I usually try to make all of my travel arrangements with Continental Airlines because of their frequent flier program. However, looking for a last-minute deal, an Internet travel site found me a bargain on Korean Air. I flew from New York JFK, with a stopover in Seoul/Inchon (ICN), to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK).

I had not flown on Korean Air in four years, and I remembered the planes being clean, with attractive, but firmly aggressive flight attendants. This recent flight to Thailand was an entirely different experience. The planes are much more technologically advanced than any U.S. carrier, with interactive on-demand flat screens for every seat. I counted a selection of 48 different in-flight movies in several languages that I could watch, pause, and fast-forward/rewind. In addition, there was in interactive world map and flight course information program, with additional information on various flight destinations, and on-screen duty-free shopping! These little extras were important for me because I can never sleep on planes. Believe me, I was never bored! I caught up on all the latest movies I hadn't had the chance to see, and what usually seems like a long flight passed quickly and quite painlessly.

The service was also excellent. With the changes in the U.S. airline industry, I had grown accustomed to U.S. flight attendants, who can be particularly surly at times. Flight attendants have a tough job, so I can understand that over a long flight, they can be grumpy. However, on the Korean Air flight, the flight attendants were excellent and incredibly professional: always courteous, helpful, and cheerful. They were almost as attentive and gracious to passengers in economy as flight attendants in first and business class on U.S. carriers. Kindness and a bit of personal attention make a world of difference when you are trying to get through a long flight.

On the New York to Seoul flight, the seats had extremely comfortable legroom and pitch. The shorter flight from Seoul to Bangkok had a bit less legroom, and it was on a smaller plane, but it was still comfortable, clean, and pleasant.

I was surprised by the excellent quality of my flight on Korean Air, and have already booked a flight with them from New York to Hong Kong.