There are two international departure terminals at Seoul Incheon Airport. There’s the main terminal and the satellite concourse. If you’re flying anyone other than Asiana or Korean Airlines, you’ll most likely be departing from the satellite concourse. From the main terminal, you need to take a train to the satellite concourse. It’s about a two-minute train ride and the train leaves every five minutes (ish).
In the satellite terminal, there is a Korean Airlines Lounge (simply called the KAL Lounge) for their partner airlines’ premium cabin passengers. It’s a mixed lounge for both first and business class passengers on SkyTeam operated flights, SkyTeam Elite Plus members and Priority Pass cardholders. The KAL Lounge is located on the second floor near gate 17 and it is open from 6:30 AM to 11:50 PM daily.
On this trip, I was connecting from a Korean Airlines long-haul flight from Los Angeles to a Vietnam Airlines flight to Hanoi (both legs in business class). If you’re connecting from a Korean Airlines flight, I recommend using the Korean Airlines Prestige Business Class Lounge in the main terminal before making your way over to the satellite concourse. From the First or Prestige Class Lounges, it’s about a 20-minute trek to the satellite concourse.
The main seating area of the lounge is one big open room. Unlike the main terminal lounge, this one is not as big nor does it offer as many amenities. However, it looks like it has been recently renovated and is beautiful inside. The décor is bright, modern and is a stark contrast from the drab main terminal lounge. This lounge may not have an open-air ceiling but it’s still very airy from the large wall of windows. For storage, there’s an open luggage storage room located at the front by the reception desk but it’s not secured. Most people just had their bags with them at their seats.
There is a bank of windows along the south wall that offers views of the ramp and runway below. The main sitting area has a decent selection of low armchairs, tables and little nooks for passengers to rest, eat and relax before their flight.
There’s also a smoking room, two shower suites and a small TV viewing area. There are no day rooms or any dedicated places for you to lie down and rest. Just like the main terminal lounge, it’s sitting room only at this lounge.
Surprisingly, there was a better morning breakfast spread here than in the main terminal lounge. There was a selection of hot and cold dishes such as salads, scrambled eggs, sausages and congee. Alcohol-wise, there’s was only a small alcohol station with a couple spirits, bottles of wine and beer.
Overall, this is a decent lounge to kill a couple of hours before your flight but it’s not anything special. As a business (or first) class lounge, it’s kind of a disappointment but as a Priority Pass contract lounge, it’s not bad. The breakfast spread was pretty tasty and there was a good variety of western and Korean dishes. The lounge is small and at the time of my visit, (9:00 AM), it was fairly crowded. With only two shower suites, expect a long wait for a shower if you’re connecting from another flight. The low armchairs were aesthetically pleasing but some recliners or sofas to lie down and relax would have been appreciated.
This review is part of my trip to Vietnam for the Vietnam Airlines A350 inaugural flight from Hanoi to Paris. The other reviews in this series include:
- I’m booked on the Vietnam Airlines A350!
- Don’t be like me and screw up an award booking
- Korean Airlines SkyTeam Lounge at LAX
- Korean Airlines A380 business class from Los Angeles to Seoul
- Korean Airlines Prestige (business class) Lounge at Seoul
- KAL Lounge at Seoul Satellite Concourse
- Vietnam Airlines A330 business class Seoul to Hanoi
- Hilton Hanoi Opera
- Vietnam Airlines Lotus Lounge at Hanoi
- Vietnam Airlines A350 business class Hanoi to Paris
