Asiana First Class Lounge Review Seoul ICN

February 10, 2021

Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul ICN Review

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Asiana First Class Lounge Review Seoul ICN Bottom Line

Asiana First Class Lounge Review Seoul ICN Bottom Line

My Asiana First Class Lounge Review Seoul ICN shows what the airline offered their first-class passengers. What feels like a modest improvement to their business class lounge, Asiana’s First Class lounge is a secluded place to work or relax before your flight. The lounge does get crowded at peak times and food options are of limited variety.

The Good: Asiana First Class lounge is mostly quiet, with a few massage chairs available.

The Bad: Lounge is a far cry from a usual first class lounge, I would label it as one of the better business class lounges I have visited. Comparatively, a little bit worse than the Galleries First Lounge at LHR Terminal 5.

The Noteworthy: Asiana had special seasonal beers, one with the Asiana label, and it serves as a cool memento.

Note: I took all of these flights in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since travel and work slowed down substantially in the last few months, I took time to catch up writing these reviews. Hope y’all enjoy it! This review is from 2019.

Arrival at ICN

I had taken the shuttle from my hotel to the airport fairly early because I couldn’t sleep. When I got to the airport, I headed to Asiana’s First Class check-in area, where I was greeted by an agent. The agent told me to take a seat and checked me in while someone else coordinated to have my bags checked to my final destination.

Once I was checked in, the agent escorted me to the front of the security line, all the while we had a short conversation about operations at Seoul ICN. By the time I was at the boarding pass check desk, the agent effectively cut in front of at least 50 people. She thanked me for flying Asiana and left me in the care of Korean airport security agents. In a matter of 10 minutes, I went from Check-in to the airside terminal.

Lounge Entrance

The lounge is located in the main terminal (Terminal 1) of Incheon airport. Once you pass main security, you turn right and you will see the signs for the lounge. The entrance is shared with the business class lounge. I must clarify that (as an absurd general policy) photography in the lounge is not allowed. This policy extends to areas that are devoid of people, therefore I apologize for the limited pictures.

Main Lounge Area

The lounge consists of open space with some shoulder-high partitions. There is a designated dining area, as well as a more casual area to sit. The couches are all beige/cream-colored, with some different colored accents. The lounge area feels a bit sterile, but this goes unnoticed most of the time given the number of people that are in the lounge.

Dining Area

Off to the side/end of the lounge is the dining area. There is a limited variety of food options for breakfast (time of day I was there), and it ranges from western options to more traditional Korean dishes. The food itself is high quality and very flavorful. Some of the dining area tables look out to the tarmac, and boy are those views nice.

Relaxation Areas

The lounge has two main relaxation areas. The first area consists of cubicles close to the entrance of the lounge where you can find about 3 of these with massage chairs. This reminded me a lot of the Japan Airlines First Lounge where you have a similar massage chair.

The second is another series of smaller cubicles that face the tarmac. These chairs are very comfortable and offer enough privacy that you can fall asleep without being seen by others. The sweeping views are perfect, as you can see the runway from which aircraft are taking off.

Airplane Spotting

Landing Thoughts

The Asiana First Class lounge at Seoul ICN is good, but nowhere near great. The quality of the food and the sweeping views are what keep it from being a mediocre lounge. I would not recommend arriving early at the airport in order to explore the lounge. There really isn’t much to explore. It offers a quiet space away from the terminal, and for me, that was worth it.