On Board Asiana
Monday, November 17th, 2008Early Friday morning (Thursday night), I departed from JFK to Incheon on Asiana Airlines flight 221 in first class. It is always a pleasure to fly Asiana due to their fine service and flight attendants, who have a fine attention to detail. Of course, flying in their new sleeper seat is a real perk and a must-have for the executive willing to hit the ground running in Asia.
On board, I was escorted to my seat, 2A, located on the left side of the fuselage of the massive B747-400. The A380 is larger, but there is nothing like the grace of a 747 at lift-off and landing. I have written before about the sound of the nose gear entering the plane at lift-off, and it is a sound you only hear in first class. It is a signal that you have arrived and are in the best section of the plane.
As always, the service was impeccable and the goal of the cabin staff was to present us with a “heavy snack” and allow us to sleep through the 13.5-hour flight. I chose the Korean meal and was fast asleep for about nine hours. This time I decided to use the Asiana pajamas, which were very comfy. The seat is a true lie-flat –Â long enough for most travelers about 6′6″.
Upon waking, I changed back into my street clothes, had a little breakfast and worked on the computer for about two hours.
In a few minutes, I will depart the beautiful new first-class lounge for my flight to Beijing. The new lounge at Incheon has the feel of a stately library, and it must be at least three times larger than the previous facility. Previously, shower facilities were shared with the business-class lounge, but in the new arrangement, the first-class lounge has its own individual shower facilities. Next to WiFi (which works perfectly in the Asiana lounge), comfortable seats and decent food, a shower is key to keeping fresh and feeling awake after a long flight. Check out a picture of the lounge below!
More to come!
-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
