[Anonymous]

[Stephen787]

I’m looking at a business class trip from London to Sydney on either Korean Air or Asiana. Both seem to have pro’s and cons.
Both seem to have great fares but angled flat beds. Korean has AVOD and is a 4 star carrier on Skytrax, while Asiana gets a 5 star rating but feedback on Skytrax indicates no AVOD (surprising in this day and age).
I’d appreciate anyone’s recent experience on either of these to help me decide.

[continentalclub]

Asiana is generally considered to be the superior carrier, but unless you have a pressing need to transit (and overnight) at Incheon, or the available fare is particularly spectacular, then I’d probably suggest other alternatives.

Finnair, in particular, often offers very competitive fares from both London and Manchester:

http://bit.ly/eqv85M

– usually via Bangkok or Hong Kong (and Helsinki), with the onward sectors to Sydney from the Far East on board Cathay Pacific or Qantas-operated services.

http://www.seatplans.com

– is a good source of recent reviews on most carriers, including Korean and Asiana; Skytrax ratings are calculated opaquely and therefore there’s no obvious means of verifying the rationale between airlines’ comparative ratings.

Accordingly I would not personally use Skytrax ratings when making a choice between airlines. Safety records, schedules, service and price would be the defining factors for me.

It would be interesting to know why you’re considering the Korean carriers on this route though, given the very wide choice available.

[Stephen787]

Thanks for you feedback. I have checked seatplans.com.

To answer your question – why I am choosing to fly a Korean carrier. The reason is purely price as they around $1000 cheaper than most other carriers on this route and the same price as the economy ticket on Finnair that you recommended.

[cityprofessional]

Can’t speak for Korean, but I flew Asiana to SYD last year

The hardware is so-so: first generation angled flat beds, and it’s an AVOD lottery, as just over half the 777s have AVOD – you can’t tell in advance. However the service and food are fantastic – the Korean food, steaks and wine list are pretty outstanding for business class, and my glass was never empty. The 777s are also being retrofitted with fully flat beds (similar to the Swiss/Finnair layout), although slim chance of getting these at the moment – they are mostly rostered on the US flights

There is also merit in taking a smaller airline/smaller aircraft – e.g. the more intimate 777 cabin (28-35 seats in business class, with 4-5 dedicated crew) over Korean with their 747s. Asiana also departs from LHR T1 (and at a pretty quiet time in the evening), which is less stressful than getting to T4

I did not overnight on the way back (I came in via PEK – long story), but one advantage of KE is that they tend to put people up in the Incheon Hyatt, rather than bus people into Seoul proper. Make sure you book your stopover hotel with the airline when you book your ticket. STPC is included with paid (not redemption) tickets, but not assumed – you need to have it booked and confirmed in advance

[VintageKrug]

What sort of prices are you seeing for the UK-Oz flights?

[Stephen787]

As I only need a one way LHR to SYD, the best price I’ve found is 1653 pounds or A$2555 on KE.

In comparison – OS A$3122, TG A$3501, SQ A$3797, QF A$5150. So you can see why KE is attractive.

[KSHaggag]

Hello Stephen787…,

As a matter of fact ,I have never before flown KE but have been planning to cross the Pacific with them in biz class on the upper deck of the A380 in a few months time after sampling that product in June on a Hong Kong bound flight where the sumperjumbo will be rostered to train staff and give their customers a hint about the product ..HOWEVER ,I have ALWAYS ALWAYS heard and read great,albeit fantastic comments on KE and their legendary service ….!!!..I know they now operate the 747 on the LHR leg but a 777 in ( Northern summer ) on the Sydney leg ….both don t feature the Prestige Flat ,horizontal new Sleeper seats ,but the experience should be awesome nevertheless ..I believe KE is more experienced than Asiana …..transitting Incheon should be an inspiring experience …go for it and enjoy it ….would appreciate you post your experience on the forum and share it with us …will be highly appreciated !….thanks !

[Author]

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