Korean Air has decided to remove first class seating from some of its international routes, according to a local South Korean media report.

The Korea Herald reports that from the beginning of June, the airline will start removing the seats, leaving only economy and prestige (Korean Air’s name for its business class product) on 76 of its 111 international routes.

As of June 1, only 35 routes – some 30 percent of Korean Air’s international flights – will offer first-class seats, the newspaper adds.

For short-distance flights, Korean Air said it will offer first-class seats only on major routes such as those to Beijing, Osaka, Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta and Hanoi.

“We decided to apply two class seat options for flights to tourism destinations where there was low demand for first class. We will do our best to minimise the inconvenience of first-class passengers and maintain quality service for prestige-class passengers,” an unnamed Korean Air official told the newspaper.

In response to a request for comment from Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, a Korean Air spokesperson said that through the removal of first class seats from some aircraft, the airline expects to “achieve better operational efficiency, while improving inflight service for Prestige Class passengers at the same time”.

The spokesperson confirms that the following routes, which are now operated in a three-class configuration, will be operated as a two-class configuration as of June 1.

America, Europe, Oceania: 

  • Toronto Pearson International Airport
  • Vancouver International Airport
  • Barcelona–El Prat Airport
  • Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport
  • Istanbul Atatürk Airport
  • Franjo Tudman Airport Zagreb (Croatia)
  • Brisbane Airport
  • Auckland Airport
  • Nadi International Airport (Fiji)
  • Tokyo Narita International Airport (from Incheon International Airport)
  • Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Honolulu International Airport)

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Middle East

  • Pulkovo Airport (serving St. Petersburg, Russia)
  • Vladivostok International Airport
  • Irkutsk International Airport
  • Tashkent International Airport

Southeast Asia

All routes to Southeast Asia will switch to two-class, except:

  • Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok Airport)
  • Changi Airport (Singapore)
  • Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Manila, Philippines)
  • Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (serving Greater Jakarta, Indonesia)
  • Kuala Lumpur International Airport
  • Tan Son Nhat International Airport  (serving Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
  • Noi Bai International Airport (serving Hanoi, Vietnam)

Japan

All routes to Japan will switch to two-class, excpet:

  • Tokyo Haneda International Airport (from Gimpo International Airport)
  • Tokyo Narita International Airport (from Incheon International Airport)
  • Kansai International Airport (from Gimpo International Airport)
  • Kansai International Airport (from Incheon International Airport)
  • Chubu Centrair International Airport, serving Nagoya (from Incheon International Airport)

Greater China

All routes to China will switch to two-class, except:

  • Beijing Capital International Airport (from Gimpo International Airport)
  • Beijing Capital International Airport (from Incheon International Airport)
  • Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (from Gimpo International Airport)
  • Shanghai Pudong International Airport (from Incheon International Airport)
  • Hong Kong International Airport
  • Taipei Taoyuan International Airport