My travel companion already wrote an excellent article that described our flight from Manila to Seoul on Asiana in Business Class. Although he did a wonderful job, it was his first flight in Business class and definitely looked at things differently than a more seasoned flyer would, therefore I quickly wanted to give a quick recap and review of Asiana Airline.
Asiana Business Class Hard Product
Seat: The Business Class Seat on the 767 is an angle flat fixed shell seat. The seat has a 58-62″ pitch, is 20″ wide and reclines to 167 degrees. Although sleeping at an angle is not comfortable in my book and I have no clue what the airlines were thinking when they installed angle flat seats in just about every airplane flying long distances, the seat is decent for only a 3-hour flight. Despite this, I tried to find airlines with true lay flat seats when traveling on long-haul routes. Anyway, with plenty of reclining options, one should be able to find a comfortable position to relax or sleep in. The seat is also a fixed shell, so the person in front does not recline into the passenger’s space behind them. In addition, the seats have massage functions, which is always a plus!
IFE: The inflight entertainment system on Asiana is similar to other major airlines with a number of movies, games, tv shows and music to keep guests entertained for hours. Although the TV in business class is decent size (15 inches), the options of entertainment are lacking compared to other airlines. Asiana could simply improve this by offering more movies and television programs options.
Asiana Business Class Soft Product
Food: Our flight took off at 1210 am. Being a late night flight, most airlines would disregard any type of meal service; Asiana goes above and beyond and offers a full meal in business class. Dinner included a four-course meal with an appetizer, a main course, with two different options; cheese & fruit plate, and a dessert. Both main courses were fairly bland, but otherwise everything else was superb.
Beverage: Beverage options were absolutely amazing for such a short flight! I tend not to separate this section from the food section, however Asiana offers dinner wine, dessert wine and Port selection were stellar, and their spirits were nicer than most airlines! For example, in Business class they offered a number of whiskies which even included Chivas Regal 18 years, whereas (from my experience) most airlines who offer Chivas Regal only offers 12 years instead of 18 years in Biz class. In addition, a quick Google search told me that the wines & ports being offered on Asiana were $15-$50 bottles; honestly not bad Asiana!
Service: Service on Asiana was above and beyond and by far the best service I’ve ever received in the air! The flight attendants were top notch from boarding to disembarking! Not once was a drink glass ever empty in Business class. The FAs were always watching and had another drink ready before one had time to take the last sip from their glasses; whether it was water, juice, wine, or whiskey, as I looked around the small business class cabin, I noticed that the FAs never allowed a glass to be empty. The FAs were extremely good at reading passengers and attended to everyone’s needs. When I prepped myself to nap, the FA quickly brought me earplugs and an eye mask without having to ask! Again, this level of service is rare and Asiana wins in my book!
Amenities: Not a lot of amenities on this flight, or so it seemed at first. No PJs, no amenity kits, there was nothing more than a pillow and a blanket on each seat, unless you went looking for it. Bathrooms were stocked with toothbrushes, shavers, mouthwash, hand lotion, and face mist and FAs brought around good eye masks & earplugs for those sleeping. Honestly, I’d say the amenities were good for just a 3 hour flight, but you have to go looking for them.
Again, I would like to thank my travel companion for writing his review; he did an excellent job! Asiana Airlines is a rising star from South Korea and to date is probably the best airline I’ve flown thus far! If flying intra-Asia or beyond, I would highly advise you to consider this Star Alliance Carrier!
