This airline is doomed to disappear and this A380 to the scrap heap: review of business class on Asiana's Korea-directed giant
When the possibility of flying aboard Asiana's A380 from Barcelona had popped up in March 2024, I had not [...]
Asiana Airlines
Star Alliance
ICN
South Korea
When in March 2024 the chance to fly aboard Asiana's A380 from Barcelona I hadn't thought twice about it. This company's A380s had not flown to Europe since the pre covid days, the fate of these machines seems as sealed as Korean's, and so I couldn't pass up this opportunity.
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- A380
- Class:
- Business
- Treat:
- BCN - ICN
- Price:
- 1.750€
- Book
Be careful if you want to get this off your chest too, you should know that Asiana has redone it. A380s will also return to Barcelona in 2025. A last minute opportunity since the merger between the two Korean carriers will be completed by summer 2025.
Reservation
A ticket paid cash, also taking advantage of the fact that Until the merger is operational, Korean is Skyteam while Asiana is Star Alliance. There were only 2 special flights of this A380 to Barcelona: September 14 and September 21. I have no idea if they were meant for a particular traffic peak (America's Cup?) or for some other celebration.
I however took the outbound from BCN to Incheon in business and the return in economy however on the A350 which is the plane that Asiana normally operates to this destination, as well as to Italy. The total price was 2280, the cost of this ticket was crica 2000€, however, I took advantage of a discount of 205€ thanks to the fact that I had signed up for Asiana's loyalty program, a discount that applies to the first ticket issued post registration. The nice thing is that I did not have to obligatorily accumulate on the Asiana card, but on my Krisflyer as always.
At the airport
I arrived in Barcelona in the day from Milan, with Air France via Paris. The reason for this choice is that with so many summer cancellations, I didn't feel like risking a direct flight with a low-cost carrier and preferred to play it safe and put a handful of Flying Blue in my pocket as well.
From Paris I landed around 2 p.m., wandered around T1, got to work in a runway view area, and then around 4 p.m. went to the lounge. The Joan Miro Is even better than Pau Casals. Barcelona has many and beautiful lounges, in this respect one of the best at the European level, indeed perhaps the best.
With 2 hours to spare, I headed for the gate. Admiring the advance on the runway of the king of the skies is always a beautiful sight, doing so in a different context than usual with a livery among the least popular of all Asian ones is even more beautiful. The sea of Catalonia provided the backdrop for this very special mooring, I believe that only Nice can compete in terms of scenery among the European airports that host the Airbus giant.
I also took the opportunity to have my boarding pass printed, an heirloom that as long as possible I will always try to take home with me.
Seeing the crew arrive en bloc (over 20 people) and observing the commander's brief was truly unusual, the only downside being the uniforms: the ugliest in all of Asia, they almost look like military.
Embarkation that opened slightly late and obviously saw me first to snap off midnight escape pattern.
On board
Asiana had first class aboard these A380s, but then downgraded it to business studio, something similar to what Oman Air recently did..
So we have 8 business suite seats on the main floor at the front of the cabin. Then on the upper floor two traditional business class cabins, all with 1-2-1 layouts and an economy cabin, set up with 2-3-2 in the final part of the upper floor.
Excellent that the tourist class layout is 2-4-2, it almost looks like an A330.
I had been assigned seat 17k, unfortunately there had been no chance to target a business studio seat so I opted for the main business class cabin.
In hindsight, I should have taken a seat in the first business cabin, which is smaller and closer to the social area of the plane.
As done by Qantas, Asiana has also set up a small lounge with a staircase view at the front of the A380. Basically where other carriers have two huge bathrooms for First passengers, Asiana has two smaller bathrooms and precisely the social area dedicated exclusively to business passengers.
Business passengers have access to both the two bathrooms at the front of the plane and at the rear at the end of the area dedicated to business class passengers. In the former case they are the classic bathrooms, while the two front ones are larger.
Nothing comparable to those who instead chose to have first class bathrooms (and showers) here in front of them.
The chair
As mentioned checkerboard layout where all passengers have direct access to the aisle.
In these configurations, one passenger is seated closer to the windows and one to the aisle. In the central places the situation is to have honeymoons alternating with more distant places. The only drawback is that there is no divider if you are traveling next to a stranger. This seat model is an evolution of Alitalia's Magnifica, updated by the fact that aboard an A380 you have much more space, especially on the upper floor.
With these configurations I always aim for the seat near the window and most isolated from the aisle. Obviously no door or the like, but I recall that the door in business class on the A380 does not eisist with any operator, at least to date.
The beauty of the upper deck (A380 or 747) is the extra space due to the wide fuselage. The solution to fill that space is standard: of storage structures for passengers to use in addition to the overhead compartments.
The set-up otherwise is very basic, the chair has no optional extras such as massage or choice of stiffness,Button pad in a comfortable position, and not too much at risk of being accidentally touched.
The coffee table is solid and quite large, and it is possible to get up even when it is set.
Legroom is not a lot, however, not having to lie prone is definitely more comfortable than the Singapore Airlines seat in bed mode.
IFE
These A380s are relatively young, but both the configuration and optional extras bear badly on the few years of service. Starting from the size to the resolution of the screen.
The user interface of the OZ:enter seems to come straight from the early 2000s, while at the content level the offering is "passable" although I remember it today to fly to Korea takes no less than 14 hours.
Quite questionable headphone quality, while the controller is state-of-the-art and allows for comfortable handling of the IFE.
An easy-to-reach power strip and a traditional USB socket complete the equipment.
Service
It was a mixed experience. The crew seemed like a small army on the move, the bell challenge was solved in 20 seconds, but what was lacking was pampering and small attention.
For example, no welcome drink as soon as you board, hot towel replaced by a bagged one that is very low-grade Chinese restaurant. No posttakeoff drinks or small appetizers.
Basically from the time I stepped on board to the time I was offered something to drink/eat was almost 100 minutes.
On the chair, bagged, the overnight kit, along with amenity kit and slippers. Amenity kit average, aesthetically so-so, content-wise it earns ample sufficiency Because I remember it there are much less generous companies.
Staff present and attentive. I never even had to think about asking for a drink, as soon as they saw the glasses drop below the guard level they would come and refill them.
Food & Beverage
The menu was distributed after takeoff, along with the wine list. Two options between Korean and Western. This time I opted for the non-ethnic offering, and overall I must say I was satisfied.
Of course it is not Emirates or Singapore, but I have eaten even worse. Precise mise en place, but again it is the details that are lacking. Cold bread (which in airplane means old) no butter, service partially by the cart and plate, but very slow.
On an overnight flight you want to waste less time on dinner to get to sleep as soon as possible, but a service done in this mode is definitely not fast.
The appetizer shrimp were okay, the filet as the main dish was overcooked, the cheeses were cheeses, and the apple pie was not the usual offering.
When we woke up, we had prosciutto and melon, ricotta-filled tortelloni, and fruit. Perhaps the most successful dish on the menu.
In conclusion
Would I do it again? At this price, definitely not. Would I recommend it? If you flew from Italy definitely yes, but at the right price. If you want to splurge, this A380 often flies from Seoul to Osaka, Tokyo and Taipei means between 70 and 100 minutes of actual flight time.
I definitely wanted to fly this machine because I want to have the largest number of A380 possible, considering precisely that TFC was born post covid and the YT channel in late 2022. Now in the crosshairs are: Korean, Etihad, ANA's turtles and Qantas. Let's see what I can book during 2025.
Pro
- THE A380
Against
- Dear
- Service
- IFE