To begin my outrageous Qatar Airways year-end mileage run (to earn American Airlines AAdvantage status) I needed to first get to Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. Obviously this required a long series of transpacific positioning flights. During my search I found several reasonably priced economy class options, but instead decided to book a business class award ticket with United MileagePlus miles. After all, I didn’t want to start my 5 consecutive days of flying off feeling tired and miserable!
When searching for available award flights I kept coming back to Asiana Airlines. Asiana doesn’t necessarily offer the best overall on-board experience when compared to other Star Alliance partners, but I still chose to fly with them because of the convenience. Asiana’s flights got me to Vietnam in the shortest amount of time when compared to ANA, EVA, or Thai.
I also chose to fly with Asiana because of the aircraft options. I’d first get the opportunity to fly on their new(ish) Airbus A380 in Smartium class and then get to finally fly in the upper deck (hump) of their 747-4. Believe it or not this would be my first time flying upstairs in a 747 and potentially my last. Needless to say, I was extremely excited for my Asiana Airlines business class flight on the Queen of the Skies.
Connecting To My Asiana Airlines 747 Business Flight In Seoul Incheon
After disembarking the 13+ hour flight from Los Angeles in business class on the Airbus A380 I proceeded toward the transit counter. After presenting my connecting boarding pass I went through a security checkpoint and before long made it into the terminal. I had less than an hour to spare between flights, but was determined to visit the Asiana Airlines business class lounge.
After passing through security you take an escalator into the main departures hall of Terminal 2. The central hall is huge and surrounded by duty-free shopping options.
Since Asiana Airlines is the primary carrier operating out of this terminal there are two lounges offered to passengers.
Asiana Airlines Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon
The location of the Asiana Business Class lounge is above the east wing of Terminal 2. The west wing of the terminal houses the Asiana Airlines First Class lounge.
Overall the lounge was quite impressive and spacious. The lounge features a central check in counter which divides the entire lounge space into two distinct wings. The easternmost wing is a traditional lounge area with beverages and buffet snacks.
The western wing of the business class lounge also contains a buffet, beverage station, but additionally features a formal dining area. Passengers sitting near the formal dining area also have the option of ordering a hot meal on demand.
I wanted to write a more formal review of this lounge, but sadly by the time I made it to the lounge I only had 30 minutes to wait before my 747 flight to Vietnam. However, as far as I could tell the lounge seemed great. One thing I especially loved about this lounge is that it felt more like a library than an airline lounge.
As you exit the lounge you pass a fantastic Asiana Airlines A380 model.
After spending about 20 minutes wandering around the Asiana Airlines Business Class lounge I decided it was time to head to our boarding gate for the flight to Vietnam.
Boarding My Asiana Airlines 747-4 Flight To Ho Chi Minh
We boarded our flight to Ho Chi Minh from gate 49 which was at least a 10 minute walk from the Asiana Airlines Business Class lounge. Once again I was one of the last passengers to board the aircraft.
We boarded through two separate boarding doors. Economy passengers scanned boarding passes and entered the gate through the right door while business class and first class passengers used the right boarding door. Once through the doors however we all converged on a central escalator which transported passengers down to the jet bridge.
Once downstairs there were again two distinct boarding doors. The left door connected business and first class passengers to the L1 boarding door while the right door connected economy passengers to the L2 boarding door.
One inside passengers passed down long glass walled jet bridges before entering the plane. I bet these jet bridges offer fantastic views of the aircraft during daylight flights.
Going Upstairs In The Asiana Airlines 747-4
Once inside the aircraft I found myself in between the First Class and Economy cabins. Boarding through the L1 boarding door awkwardly puts business passengers farther away from the upper deck stairs than simply boarding through the L2 boarding door. Once on board I had to make my way to the back of the front economy class cabin to reach the stairs to the upper deck. This proved especially difficult considering I was one of the last passengers to board the aircraft.
The stairs leading up to the upper deck are extremely narrow and are found near the L2 boarding door. I had a fairly large carry-on bag and a backpack which made the accent to the upper deck especially treacherous.
Asiana Airlines 747-4 Upper Deck Business Class Cabin
Once at the top of the stairs you get your first glimpse of the upper deck business class cabin of Asiana’s 747-4 aircraft. The first thing I noticed is just how intimate the cabin felt as the cabin only features 24 seats.
The cabin features plenty of storage and the overhead bins are just large enough to fit a standard roller-board carry-on. Our flight was only about half full which meant almost every seat had an empty one next to it. There were only two rows where passengers occupied both seats and it appeared both of those pairs were traveling together. This matters because if the aisle passenger opts to fully recline it makes it nearly impossible for the window seat passenger to escape.
Asiana Airlines 747-4 Business Class Seat
Asiana Airlines’ 747-4 business class cabin features a 2-2 seating arrangement. The seats are angle flat seats that recline to a 45 degree angle. As you can see, the interior of our aircraft was quite dated and in desperate need of a refresh.
The exit row of the upper deck offers passengers nearly unlimited legroom, but legroom is still plentiful in the other standard business class seats.
These upper deck business class seats also featured large, but dated entertainment screens. Entertainment options were significantly limited when compared to my previous A380 flight from Los Angeles which wasn’t an issue as I wanted to sleep nearly the entire 5 hour flight.
On the upper deck, business class passengers also have access to side wall storage bins similar to those found on the Airbus A380 upper deck. The space is just large enough to fit a briefcase of backpack and of course and other smaller items you may need to store during your flight.
Shortly after I took my seat (11A) I watched the jet bridge pull away from the aircraft. However, we ended up sitting at the gate for an additional 10+ minutes before pushing back.
Asiana Airlines 747 Business Class Meal Service
Our flight departed just after 7:15pm local time and offered a flight time of just over 5 hours. This meant passengers would have the opportunity to experience a full meal service while on board. Shortly after taking our seats the lovely flight attendants distributed the in-flight menus.
The wine and beverage list was identical to the one found on my connecting Asiana A380 business class flight from LAX to Seoul while the food menu offered slightly different options.
Again, our flight offered both a western and Korean meal option. The Korean meal was the same Ssambap that I sampled on my connecting flight from Los Angeles so I instead opted for a western meal option. When the flight attendant stopped by to take my order I first chose the beef tenderloin. Sadly, the crew member informed me that they were out of that dish and I instead ended up with the Chinese Style Pan-Fried Seafood dish.
Not surprisingly based on the above photo, the seafood dish wasn’t all that spectacular. In fact, I didn’t enjoy this meal at all. Luckily however the western meal option also came with an appetizer and I additionally ordered the cheese plate.
The appetizer actually tasted much better than it looked while the cheese plate helped fill me up after picking through my main course.
and no, the jelly tart wasn’t half eaten when it arrived, I simply was too hungry to wait and photograph the cheese plate before I took a bite.
Asiana Airlines 747-4 Business Class Restrooms
What would a flight review without restroom interior photos? The upper deck of the Asiana Airlines 747 features two lavatories, one at the front of the cabin and one at the back. While the interior of the upper deck cabin has clearly aged fairly poorly, the interior of the upper deck lavatories is where the 747 really shows its age when compared to newer aircraft.
The counter top did feature various Asiana Airlines amenities which was a nice and unexpected touch.
However, the toilet itself looked as though it has seen better days.
Final Thoughts
As other airlines begin phasing out 747 operations it’s not clear how many more times I’ll get to experience flight on the Queen of the Skies. For that reason alone I was more than happy to spend my hard earned United MileagePlus miles on this redemption. Asiana Airlines operates twice daily service from Seoul to Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. I chose the evening flight as it reduced my overall travel time by 12 hours when transiting to Vietnam to begin my mileage run and it gave me the option to fly on the Boeing 747 instead of the Airbus A330.
While the interior of the 747-4 was dated and the food again below average, the cabin crew was excellent. I didn’t highlight that point enough within my review of my A380 flight from LAX to Seoul. Asiana crew members are spectacular. Our flight attendants were among some of the most friendly cabin crew I’ve encountered on any flight. Crew members constantly checked in with passengers to see if they need anything or just to see how their flight was going. I overall really enjoyed both experiences when traveling with Asiana Airlines between the United States and Vietnam.
I’m not sure that I’d spend the 80,000 (now 90,000) United MileagePlus miles to specifically fly with Asiana again, but I also wouldn’t avoid flying with them in the future. Asiana overall offers a mostly competitive hard-product and solid soft-product which makes the airline worth considering in future travel plans.
I especially enjoyed my time in the hump of the 747. The cabin is so small and intimate that you quickly forget there are an additional 200+ passengers below you. It felt more like a private jet flight than a commercial flight.
