Flight: Korean Air KE 12 from Los Angeles to Seoul
Duration: 13 hours
Equipment: B773(Boeing 777-300)
Class: Business
Seat: 10J(Window)
Seat Specification: Seat pitch: 75″, Seat width: 20.6″
Korean Air operates a multitude of aircraft between its Incheon hub and various US destinations ranging from Airbus 380-800 to Boeing 777-300 to Boeing 747. I had tried the A380-800 with 2x3x2 and lie-flat seats (marketed as lie-flat but actually more like angled-flat) on Seoul – Los Angeles route in 2020 just before pandemic took over. This segment was supposed to be on an A380 when it was booked but there was an equipment change and ended up being on a Boeing 777-300. The business class configuration on this aircraft was a 2 x 2 x 2 with true lie-flat seats. The best thing about this business class was that each seat had a direct aisle access even on 2 x 2 x 2 configuration because the seats were staggered and there was a gap between seats giving window seats access to the aisle.
The seats are incredibly private due to their staggered layout as well as the divider that can be raised in between the seats. I found these window seats to be more private than the 1 x 2 x 1 business class seats I have flown over the years with the exception of actual suites of course (Such as the Qatar Qsuites).
Even though this is a late night flight, they serve full dinner service. I had never tried the Korean Bibimbap before so decided why not? I was not a fan and probably will select alternate options from now on.
After dinner I converted the seat to bed. The bed is sufficiently long and quite wide with adequate mattress support for a great night sleep. I slept probably a full 7 hours during the flight.
The crew woke us up about 2 hours before landing and served breakfast.
Bottomline:
Seat: *****
Service: ***
Food: **
The 2x2x2 cabin was very private (due to staggered layout of seats along with the dividers). In fact, these are one of my most favorite seats (in a non-suite business class cabin), even more private than most 1 x 2 x 1 business configurations of other carriers. The seat cushion was ideal for sleeping. All along, my top 5 Business Class seats I have ever flown.
Service was prompt and courteous. I have flown Korean Air before and never been impressed with their catering. This was no different.
Overall, I would not hesitate to fly this product on long-haul flights although Korean Air is notorious for frequent equipment changes. There is always the fear of ending up on an aircraft with a sub-par product.