Asiana A380-800 first class Los Angeles to Seoul

Now this was a flight that I had been looking forward to! Most of my traveling this year has been on ultra low cost carriers such as Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant, so I think I’ve earned the opportunity to be pampered on a long haul first class international flight! I was also very much looking forward to getting a ride on my first A380, as well as checking out the newly rennovated Tom Bradley International Terminal. So yeah – this was a pretty exciting moment for me.

Tom Bradley International Terminal entrance

Asiana check in counter lax — Asiana check in counter

Asiana First Class check in queue lax — Asiana First Class check in queue

Departures board lax international — Departures board

After coming downstairs from the Star Alliance Lounges, I took a bit of time to check out the new terminal. Bottom line, LAX now has a world-class international departures hall, rivaling some of the best in the world. It’s relatively small compared to the behemoth airport structure in Beijing, but it’s a very nicely designed terminal with loads of good restaurants, shopping, and places to sit.

Tom Bradley International Terminal lax — Interior of the newly renovated Tom Bradley International Terminal

OZ201
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Seoul, South Korea (ICN)
Friday, September 18, 2015
Aircraft: A380-800
Seat: 1A (First Suite Class)

Asiana Airlines A380 illustration — Asiana Airlines A380-800 HL7626 side view illustration by Norebbo.com

lax to icn route map — Our route to ICN today: VTU5 RZS LIBBO BRINY ALCOA CEPAS COBAD 4100N 14000W 4100N 15000W 4300N 16000W 4500N 17000W 4600N 18000E 4600N 17000E 4300N 16000E KALNA OTR5 ADNAP OATIS SDE GTC L512 TENAS B467 KAE G597 KARBU KARBU1P

asiana 201 flight information board — Flight information board for OZ201 at the gate

I was starting to feel a bit rushed due to the fact that I decided to exchange currency right before boarding, but I timed things just right – I arrived at the gate just a few minutes before the scheduled boarding time. But as I was looking out the window at that big Asiana A380, I noticed a large gathering on mechanics (plus a CSR with a walke-talkie) huddling around the front landing gear pointing at it and talking a lot like there was some sort of debate going on.

This didn’t look good. Two minutes later, they announced a 1-hour delay due to a last-minute tire change. Ugh – can they really do that in an hour? I was slightly pessimistic about thier time estimate, which then led me to worry about my connection in Seoul. If we were delayed too long, there would be a strong chance of missing my A380 connection to Hong Kong. Praying to the aviation gods I was…

Luckily they held true to their one hour estimate and boarding was called in a way I’ve never seen it done before. They basically lined everyone up into separate groups (premium cabins, Asiana Club status holders, and economy) in the central walkway of the terminal. I’m not going to lie – it felt good to stand at the front of that first class line!

boarding asiana a380 lax — Here we go – time to start boarding!

First class passengers boarded though the forward door on the lower level, and once onboard I was escorted to my seat. I wasn’t offered a drink or even an explanation of the features of the suite, but personally I didn’t mind. I like to get situated and settled when I board an airplane – before any service begins.

Asiana A380 First Class suites — Asiana A380 First Class cabin

asiana first class suites — The First Class suites are very spacious and private

It was difficult to tell how full the first class cabin was today due to the high walls of the first class suites. Even standing up and looking at the entire cabin doesn’t mean you will see any other passengers! That’s the kind of privacy I like on an airplane – I’m not very social onboard aircraft, so this was really great.

Seat 1A asiana a380 first suite class — Seat 1A – mine for the next 12 and a half hours!

asiana a380 first class seat — Slightly wider angle view showing the entire seat

asiana a380 suite walls — The walls of the suites are really high, which is great for privacy

asiana a380 first class seat details — Next to the headrest is a magazine pocket, reading lamp, and removable touch-screen display for controlling the seat

asiana a380 first class seat storage — Close up of the small cubby next to the headrest

asiana a380 in seat power — Immediately to the left of the seat was a deep storage unit with a USB power port and headphone jacks

video controller asiana a380 first class — Immediately forward of that was the touch-screen control unit for the video display

asiana a380 first class storage bins — And all the way towards the front was a very deep storage bin for larger items

The lead flight attendant eventually came by with the amenity kit and introduced herself to me, and we chatted a bit about how this was my first time in Asiana first class – she seemed eager to make sure I was going to have a great flight, and that left me with a pretty good feeling. I can get used to this first class stuff.

Here you can see all the “freebies” that come with first class: noise canceling headset, amenity kit, and thick duvet sitting on the foot rest in the forward section of the suite.

large video display screen asiana first class — Looking forward towards the front of the suite

asiana a380 first class leg room — Do I even really need to post a leg room pic? Sure, what the heck. A little bit better than Allegiant Air, don’t you think?

asiana first class amenity kit contents — Contents of the Asiana First Class amenity kit

Warm peanuts (not macadamia nuts) were served just before takeoff, and I held off on the urge for a glass of champagne to go with it. I know, I know – champagne and warm nuts are a first class pre-departure tradition but I just couldn’t do it. I’m not a fan of drinking on airplanes!

Asiana first class warm nuts — Warm nuts served before departure

asiana a380 lax — Pushing back from the gate – here we go!

We departed runway 24R just under an hour behind schedule, and I was still petty giddy about the next 12 and a half hours. I knew there was some good food and comfortable sleep coming, and it was hard not to take pics of everything for this stupid blog! Chilling out and soaking up the experience was tough, but I did the best I could.

asiana video control unit main menu — Close up of the touch-screen video display control unit (main menu)

asiana a380 first class video remote — The screen on the remote was a mirror copy of what was on the larger display – the screen sensitivity wasn’t very good though, so it was a bit difficult to use.

Lunch service began shortly after departure, and I opted for the Korean style meal (of course). Do I even need to say how excellent this service was? The food was fantastic and the professionalism of the flight attendant was top notch – hands down the best service I’ve experienced on an airplane thus far. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics of the menu! Oh well – here is what was served:

Pumpkin soup asiana first class — Pumpkin soup, which was fantastic!

Korean Bibimbap asiana first class — The main course: Korean Bibimbap

little Korean candies asiana first class — Finally, the end: little Korean candies

I was pretty much stuffed after lunch, but I wasn’t quite ready for a nap yet so I watched a bit of “Furious 7” to pass the time. All I could think about was how cool it was to be in first class so I wasn’t really paying attention to the movie that closely.

asiana a380 window view — Looking out over the Pacific Ocean after lunch

asiana a380 first class bathroom — First Class lavatory

asiana first class lavatory soap — The lavatory was well stocked actually – lots of nice lotions and soaps.

large asiana first class lavatory — Looking at the back wall of the lavatory – the use of mirrors (as well as the full size window) made it look quite spacious

asiana a380 stairs to upper deck — Stairs to the upper deck located near the first class lavatory

Earlier in the flight, the flight attendant told me to request turn down service if I wanted it, but when it came time for a nap I chose to pass on that and do it myself. And that was probably a good thing considering how warm the cabin was – I certainly didn’t need that duvet! It does take a lot to make me warm and uncomfortable, so the fact that I was a little bit warm meant that it must have been really hot for other passengers.

asiana a380 first class touch screen seat controller — Main menu of the large touch screen display which controls the seat

asiana a380 first class seat control — It’s essentially a touch screen tablet – and it was very intuitive and easy to use

asiana a380 first class seat function — As you can see, this seat is highly adjustable and it’s not difficult to find a comfortable position

asiana a380 first class lie flat seat — What the seat looks like in the fully flat position

stars in the ceiling asiana a380 — One of the things I liked the best about the first class cabin was the ceiling and the twinkling stars that looked awesome in complete darkness

I ended up getting about four hours of solid sleep before waking up and just tossing and turning for the next few hours before the second meal service began. I wasn’t even hungry at all, but who am I to pass up another great first class meal? Once again I chose the Korean option – a fine choice it was, mostly because it was probably lighter than the western omelet.

Korean breakfast asiana first class — Korean breakfast

View from the forward facing camera a380 — View from the forward facing camera

The sun began to drop to the horizon as we descended into Seoul, and I did the best I could taking as many pics outside the window as I could. I was sitting too far forward in the aircraft to get a decent pic of the engines and wing, but it really was turning into a beautiful evening out there.

asiana a380 wing view in flight — About 10 minutes before the start of the descent into ICN

arriving at ICN — Gliding into Seoul as the sun sets

We hit runway 34 at ICN with a gentle nudge, and spent the next 10 minutes taxiing to our gate. It certainly was a fantastic flight, with a phenomenal crew and outstanding service, and truth be told I was a bit sad to have it come to an end.