Review: Asiana Airlines A320 - Business Class

After a week in Tokyo we start our way back home, starting with a medium-haul flight to Seoul where we will take the flight back to the North American continent.

Tokyo Haneda, a great airport for aviation enthusiasts

During our stay, we stayed between Harajuku and Shibuya districts which are easily accessible by public transportation. Tokyo Haneda is an airport that was exclusively reserved for domestic flights until a few years ago, but it is now open to international flights with a dedicated terminal and a fourth open runway. Which is convenient because it is only 30km from the center of Tokyo against 60km for Narita airport.

l7axiwjjtwwothgsvcxoq — Convenient, the metro station indicates the right direction to take by the position at the stop of the cars which corresponds to the doors of the trains

2qimkkkps3auc6pxfmmmna — Arrival at the airport directly from the metro

m98sgv1nrpqgbpbeml0xa — Haneda Airport Departure Hall

Our flight taking off at 6am, we decide to take a hotel in the terminal to avoid taking the subway in the night. With the BMO World Elite MasterCard and its 35,000 point sign-up bonus, we covered the cost of the room at the Royal Park Hotel with our BMO Rewards points.

But Haneda’s appeal is not limited to its location but also to its facilities. I visited both the international and domestic terminal and each has a very large and well-equipped terrace to watch the planes. We see a lot of aircraft from All Nippon Airways (ANA), which is a major customer of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a fleet of 64 aircraft out of a total order of 85.

ngvquuu3rpejaouv5oq8a — La terrasse d’observation de l’aéroport Tokyo Haneda

xpxqi9sbqcpdl5vqdyqgq — La terrasse d’observation de l’aéroport Tokyo Haneda

dwovafgwrcalfx0e8sfulg — Boeing 787 de la compagnie ANA

jmhbk3w8sa6vdwi8swc6na — Boeing 787 of the airline ANA

The rest of the airport is not left out. The terminal has a beautiful architecture with a very nice public restaurant area.

efevbmxhttwocwj2yaldw — Zone publique du terminal international de l’aéroport Tokyo Haneda

bnkfms6ktwzvhjljulduq — Zone publique du terminal international de l’aéroport Tokyo Haneda

rajbz7lqsvclan4mkdrsw — Zone publique du terminal international de l’aéroport Tokyo Haneda

rx9l4laarwg8fexz5xuyga — Station du train entre les terminaux à l’aéroport de Tokyo Haneda

vzjh7u3equ6fkafjwoumbg — Terminal des vols intérieurs à l’aéroport de Tokyo Haneda

0mpz47prdaztagb29urpa — Terminal des vols intérieurs à l’aéroport de Tokyo Haneda

We take advantage of this in the evening by having a beer and eating a typical Japanese dish, grilled eels. The restaurant offer in this “Edo” village replica is very varied.

bt6z12qqrawebpfekamta — Prendre une bière et manger sur la terrasse d’observation de l’aéroport de Tokyo Haneda

0qhwsbhpsfyty1fjlazpqg — La zone de restaurants publiques à l’aéroport de Tokyo Haneda

ekrea6hhssmamwk6iduw — La terrasse d’observation du terminal des vols intérieurs à l’aéroport de Tokyo Haneda

kxnjsauargwahgaovquw — Vue depuis la terrasse d’observation de l’aéroport Tokyo Haneda

dd5gujpsugoldlbsegnga — Vue depuis la terrasse d’observation de l’aéroport Tokyo Haneda

Flight between Tokyo Haneda and Seoul Incheon with Asiana Airlines

After a short night, we will check in at the counter. I have to say that I was not impressed with Asiana’s website and mobile app, so online registration is rarely possible.

at7vstfmtngtin3e2mlv1g — Asiana Airlines check-in counter at Tokyo Haneda Airport

We have two First Class award tickets from Seoul to New York, but one of us does not have a seat in Business Class for this first segment. I had hoped to be able to invite my spouse to the ANA lounge but this is only possible when you have a status with ANA or Star Alliance. I tried to tell them that we had a first class flight afterwards but I hit a wall.

We thus find ourselves in the public lounge, seen the hour it is very very quiet.

xfjygxbqwk1crlauyhcoa — Not everyone is awake at this hour of the morning

hwhotw3rpcnjzgc5tvjg — A little coffee with healthy reading

The time to take a coffee and we move towards the door of boarding which begins a few minutes after our arrival.

nnur1tayrn2w5t4iwtf7jg — To the boarding gate

tgzg3nlcsemcqgv1v6rzhg — Our plane, an AibusA321 of Asiana Airlines

fullsizeoutput 17e2 — My boarding pass for the Asiana Airlines flight in Business Class

The cabin is quite classic for a short-medium haul aircraft in Asia or North America. These are 2-2 cabins with reclining seats. I take a glass of water while the machine fills up.

fer2ph63rt6unoadkh598g — Cabin Airbus A321 in Business Class of Asiana Airlines

hxdtaxdthwpjgkxwngpya — Airbus A321 cabin in Business Class of Asiana Airlines. The seat is showing its age a bit.

fullsizeoutput 180e — Airbus A321 cabin in Business Class of Asiana Airlines.

pfa3kwjcrbqjepydgqdsrg — welcome drink on Asiana Airlines flight in Business Class

We leave on time but the taxi to the runway is very very long in Haneda (20 minutes) because we take off from runway 05/23 which is at the other end of the airport projected on the bay.

lko6ukfoq6i8uxgsar9pda — Roulage vers la piste

r9iw9isjqqgenhh7hndfww — Nos voisins partent dans la même direction

2es6ni0qtenwiopvriqg — Hangar où on voir la gouverne arrière du 747 du Premier Ministre japonais

refnynklszepwkynt6j2hq — La caserne de pompiers

hdyceyvbrjem7j6yhvmnq — Roulage vers la piste

We have a beautiful view of Haneda as we leave.

fwlo9kwrkwvbcxo93uvg — Tokyo-Haneda Airport from the air

The service includes a breakfast, for which I choose the Korean version accompanied by a tea. The rest of the cabin is quite classic. Some turbulence as we crossed the Sea of Japan prevented me from visiting the rest of the cabin

fullsizeoutput 1916 — Breakfast in Business Class on Asiana Airlines

fullsizeoutput 1914 — A little trip to the bathroom, nothing surprising in this flight in Airbus A321

ex1ytnxjs0kt4h2bjlugea — The economy class where Hervé patiently waits

We arrive on time in Incheon, where we follow the transfer route, without going through customs, but with a passage at the security post that will take only a few minutes.