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A review on my trip on board Asiana Airbus 321 in Business Class from ICN-PEK.
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Background:
This ICN-PEK is a continuation of my trip JFK-MAD-BCN-MAD-JFK-LAX-ICN! I put it as a form of summer escape... My first time on Asiana!
After having a great night of rest, I proceeded to check in for my early morning flight to Beijing. There were dedicated check in areas for business and first class passengers. The counters were quite busy during morning hours.
An agent quickly checked me in and issued me a boarding pass. She also informed me of the location of the Asiana business class lounge. All of this was done within minutes. Efficiency!
I did not imagine security at Incheon T1 to be this painful in the morning. But the long queue and the lack of priority lanes left me nearly no time for the lounge.
However I did make a quick stop at the Asiana Business lounge just for the sake of a peek into it (which was also accessible to Star Gold and Priority Pass holders traveling on Asiana economy as well), which was flooded with people. I left 5 minutes later - it was boarding time. I wouldn't have wanted to stay much longer anyways. So...
Boarding time! (anyone else bothered by the misspelled "Alliance"? haha)
Classic Incheon jet bridge. Only 1 jet bridge was connected this time however because of the fact that the flight was operated by a narrow body A321.
I discovered an old friend parking next to our A321. B-HLQ - our sweet ride to Cairns back in March.
An Asiana A350 bound for LAX was parked next to us.
2 FAs were at the door greeting passengers.
I was welcomed and directed to my seat 3A. Although the seats were old, they looked plush and comfortable to sit in on a short haul like this. (unlike the big 3).
Predeparture drink was then served. I was offered 3 options - orange juice, water or champagne. I chose OJ, which was served promptly.
A hot (not STEAMING... yes, looking at you CX) towel was brought to me as well.
Asiana offered slippers on such a short hop - how nice! Takes time getting used to this after flying in the US on American for too long haha.
Aircraft door closed soon - it was a very empty flight for J class - only 3/12 seats occupied. Nobody reclining into my space and no seat-mate - extra-nice!
There was a Small and outdated PTV - but sufficient for short hops for sure. Since it was such a short flight, I just kept it on map mode the whole flight.
Legroom was much better than US carriers. Seat itself was very comfortable too - very good padding. Kudos to Asiana!
The A350 was towed to another gate while we were pushing back.
B-HLQ also pushed back for its journey back to Hong Kong. See ya later!
Goodbye wave from the ground crew at Incheon - standard Asian airport protocols haha. But I have to say that this was a very nice touch.
Without any queue, we took off from the very foggy (smoggy) Incheon.
After takeoff, I reclined my seat and stayed in lounge position for the entire flight - it was notably comfortable. There was an extendable leg rest. Again, I have to emphasize that the seat itself was very well padded and plush. Very impressed.
Menu was then distributed for the short flight. Everything was extremely efficient on the flight - departure preparation, meal service etc., yet there showed no signs of rushed service.
My "Breakfast"- beef bulgogi with rice (how curious that they served bulgogi w/rice for breakfast haha!). It tasted great - I finished every single bit. This was the perfect proportion as well. Service was very attentive during meal service, I was given a lot of personal attention. Constant refills, bread etc.
We soon started our decent - it was a 1.5 hr flight after all.
Smoggy Beijing, as usual. But it felt good to be back after a year! (my mom didn't expect me to be anywhere near Beijing - she was in Beijing at that time!)
In general, everything was very efficient on the flight. Food quality, seat comfort were good for a short flight like this. What I loved about was the Asiana service - very attentive and lovely. Great short flight.
Overall- A
Seat- 9/10
Comfy seat for a short flight - good short haul seat with good legroom. Nothing special however.
IFE- 7/10
Outdated screen - did not use extensively, but the selection is normal at best.
Food- 8.5/10
Nice food out of incheon - one tray service however. For a short flight - can't blame them!
Service- 10/10
This is where Asiana shines. Absolutely perfect service - hospitality +professionalism
Timeliness- 10/10
Early arrival into PEK