Once and Only: Asiana A380 First Class Review (2019)

This was one of the best first class experiences I have ever had. My Asiana A380 First Class review shows it was one of the best in the world. The saddest part is that the airline has since discontinued this cabin class. The attention to detail by the crew was indescribable. The food was excellent. IFE was the only area they were lacking. One of the best experiences ever, and the one and only time I 

Note:

Dear Reader,

Before you begin this review journey with me, I want you to know that this review is a bit dated. It is from before the COVID pandemic. I had planned on publishing this one and others slowly during and after the pandemic. However, my job at the time requested I not write them. As some of the airlines were their clients, they explicitly requested I refrain from writing anything that could imply any conflict of interest. Recently, after starting a new job, I have decided to publish this one and others. I will note wherever I can what has changed, and include a year for when the flight happened, in the interest of clarity. Please enjoy this review!

Arrival at ICN

The First Class experience at Asiana Airlines begins (began?) as soon as you arrive at the airport. There is a dedicated check in area, with comfortable chairs where you can sit while agents work on your reservation. Within minutes, I was checked in and my bags were tagged all the way to New York (I was connecting onward on Lufthansa business). Once all the formalities were done, a very kind agent escorted me to the front of the priority security line. This saved me at least 10 minutes because even the priority line was very long. Once at the front, she kindly handed my passport and boarding card to the security agent, and said farewell. 

 

Asiana First Class Lounge ICN

Although I will review the lounge in a separate post, the Asiana First Class lounge is pretty bland. There are only 2 massage chairs, limited selection of food, and very few partitioned areas. It was honestly one of the worst first class lounges I have been to. This was the only truly disappointing experience of this flight. 

Gate and Boarding

Although I spent about two and a half hours at the lounge, I left for the gate about 25 minutes before boarding. The gate was nearly adjacent to the lounge entrance. Once there, I asked the agent if First class had its own boarding lane (as I only saw business and economy lanes). The agent told me to wait by the corner of the desk, as I would be the first to board. Although there was a 5 minute delay to boarding, the gate agents apologized profusely to passengers. I was shocked at the attention to detail. Exactly 5 minutes after scheduled boarding time, they scanned my boarding pass and I was the first regular passenger to go on board. 

Cabin

I’ve heard many people complain that the Asiana A380 first class cabin is bland and plain. Sadly, I kind of agree. The tones all blend together, there are no special accents to make the cabin look glitzy or overly formal. It did feel wide and ample, since there were no overhead bins. There are a total of 12 seats in the first class cabin in a 1x2x1 configuration. I had assigned myself seat 2A.

Seat

The seats in Asiana’s A380 First Class are fully enclosed suites. I found them to be quite wide and very comfortable, even in the upright position. There is a wooden side table that doubles as the compartment for the dining table, as well as for seat controls and compartments. The IFE control is stored in one of those compartments. To the aisle side of the suite, you can also find seat controls in a digital screen. This screen controls all aspects of the seat/suite and you can remove it. It feels like a wired, low def iPad. There is an ottoman that doubles as a buddy seat. The IFE Screen is huge and pretty high definition. There is also a small closet you can store your clothes in when you change into the provided pajamas. 

Amenities

Waiting for me when I boarded the aircraft were a series of blankets on the ottoman, as well as a pair of noise cancelling headphones. On the side of the seat was a Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit, which was really well stocked with Tuscan Soul amenities. The flight attendants came by and brought me a set of pajamas. They were fairly warm, and with the cabin being kept at such high temperatures, I was sweating for a while. They also brought along a set of high quality slippers. 

Pre Departure and Take Off

As soon as I was settled in the seat, the flight attendant who would be working my aisle introduced herself to me. She was very kind, professional and spoke English proficiently. I have heard people have had issues with a communication barrier on Asiana, however this was not at all the case on this flight. The crew was super communicative and attentive. As soon as she introduced herself, she offered me my choice of beverage and a pre departure ramekin of nuts. I ordered the champagne. 

Soon after, the pilot came on the PA to apologize for a five minute delay from departing the gate. They said there was congestion in Seoul airspace, so they would be delaying us a few minutes. The purser came by and introduced herself. She also apologized for the delay, and told me that if I needed anything during the flight, to let her know. 

Once we pushed back, I turned on the IFE screen to the forward camera. It is always so cool to watch departures and taxi through the nose or tail cam views. There was a fun variety of aircraft around ICN. Soon, we were taking off and airborne. 

 

Dining

Dining on Asiana A380 First Class is truly an experience. The presentation, the thought given to the meals, and the attention to detail by the crew is truly remarkable. The menu for the whole flight read as follows:

Main Meal

The main meal was truly an adventure. It started with a warm towel and setting up the first class table set. They lay down a fresh cut rose on the table, if that’s not attention to detail, I don’t know what is. 

The amuse bouche consisted of roast beef-wrapped olives and tuna sauce on top. An odd combination, and I didn’t know if I liked it or not. 

After that, the FAs prepared the main table setting, they brought out a bread basket and poured out themselves an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. My next course was the caviar course. It is listed on the menu in small print, and you need to request it. It was okay, I like the fun of having caviar, however I am not someone who will go out of my way on the ground to eat it. 

The next course was a lobster tail chilled appetizer. The lobster was of good quality, but it lacked a kick, maybe some sweet sriracha sauce or another sauce garnish would have been nice. After that came a celeriac soup which was excellent. Perfect temperature and very flavorful. Before the main meal, the FAs brought a lemon sorbet palate cleanser. The presentation of it was superb.

For my main course I ordered the Korean bibimbap. The sheer amount of food was astonishing. The best part? Everything was amazing. The flavor was perfect, the balance between the items in the meal was well thought of. I don’t even know how much more to hype it up, it was one of the best meals I have had on a plane. By the end of the meal, I was so full I could burst. 

 

Second Meal

The second meal was less of a fancy affair, but great nonetheless. As previously, the table was set with much precision, however, no rose this time. 

The appetizer consisted of a slice of ahi tuna steak on top of a pancake. Much like the lobster, the tuna was high quality, however, it lacked flavor. 

The main course was a small-ish plate of linguine with scallops. Although flavor-wise it was great, the meal was not very substantial. It was good considering how much I had eaten in the first meal, however I would have expected more food. 

The dessert was a blueberry cheesecake. I am not a huge fan of cheesecake, but the FA recommended I try it because it was really good. She was right! I enjoyed the cake and it was the highlight of the second meal. The blueberry compote on the side was perfect. 

Sleeping Comfort

The seat is very wide, and when transformed into a bed, it is even wider. The FAs will prepare your bed and add a soft mattress topper in order to make it more comfortable. The provided pillow is relatively thin, so if you can grab extra I encourage it. The ceiling on the aircraft is decorated with “stars” which make it feel peaceful as you rest. The fully enclosed suite provides extra privacy. 

I tried sleeping for a while, but the cabin was too hot for me. I have realized this is common on Asian carriers, but it means I can barely sleep on flights. 

IFE and Wi-Fi

After being unable to sleep, I decided to watch something on the IFE system. I was disappointed that their content selection was very limited. After watching some US sitcoms, I watched a riveting Korean Drama that I don’t even know what it was called. However, the dramatizations were so exaggerated that I was loving watching the family on the show argue. It is also worth noting there isn’t any Wi-Fi on the aircraft. So either bring your own entertainment, rest, or meditate. 

 

Aircraft Features

Asiana’s A380 is a majestic, but simple aircraft. The staircase to the upper deck is not as flashy as in other carriers, there is a small seating area on the second floor at the nose of the aircraft. The Asiana Airlines logo at the 1L door is very elegant, and embodies the aircraft itself: simple and elegant. 

The first class bathrooms have a window, which means you can go and look outside. Loos with views are my favorite simple aircraft design, I wish more airlines would add them. 

Notes on Service

The crew on this flight was superb. They were very attentive, communicative and extraordinarily friendly. They made sure that I had everything I needed, and for a while did reduce the cabin temperature, although not enough for me to sleep comfortably. As soon as they realized that I wasn’t going to sleep, they came over and asked if I needed anything. They brought a latte I ordered, as well as a set of chocolates that were as good as they looked adorable. I was able to talk with them about their job for a while, and they were incredibly proud to fly the A380 and to be First class crew. They noted they were sad that First class was being discontinued, and that they were worried about the airline’s continued financial struggles. 

Landing and Arrival

When the pilot announced that we would be landing in 30 minutes, he asked the crew to prepare the cabin for landing. The cabin service director, as well as the flight attendants, all came by to thank me for flying Asiana and to ask how the flight had been. The cabin service director came by with a tote bag for me to carry all the goodies I had been given on the flight. The bag is still in use as a grocery store bag! I was very happy with the service, food and seat. 

We landed early at Frankfurt, and within minutes were at a gate. I bid farewell to the crew, and was on my way to immigration. 

Conrado’s Thoughts

Almost everything about this flight was perfect. Except for the hot cabin and the two appetizers, everything was on point. I am very sad that the airline has since discontinued offering First class. I truly hope the airline reconsiders this, but I get the financials behind the decision. Stay tuned for a post comparing my experience on Korean Air First Class and Asiana First class. I will also publish a comparison between Asiana First Class and Asiana business class.

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