unimpressed by the amount of plastic packaging it was all served in.

Throughout the flight crew didn’t regularly walk the aisles offering drinks and snacks but there was self-service snacks available in the galley, and crew responded quickly to any drinks requests.

B787-9 Interior.

With five hours remaining, we were given a Traveller brand steak and cheese pie, rectangular and about 15cm long. It was piping hot and very tasty.

We then received dinner two hours before landing, which was welcome because by the time we landed and I got to my hotel, it was going to be past 10pm local time – the equivalent of 2am NZ time – and I would have been far too shattered to head out looking for food.

ENTERTAINMENT: The entertainment system was quite dated compared to other airlines, with basic functionality and graphics. There was a reasonable selection of new release movies and old-favourite English language movies and TV shows and, as you’d expect, there was an abundance of Korean entertainment, with English subtitles.

ARRIVAL AIRPORT EXPERIENCE: Another good thing about travelling on Korea’s national carrier was that most of the passengers got into the “Korean passport holder” security queue, while the “foreign passports” queue was virtually non-existent. I received the entry sticker in my passport within minutes, luggage arrived shortly afterwards, and I was quickly through to the arrivals hall to meet my pre-booked driver. Smooth airport experiences are so very welcome after long flights.

The airline’s menus cater to Western, Chinese, and Korean preferences for inflight meals.

THE BEST BIT: Could there be a more delightfully named loyalty programme than Morning Calm?

THE WORST BIT: The amount of plastic on meal trays.

FINAL VERDICT: Don’t automatically opt for Air NZ’s seasonal direct service – give Korean Air a go as you will be well looked after.

koreanair.com