On a 12 hour and 40 minute flight from South Korea to Chicago on Korea's Asiana Airlines in Business Class, I was highly impressed by the food and service, and not impressed at all with the seats or entertainment. Many aspects of the smooth flight were positive, but the business class seats were not great.
The Good: Food and Service
Korea's second airline excels in customer service, friendliness, and quality of food. There is always a smile, extraordinary politeness, and plenty of amenities. We got a free gift bag with toothpaste, eye-mask, socks, slippers, etc. The cabin crew was friendly and always happy to bring more of … anything you want. As with most Asian airlines, the crew on Asiana was much nicer than most American cabin crews. Plenty of wine and spirits to choose from, and the multiple-course meals were hot and delicious. Snacks were available almost all the time.
The Bad: Seats and Entertainment
The business class seats are not comfortable for sleeping. They are not flat, but are angled recliners. These seats are only slightly better than economy, while the price is fourfold more. On a 14 hour flight, you need a good sleeping surface, and a reclined seat just doesn't work. I kept slipping down, putting pressure on my feet. I was not able to sleep more than an hour.
The entertainment is lacking, compared to other airlines, such as Thai Airlines or ANA. The AVOD system offers a good selection of movies and radio, but no TV series at all - a must for me on long flights. A few documentaries and concerts are peppered in the mix. Asiana offered a dozen very current movies still in theaters, or very recently, and a few hundred older films. They really only have a good movie selection and not much more, while other airlines also have a variety of TV shows and other forms of entertainment. The game selection is good, though, and offers a special remote just for the games. Note: the viewing screen is 2 inches larger than most airlines, so that is a nice feature.
It should be noted that the First Class seats are the Quadra Smartium flat bed seats that look fantastic. However there are only 8 First Class seats available on the 777, and none open for my flight. Business class on the Seoul to JFK flight also has QS seats, but not other flights.
Overall Score
I would give the Asiana Business Class (on 777-200 Seoul to Chicago) a score of 7 out of 10. Their economy class is excellent, but their business class isn't worth the money. Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines are much better for Business class. If you need to fly Asiana, just go economy - it's about the same as business. That's as much a comment on the excellence of their economy, as on the unimpressive seats in Business class. Thumbs up for Asiana overall, in this airline review.
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