Information on Korean Air Flights

Korean Air (KE) is one of the world’s leading airlines, ranked 5-star by the global Skytrax rating agency (only 10 other international airlines have this rating). It is the flag carrier of South Korea and the founding member of SkyTeam alliance, represented by Delta Airlines in the US. In business for over 50 years, Korean Air is known for its consistent, quality in-air experience.

Why you should consider Korean Air?

Korean Air serves over 100 cities in 40 countries around the world. It flies direct to Seoul from 11 US cities, including Boston, Las Vegas, Chicago and Honolulu. For US travelers flying to Asia and the Far East, this means one-stop access to popular destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Depending on your departure airport, Korean Air also features some of the best routes to more far-flung places like Brunei, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan, not to mention China, Australia, Japan and Korea. In short, if you’re heading to the Eastern Hemisphere, you should consider Korean Air as it is often one of the best routes there in terms of flight duration.

For US travelers connecting in Seoul to destinations beyond Korea, I recommend taking advantage of the free stopover program by Incheon International Airport (ICN). If your layover lasts less than 24 hours, the airport will arrange a number of free 3- to 5-hour tours to places like Seoul Botanic Park, Gwangjang traditional market and even the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Book online at the airport website or directly at the airport.

Cabin classes, seats and legroom

On flights to and from the US, Korean Air operates 3 cabin classes: first (known as Kosmo), business (KE calls it Prestige), and economy. Let’s look at each.

First Class

The Kosmo cabin offers lie-flat seats and the most privacy on its long-haul flights. Since Korean Air operates a number of aircraft, including Boeing 747 double-decker and the world’s largest aircraft, Airbus A380, your first class experience will vary depending on the type of aircraft you fly.

Kosmo Suites 2.0 provide the most privacy via a sliding door, 83” pitch and seat width of 24” - 32“ (I find these seats comparable to the Qatar Airways’ QSuite business class). Kosmo Suites are semi-enclosed, with an 83” pitch and seat width of 26.5”. Kosmo Sleepers are close to a typical business class and have a 71” pitch and a 21” seat width.

Kosmo Suites 2.0 are available on Boeing 747 and 777. You’ll find Kosmo Suites on the Airbus A380 and some Boeing 777 models and Sleeper seats on the Airbus A330 and some Boeing 777 models. While this may feel overwhelming, keep in mind that KE often sticks to the same aircraft type on each route (for example, the Chicago to Seoul route is typically serviced by Boeing 777-300ER).

Business

Similar to first class, you’ll find different seat types in the Prestige cabin, depending on the aircraft you fly.

Prestige Suites are lie-flat with a 75” pitch and a 21” width. They’re found on Boeing 787, 777 and 747 models and some Airbus A330s. Prestige Sleepers are lie-flat with a 74” pitch and a 20.1” width, available on the Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s and A330s. Prestige Plus seats don’t recline fully, with a 60” pitch and a width of 20.1”. They’re found on some Boeing 777s.

Pro tip: if you’re flying business on the 747 aircraft, I recommend choosing window seats on the upper deck - they will feel the most private and have more storage space than the lower deck options.

Economy

I find that flying on KE economy is a quality experience that’s rare to find on most other airlines today. While Korean Air doesn’t offer premium economy, it has a more spacious economy cabin than many of its counterparts like American or Delta. KE seat pitch is on the longer side at 33” - 34”, while Delta economy seat pitch is only 30” - 31”, for example. KE seat width is 18”.

Economy seats are standard across the KE fleet so you can expect a similar experience with most aircraft types.

Pre-flight experience

Here’s what you need to know about the Korean Air airport experience.

Baggage policy

Unlike other airlines, passengers flying in KE First or Prestige class can bring 2 carry-on bags of up to ~39 pounds each onboard. Economy passengers are allowed 1 carry-on (up to 22 pounds) and 1 personal item. In my experience, the airline is not strict with carry-on weight limitations: my trusted carry-on typically weighs more than the 22-pound limit and I’ve always been able to bring it onboard.

KE checked bag policy is similar to other international airlines. Economy passengers are allowed 2 checked bags of up to 50 pounds. Prestige passengers can check in 2 bags of up to 70 pounds and First Class passengers can check in 1 additional bag (3 total). Checked bags are weighed at drop-off, so plan accordingly.

Check-in

In the US, Korean Air typically has several dedicated check-in counters. First Class and Prestige passengers, together with the SkyTeam Elite status holders (such as Delta Gold or Silver Medallion), use the Sky Priority lanes. There is also a separate lane for SKYPASS, Korean Air’s own frequent flier program. This means that in practice, the check-in process is often quite efficient, especially if you’re able to access Sky Priority lanes.

At ICN, Terminal 2 is the hub for Korean Air. There, you’ll find premium check-in zones for First Class and Prestige passengers and SkyTeam Elite Plus members (Delta Gold Medallion and above).

Lounges

Through its agreement with another SkyTeam member, Delta Airlines, Korean Air gives access to the Delta Sky Club lounges in several US cities like Atlanta, Boston or Chicago for passengers flying in First Class or Prestige cabins and elite status holders like SkyTeam Elite Plus (Delta Gold Medallion and above). KE also operates several lounges in cities like Los Angeles and Honolulu with the same access rules.

Pro tip: the Korean Air Prestige lounge in JFK is open to Priority Pass holders at certain times of the day, but it’s not worth the effort. I’d recommend going to the Primeclass Lounge instead - it has better food options and more space. A new Korean Air lounge is set to open in the New Terminal One by 2026, which should be a marked improvement over the current facilities.

KE has several lounges at ICN. Most are reserved for First Class or certain SKYPASS status holders, but the Prestige lounge is open to SkyTeam Elite Plus (Delta Gold or higher).

On board Korean Air

Here’s what you can expect on-board Korean Air flights.

In-flight entertainment

When it comes to in-flight wi-fi, Korean Air has traditionally lagged behind its peers, but that’s slowly changing as the airline continues to add wi-fi connectivity to its fleet. Expect about half of the aircraft to be equipped with internet. If I have a KE flight scheduled, I try to catch up on deadlined work ahead of time to be safe. (KE website tracks which aircraft type offers wi-fi capability).

Korean Air often doesn’t have the best and most recent selection of in-flight movies, but I usually take this opportunity to catch up on my K-dramas instead.

Meals & amenities

In my opinion, economy class meals is where Korean Air’s in-flight service truly shines. Far exceeding the quality of meals provided on international routes by its US peers like American or Delta, KE offers a variety of traditional Korean dishes which include my favorite, bibimbap. This dish or rice and mixed vegetables is among the best economy class meals I’ve ever had.

(Ask for extra Gochujang sauce as it makes dishes extra delicious and you can take it home.)

In terms of amenities, you won’t see much in economy class beyond a set of slippers and a bottle of water - but it is still better than what some US airlines offer on long-haul routes. First Class and Prestige cabin passengers can expect fairly basic amenity kits containing toiletries, an eye mask, and a handy pocket-sized shoe horn (you’ll get a few extra toiletries in the First Class cabin).

Loyalty programs and credit cards

Korean Air’s frequent flier program is called SKYPASS and its award system is quite advantageous. For example, redeeming a Delta flight to Hawaii with SKYPASS miles can be cheaper than doing so with Delta’s own Skymiles. Korean Air offers a few co-branded credit cards with US Bank, so if you’re frequently traveling to the Eastern Hemisphere, getting one may be worthwhile.

Since KE is a member of SkyTeam alliance, Delta status holders are also able to earn points and redeem miles on Korean Air flights. In the US, you can accumulate SkyTeam points through a number of credit card partnerships like Delta American Express or Air France - KLM and Bank of America.

In addition to SkyTeam, Korean Air also partners with Marriott Bonvoy. Points are transferred at a rate of 3:1, which is a fairly standard ratio for the program.