Korean Air First Class vs. Prestige Class – KE907 and KE908 Incheon–London B777-300ER Booking, Seat Recommendations, First Lounge, and SkyTeam Mileage Flight Review

Hello.

I am Director Baek, a dentist who dreams of becoming an implant specialist and a gourmet.

I recently had the opportunity to enjoy a very comfortable and pleasant round-trip flight between Incheon and London.

A while ago, I traveled to Hawaii for my honeymoon in Korean Air Prestige Class.

I was incredibly happy even then... (There really is nothing like a first experience!)

But the First Class experience I had this time was on another level altogether. (Which is only natural, of course!)

The outbound flight from Incheon to London was KE907 (B777-300ER) in First Class, while the return flight was KE908 (B777-300ER) in Prestige Class.

So, after quite a while, I am writing a comparison of Korean Air First Class and Business Class seats!

Korean Air First Class and Prestige Class Booking and Seat Recommendations

My wife and I have both accumulated some recent Korean Air flight activity, so we maintain Morning Calm status.

Of course, we are not Morning Calm Premium members (!?). Anyway, according to Naver Blog reviews, First Class tickets are said to require booking the moment they become available 363 days in advance. I happened to place myself on the waitlist and was eventually issued a ticket. (According to some blog posts, quite a few seats happened to be released around this time.)

So I do not really know what specific tips to offer ^^;; However, based on my experience, both paid upgrade tickets and mileage award tickets seem to offer advantages to Morning Calm members.

As you can see, First Class passengers departing from Incheon can check three pieces of baggage. Prestige Class passengers can check two pieces, each weighing up to 32 kg (!). I have never actually brought luggage weighing around 30 kg, though...

As luck would have it, my wife and I both managed to receive mileage award tickets at the same time.

We traveled during the off-season, flying First Class outbound and Prestige Class on the return, so the total mileage deduction was 285,000 miles.

At the regular price, the tickets alone would cost more than 20 million won, which works out to an efficiency of about 70 won per Korean Air mile (!?)...!

I really like Korean Air miles. If you look at the “Director Baek’s Introduction to Credit Card Studies” section of my blog, I regularly post tips on how to accumulate Korean Air miles efficiently!

Since this was naturally my first time flying First Class, I chose the wrong seats and, after asking for their understanding, switched seats with another passenger.

I was surprised when I first saw it, too, but the First Class cabin has no rows B, C, F, G, H, or I!!!! Each seat has its own advantages.

The window seats in the first row, 1A and 1J, offer slightly more space in front. However, there are only three windows, so they feel a little less open.

The window seats in the second row, 2A and 2J, have four windows and are said to feel more open. (Perhaps that is why they get reserved first.)

If you are traveling as a couple, you should naturally reserve seats 1D and 1E or 2D and 2E together. Why?

When you lower the opaque divider (!?), the two spaces connect and become a private room for two. It is incredibly luxurious....

In Prestige Class, as you can see, we were assigned seats 8H and 8J. That was a mistake.

In Prestige Class, the very first row does not offer as much of an advantage as it does in Economy Class, because the cabin sections are fixed.

If you look closely, the seats are arranged in a staggered pattern, right? If you are close with your traveling companion, the two seats next to each other in the middle may be better. haha

Boeing 777-300ER

Cosmo Suites 2.0 vs. Prestige Suites

This seems to be the highest-end seat currently available on Korean Air aircraft. I am no expert, but I have heard that it is worlds apart from the Cosmo Suites 1.0. haha. Still, the seat did feel a little worn.

If you follow the link, it explains the many advantages in detail.

Being able to lie down at a 180-degree angle during a flight of more than 10 hours does a great deal to ensure the quality of your trip. More than that, it makes you feel as though the flight itself can become part of the journey. (I have even seen people say they did not want to get off.)

There is a large 24-inch monitor, and the seat bed is 203 cm long. (It was much longer than I needed.)

Most notably, the seat is quite wide, listed at 61–81 cm.

The Prestige Class seat is called the Prestige Suite. Of course, it is also extremely impressive.

You can also recline it completely flat and sleep during the flight. The bed is a little shorter at 185 cm, but it is still spacious.

However, I felt that the biggest difference was the seat width. First Class seats are relatively about 20–60% wider, after all. That makes them extremely comfortable.

Oh, and the monitor is also a little smaller, at 18 inches~

Korean Air First Class

From Check-in to the First Class Lounge

Both Prestige Class and First Class passengers check in in a hidden area in Zone A of Terminal 2 at Incheon Airport.

Actually, I had already been there during our 2023 honeymoon when we flew Prestige Class...

If you enter this way and go left, the shared check-in area is for Prestige Class passengers... First Class passengers walk all the way to the end of this space and enter through the door they find there!

When you open the brown door marked “First Class,” you find a spacious lounge with no one else inside.

This is only for “check-in.” The First Class Lounge itself is located after security, in the departures area.

Anyway, when you arrive with your suitcase and sit down, a staff member takes your suitcase and passport, completes check-in, and returns after checking your baggage. I just sit there and chat.....

Naturally, you must be taking a flight departing from Incheon to enjoy this check-in service and the First Class Lounge. I believe this service is probably not available when departing from London..

After being directed to the First Class Lounge, head over there; it is across from Gate 248.

It is probably just before the Starbucks in Terminal 2! It is before the L Lounge~!!

Take the escalator upstairs, and you will meet the staff.

We were actually late.. It was a morning flight, but rather than being late exactly, the departure procedures simply took far too long!!!!!

So I did not get to try the First Lounge meal, which is said to be delicious... But once you board the plane, they give you so much delicious food that you really do not need to worry ^^

The chairs are made by Ceragem. I assume they have a massage function!? The ones by the window are recliners.

These days, many credit cards offer free airport lounge access, so most lounges are extremely crowded.

Naturally, this lounge is the very definition of spacious and uncrowded. Somehow, we got to enjoy this kind of luxury..

There are simple bakery items and fruit. The surprising thing is that they even have strawberries, which are so expensive these days!..... We did not have much time, so the story goes that I ate a lot of strawberries before leaving.. haha. There is also a fairly wide variety of drinks.

If I had had more time, I would have tried a glass of each of these drinks....

I just quickly had one glass of the Portuguese port wine I like. It was DOW’S 2017. I had not had it in a long time, and it was delicious, so the story goes that I bought a bottle at the airport in Iceland on the way back ^^

Anyway, this is Korean Air’s First Class Lounge, complete with a palace-like restroom.

There are plenty of lockers and even a shower room. Since no one was there, it felt like we had unlimited access. haha

The things I showed you earlier are important too, but honestly, one of the main reasons I wanted to visit the Korean Air First Class Lounge was this! The name tag. haha

When you visit, they laser-engrave your name and phone number on the spot and give it to you. I heard that they used to be square and gold, but the round silver name tag is nice too. haha. A souvenir~~!!

Let us take a look at First Class on Korean Air!

Incheon–London KE907 B777-300ER

If you have flown Prestige Class, you may not feel as big a difference as expected when you first see the seat. That was how I felt...

Either way, your feet do not touch the front even when you stretch your legs, and the spacious cabin with relatively few people feels similar...

However, I felt there was quite a significant difference on the Prestige Class flight home.

First of all, the extra width from side to side is a huge advantage. Also, in First Class, when it is time to sleep, they install a mattress and make the seat into a bed so that you can rest more comfortably. The seat also has a greater variety of movements. (If we compare it to a car, it is like the difference between 2-way, 4-way, and 14-way seats!?)

In the photo on the right, you can understand what I mean when I say that lowering the divider turns the space into a private room if you are traveling with someone you know.

The headset waiting for you as soon as you sit down is a Bowers & Wilkins. And it is even a wireless Bluetooth headset..

However, the seat itself does not support Bluetooth. haha. You still have to connect it with a cable to watch anything. It was a truly extraordinary experience. These are the speakers installed only in high-spec BMW models..

They provide amenities like these.

They look similar to the ones in Prestige Class, but I was impressed that the toothpaste was from Colgate. Is that just my professional bias? hahaha. There is also an eye mask, which I will never need. haha. This bag looks useful as a casual cosmetics pouch. haha

The controller is presented with a rather imposing look.

They say the monitor is 24 inches, and it really does feel quite large. The monitor in our dental clinic is also 24 inches... but somehow this one looks exceptionally impressive.

Korean Air First Class

Fine Dining with Caviar

Naturally, what you eat is the main point, right? We had already confirmed that the facilities were truly top-notch....

They even serve a full Korean meal. It really is fine dining.......

They provide a menu in the same format as the meal-information menu in Prestige Class.

The notable feature is the caviar service.. It is not something I usually get to eat...

The dining table they set up is this spacious. It seems to be more than twice the size of the one in Prestige Class.

This is why seat width seems so important. Even looking at it again, it is genuinely huge.....

Roasted cherry tomatoes with white wine and apple pommes

The name is quite long too. The item on the left is an apple chip, while the red one is a tomato and the yellow one is an apple.

I cannot believe I am enjoying such luxury in the middle of a flight...

The apple chip had such a refined, elegant sweetness. :)

Caviar service

They said it was a caviar service... but then an entire table setting appeared..

They also gave us a whole tin of Italian caviar, and there was quite a lot of it.

We kept scooping it out, but more and more seemed to appear... I am no expert, but it seemed to be worth at least tens of thousands of won.

Although it may not look like much, there are onion, egg white, egg yolk, and scallions. Mix them well with the sauce underneath, place them on the crepe beside them, and eat them with the caviar.

It made me feel like a noble. Refined, refreshing flavors. I can still feel them on the tip of my tongue.

Red bell pepper purée soup

Because of the unusual combination, I felt as if it tasted like pizza while I was eating it.

Perhaps the nuttiness combined with the bell pepper flavor..? It was just so-so~!

Salad

The salad portion is substantial too!

It was surprisingly fresh, and the greens were sweet.

It was the first time I had ever felt that greens tasted sweet. Perhaps because they were young vegetables.

After eating a lemon sorbet to refresh the palate,

Chinese-style lobster with chili sauce

Now the main course appears.

The lobster was carefully shelled, fried, and coated with chili sauce.

It also came with fried rice and roasted vegetables.

To be honest, the taste was only okay... but even looking at it again, the presentation is truly luxurious. haha

Oh, and the dishes underneath are also Wedgwood. I was curious, so I checked. Ahaha

It is a high-end English tableware brand.

Fresh seasonal fruit

Whether in Prestige Class or First Class, they serve generous portions of delicious fruit.

A generous serving of long melon, mango, and watermelon~

Dessert – Ice cream

Finally, the iced Americano I requested came with Leonidas chocolates and nuts.

You can try Leonidas chocolates at the Myeongdong location. They are luxury Belgian chocolates. :)

They probably would have given me more if I had asked, but I was completely full. ㅠㅠ

Korean Air First Class

Snacks: Jjamppong and Instant Noodles

Jjamppong

I have seen posts saying that flights departing from Incheon serve jjajangmyeon, but when we flew, jjamppong was available to order.

After flying for more than 10 hours (actually, about 14 hours), you naturally get hungry~ It is fun to order snacks like this (!?).

It would be a lie to say the jjamppong was unbelievably delicious, but it was certainly tasty enough. Since there was not much broth, it had a slightly stir-fried jjamppong feel too.. haha

Instant noodles

Personally, I found these noodles topped with boiled pork even tastier.

The spicy flavor of the springy noodles, prepared in a style reminiscent of Hangang Park, was memorable.

When it comes to the taste of instant noodles, I think who prepares them is more important than whether you are in Prestige Class or First Class.

The two of us agreed that the noodles we had on our honeymoon in Hawaii were overwhelmingly better. haha

Fresh oven-baked cookies and beef jerky

I did not find the cookies particularly tasty. They had too much of an egg flavor, so they were rich but bland...

My wife ate all the beef jerky because she liked it. You can order as much beer and as many snacks as you like, so enjoy generously!! Flying is genuinely fun...

Korean Air First Class

Second Meal: Abalone Rice and Grilled Short Ribs

Salad

As you know, the second meal is a little simpler than the first.

The salad was similar to the one served with the first meal.

Abalone rice and grilled short ribs

Because the table is so large, this may look a little modest, but it is not.

Compared with the Korean Air Prestige Class meal I will show you shortly, this was a complete royal feast.!!!

Goodness, you can eat abalone rice with sliced boiled abalone on an airplane...

Season it with the soy sauce on the side and mix it with the rice. It is delicious.!!!

The item on the right is grilled short ribs. They may not look like much, but they tasted quite good!!

I vaguely recall hearing that they were paired from the Grand Hyatt....... They were delicious. Korean food at its best!

The dried radish greens soup was naturally delicious, and the side dishes were also excellent.

I was full throughout the flight, yet felt nothing but happy—a very mysterious experience..

We finished the meal with some refreshing fruit again.

You usually arrive two or three hours after finishing the meal, right?

If you fly while relaxing in such a comfortable seat and enjoying a luxurious meal, you can start your trip as soon as you arrive that same day. That concludes the look at the First Class meals. Let me briefly show you the Prestige Class meals too!

Let us take a quick look at Korean Air Prestige Class~

Incheon–London KE907 B777-300ER

A brief seat overview!

As mentioned earlier, I think you can clearly understand that the seat is narrower.

Even so, the front-to-back distance is sufficient, so most Korean passengers should feel no discomfort at all when lying down.

The monitor is 18 inches, but it is a little closer, so it is not uncomfortable at all.

The headset is clearly a lower grade, so somehow the atmosphere feels less special..... (Even though this is also a Business Class seat worth around 7 million won..)

Prestige Class also has power outlets and USB ports, just like First Class. In particular, the USB port is hidden right next to the headphone jack, so look carefully for it and keep your phone from running out of battery!

The difference in headset quality is unmistakable. I miss it....

Korean Air Prestige Class

First Meal – Be Sure to Choose the Bibimbap!!

If you have a meal in Korean Air Prestige Class, you should choose Korean food without hesitation.

There is quite a noticeable difference in quality.. So I chose bibimbap for the first meal and Korean rice porridge for the second!

A full serving of delicious bibimbap arrived!

I definitely thought the Prestige Class dining table was spacious too.. But looking back, the First Class table was truly an enormous open field.....

They finely tear all the seasoned seaweed and sprinkle it over the bowl of rice...

Pour on plenty of gochujang and sesame oil.. Mix in a little dried pollock soup, and it is a masterpiece.

Korean Air is a bibimbap specialty restaurant. We all know this~ haha

Here is one tip: when they say they are serving bibimbap, order a bowl of instant noodles as well.

Then they bring the noodles when you are almost finished with the rice, and eating the remaining rice together with the noodles is unbelievably delicious....

Is there any Korean who does not like instant noodles? haha

Come to think of it, the Prestige Class noodles are topped with mushrooms, while the First Class noodles come with boiled pork. hahaha

That is a big difference~~ Jjajangmyeon and the “Parasite” version of jjajangmyeon are not the same, after all~ haha

Fresh seasonal fruit, ice cream, and assorted cheeses

Prestige Class also provides generous servings of fruit, including melon and pineapple. They even give you grapes.. It may be even more generous. haha

The crackers and cheese are delicious together. haha

I always finish with this Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream.

It is rich and delicious every time. :) haha

Korean Air Prestige Class

Second Meal – Choosing Korean Food

Korean rice porridge and side dishes

There was one reason I chose porridge for the second meal.

Since I would definitely be eating it right after waking up, I wanted something that would not feel uncomfortable on my stomach!

So I decided on porridge right away!

As always, you have to add all the toppings before eating.

The braised beef that comes with it is really, really delicious. It is a little gem...

The porridge is a little bland, but it seems to be the best choice if you want something easy on the stomach!

We finished with fresh seasonal fruit once again.

And with that, I will wrap up this Korean Air flight post, which marked the beginning and end of our trip!

What more explanation is needed? The Korean Air First Class experience to London was truly fantastic!!

The round-trip ticket costs a little over 12 million won. If I were as rich as Mansour, I would have simply paid cash for the ticket~~ But instead, I enjoyed this luxury with a mileage award ticket.

Personally, I do think this seat is worth being about 1.5 times more expensive than Prestige Class.

The funny thing is, when I first saw First Class, I thought it was just okay.. But after flying Prestige Class, I could really feel the difference..

However, the difference is naturally not as great as the difference between Prestige Class and Economy Class. haha

I put a fair amount of effort into this post for everyone who is diligently collecting Korean Air SkyTeam miles like I am!! I hope you enjoyed reading it. :)

Starting with my next post, I will begin a series exploring Marriott five-star hotels in London and Reykjavík. ^^

This has been a glimpse into the everyday life of Director Baek, the dentist!!