Throughout my fast journey to Japan & Korea, I had the possibility to take a look at the Korean Air Status Lounge at Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN). Status Class is how Korean Air markets its enterprise class, so that is the service’s enterprise class lounge at its greatest hub.
The airline has two Status Lounges at Incheon Airport Terminal 2 — the Status Lounge East and Status Lounge West. Whereas I visited each, I’ll be reviewing the previous, because it tends to be a bit quieter, as a result of being farther from the central safety checkpoint. The lounges are very comparable, although, from the decor and seating, to the meals and drinks.
I’ve gotta say, I discovered the Korean Air Enterprise Lounge to not be excellent — for a flagship, hub lounge, this was so underwhelming, and it pales compared to different lounges within the area, starting from the Cathay Pacific Enterprise Lounge, to the Singapore Airways Enterprise Lounge. I’d put this extra on par together with your typical Precedence Go lounge in Asia.
Finally it’s an okay place to kill a while, however undoubtedly don’t arrive early to make use of this lounge. I’ve gotta say, these lounges actually make me not wish to even fly on a SkyTeam accomplice by way of Incheon, given the extent to which airways routes their passengers by way of this hub.
Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon location
The Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon that I visited is situated close to gate 253. So after clearing safety, I turned left, and walked down the primary terminal hall. Notice that the opposite Korean Air Enterprise Lounge is situated by gate 249, so it has a extra central location for all departures (in consequence, it additionally will get busier).
The lounge is situated one degree above the concourse (on degree 4), so after strolling for a couple of minutes, I noticed it on the left.
The lounge will be accessed by elevator or escalator, and it’s in the identical space because the Walkherhill Transit Resort.
If you get to the highest of the escalator, it’s fascinating how the reception desk is situated to the precise, whereas the lounge is to the left, so it virtually appears like it might be straightforward to sneak into the lounge.
I used to be shortly admitted to the lounge upon presenting my boarding move, and couldn’t assist however cease and admire the Korean Air Airbus A380 mannequin.
Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon hours
The Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon that I visited is open each day from 6AM till 10PM, masking most departures from the airport. Notice that the opposite Korean Air Enterprise Lounge is open each day from 4AM till 12AM, masking much more departures.
Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon entry necessities
The Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon follows normal SkyTeam lounge entry guidelines, so it’s open to SkyTeam enterprise class passengers and SkyTeam Elite Plus vacationers. Enterprise class passengers can’t convey any complimentary visitors, whereas SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers can convey one complimentary visitor. The lounge doesn’t belong to Precedence Go, nevertheless.
Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon seating & structure
The Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon isn’t terribly large for a hub lounge, although it’s the (barely) smaller of the service’s two enterprise class lounges within the terminal. The beneath image reveals you the primary room of the lounge, to present you a way of its dimension.
It’s my understanding that the lounge can get slammed throughout peak hours, although fortuitously I used to be touring noon, when it was a bit quieter. The lounge’s decor is considerably trendy, but additionally completely boring and sterile. It’s simply such a large distinction to Cathay Pacific’s lounge design, for instance.
The centerpiece of the lounge is mainly some elevated high-top seating, the place you are feeling such as you’re on show for everybody, as there are rows of seats and benches which can be dealing with these seats.
Then there are all types of seating preparations outdoors of this middle space, which aren’t way more fascinating.
Have a look at the beneath image — have you ever seen a extra boring lounge? There was no artwork on the partitions, however reasonably only a bunch of TVs far and wide (some with flight standing, and a few with precise programming).
Past the primary room, there’s an leisure room with a few TVs.
Maybe probably the most spectacular a part of the lounge is the quiet room within the very again left nook. This area has two sorts of seating — there are barely reclined chairs, after which additionally flat sleeping surfaces, although there’s no bedding of any type.
Lastly, the lounge additionally has some lockers, do you have to wish to retailer your luggage whereas within the lounge.
Let me emphasize that I’m not saying that is some horrible lounge that’s among the many worst on the planet. As a substitute, I’m saying that Asia has some unbelievable lounges, and this is without doubt one of the service’s flagship lounges in a terminal that’s nonetheless fairly new, so I simply really feel like Korean Air might’ve achieved higher.
Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon meals & drinks
The Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon has a self-serve buffet, which isn’t horrible, but additionally not nice.
Throughout my noon go to, the lounge’s chilly meals choices included a salad bar of types, muffins, croissants, cereal, and cheese.
There have been additionally a number of scorching choices, of various high quality. This included every little thing from hash browns, to a vegetable frittata, to sautéed mushrooms, to rooster sausage patties, to rooster curry, to bibimbap, to immediate noodles.
Once more, am I the one one who thinks that it is perhaps a pleasant contact to have a noodle bar within the lounge with freshly ready noodles, reasonably than these low cost immediate noodles that you just’d look forward to finding in a comfort retailer?
Self-serve drinks included juice dispensers, a soda fountain, a beer machine, and a fridge filled with water.
Korean Air has these tiny cups of water in all of its lounges globally, and I can’t wrap my head round it. Not solely is the amount of water tiny, however consuming out of those simply isn’t satisfying. Do some individuals truly like these, or will we simply assume it’s the most cost effective choice? I’d love to grasp the logic, as a result of I’ve by no means been capable of make sense of them.
The lounge additionally has a bar that’s staffed, which is the place all of the alcohol (besides beer) is out there.
Yow will discover the beverage checklist beneath.
The meals choice is finally high quality, but it surely’s simply not so good as at different Asian hub lounges. Additionally, not that I’m the largest dessert eater on the planet, however I used to be shocked how there was no dessert on the buffet, except the muffins (which I bought the sense had been a part of the breakfast setup, reasonably than being supposed particularly as dessert).
Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon loos & showers
The Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon has loos within the again proper nook of the lounge. The boys’s room was clear and fundamental, so did the trick.
The lounge additionally has 5 bathe suites, every that includes a walk-in bathe, rest room, and sink (impressively with Aesop cleaning soap on the sink, probably the most premium side of the lounge). Whereas the bathe suite felt trendy, the air flow was terrible, so anticipate to sweat after a scorching bathe.
Backside line
The Korean Air Status Enterprise Lounge Incheon is disappointing, not less than compared to different hub lounges in Asia. Incheon Terminal 2 is a contemporary terminal that’s dwelling to Korean Air, however regardless of that, Korean Air’s lounge doesn’t impress. The lounge has an excellent fundamental design with restricted facilities, and a mediocre choice of meals and drinks.
Finally that is nonetheless higher than hanging out within the terminal, however I’d put this lounge extra within the class of what I’d anticipate from a stable Precedence Go lounge at a significant Asian airport, reasonably than what I’d anticipate from a service’s hub lounge (particularly for a Skytrax 5-star airline, not that I put any weight into these rankings).
I’m fortunate I not less than visited throughout an off-peak time, as a result of if I had walked in right here when the lounge was packed, I might’ve been much more disenchanted.
What do you make of the Korean Air Enterprise Lounge Incheon?
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