Home > Korean Air > Review

Taken 19 January 2007 from Kwangju - KWJ to Seoul (Kimpo) - SEL

Unimpressed by a previous trip with Korean Air, I told myself I would not fly with the airline again!

Unfortunately, I had no choice, but to book myself onto the Friday evening flight from Gwangju to Seoul Gimpo. Finishing work at 6:00pm, I had to rush home, fetch my belongings and get to the airport for no later than 7:40pm. Domestic check-in closes 20 minutes before departure.

I arrived with almost an hour to spare and the Korean Air check-in area was rather empty. Every check-in desk was open, but there were few passengers. Check-in was an absolute breeze and there were no questions asked about my mass of baggage!

This evening's flight was operated by a Boeing 737-900 and I had been assigned seat 59F - about 10 or so rows from the back of the aircraft.

We boarded on time (typically 15 minutes before departure) and after a few announcements in both Korean and English, we were on our way, with a load of around 95%. I have flown this route a number of times with Asiana Airlines and always been the only 'foreigner' on board. I was very surprised to see so many other Western passengers on the flight - at least 15 or so.

We climbed to 18,000ft and remained there for a short while before beginning the descent in Gimpo. During the cruise, the inflight service began, and it's a little slack on domestic flights. This route is an almost identical one to London to Manchester in the UK, and BA still manage to squeeze in a drink and a sandwich. We were instead served just a small soft or hot drink.

We landed on-time at Gimpo Airport - Seoul's domestic airport - and I was able to collect my possessions in no time at all. It must be the only airport in the world where you can go from the aircraft to the bus in about 10 minutes!

I'd use Korean Air again for domestic travel, but no chance of me ever setting foot on a long-haul flight with them again!