After a smooth flight from Ho Chi Minh City, and a quick stop at the Asiana Airlines Business Lounge at Seoul Airport (ICN), we are on our way to San Francisco.
When we booked our round-the-world itinerary, we had two choices to reach the US West Coast on Asiana Airlines:
We opted for the second choice. After all, we already did a photo report on the proposed A380 route! And I had a clear preference for San Francisco since we recently went to L.A.
As we left the Asiana Business Lounge, we had to find our door. The instructions were very clear.
I love these airport bulletin boards 🙂
We appreciate the attention paid to children by the South Koreans.
Fortunately, there are conveyor belts: the airport is gigantic. Alexandra ended up leaving the place to her brother in the stroller to have a good time…. This allowed me to put Arthur back in our travel stroller!
We have arrived at our door.
The boarding has just begun. There is a very long line for economy class.
Being in business class, we will board quickly.
And to tell the truth, the Asiana Airlines staff seeing us with our two small children, made us go ahead! Still a little embarrassed of this privilege… but we end up enjoying it!
Alexandra will be the first to board the plane, in a gangway dedicated to passengers travelling on business. The hostess saw him arrive….
A very nice moment for Alexandra who ends up being a regular on business class trips!
Tonight, we will occupy 3 seats: one on the window side for me and Arthur. Note the space on the side of the window, I was able to put a blanket and a pillow on the ground and make him play in this space (on the other hand he slept on me (or in his sister’s seat…) a good part of the flight)!
Alexandra and Jean-Maximilien will be in 2 seats in the middle row, known as “Honeymoon”.
Alexandra has already chosen hers between mom and dad!
It’s time to take a tour of the “owner”! Here is the seat that Jean-Maximilien will occupy next to Alexandra:
As in cars, it is a 3-point seat belt. I’ll tell you right now: I hate this type of belts. This is not at all practical, especially when traveling with children with busy hands.
There is enough room for the feet without them touching:
The electric controls of the chair as well as the remote control.
The Honeymoon configuration is good for couples because the chairs are facing each other…
… but if you travel alone, it is possible to assemble the partition. Alexandra demonstrates this to you:
Here is the chair in a 180 degree reclining position. You can see how close the two seats are.
The device still smells new. Everything is impeccable. Here are pictures of the different elements of the seat (note the well positioned electrical outlet):
USB and audio ports, reading light, various storage compartments:
Individual lights on the ceiling:
Ring to hang a garment next to the shelf.
Speaking of the shelf, here it is lowered:
And the welcome kit provided by Asiana Airlines to business class passengers:
Pillows and blankets are also distributed before take-off.
The screen is very large and with a high resolution.
A multimedia section is dedicated to children… which is not without displeasing Alexandra!
The remote control is of the latest generation of course:
Our flight tonight: straight ahead!
A picture of the cabin: we appreciate the absence of luggage compartments in the middle. It gives a real sense of space! On the other hand, we notice that the colors chosen by Asiana Airlines are not the warmest.
Ready for takeoff, Arthur plays with the comb provided in the kit:
The aircraft doors will be delayed in closing due to passengers requiring medical attention. We prefer to stay in Seoul a few dozen minutes longer than to be diverted to Alaska! The crew will regularly come and serve us with champagne. Alexandra passes the time by keeping her stuffed animals comfortable:
A short visit to the toilets which all have a changing table.
We take another glass of champagne by consulting the safety documentation of this A350-900. Our flight has just started its first hour of delay. The children are getting impatient and tired 🙁
The menu of the evening is then distributed to make us wait for the takeoff.
Shortly after takeoff, the service begins with a white tablecloth laid out on our shelves…. and a new glass of champagne.
As for the previous flight, we “share custody” of the children during the meal. It is not always obvious! I start the meal while Jean-Maximilien manages Alexandra’s:
We each chose different dishes:
This view shows that some window seats are more isolated from the corridor than others (and are therefore to be preferred).
The flight will go smoothly with very little turbulence. We can sleep for several hours.
When we wake up, a new sweet and sour service is offered to us about 1h30 before our arrival in San Francisco:
We take a look at the exterior and the famous “winglets” of the A350
And a view of the cabin by day (note the impression of height without the central luggage lockers):
We can follow the landing from the 3D model of the screen:
We arrive in San Francisco with a mixed weather.
Our flight will finally be 1 hour late.
An excellent flight on Asiana Airlines in a brand new plane. Nothing to complain about as much on the comfort of the cabin as on the service. If you are traveling alone, prefer insulated seats on the window side (mine was on the aisle side). If you are traveling as a couple, the Honeymoon chairs are perfect. There is no bed for babies.
As I said above, the colors chosen for the seats and the cabin in general are likely to “age badly”. Too bad for a few months old plane.
Asiana Airlines is one of the airlines that charges little or no carrier surcharges on Aeroplan. Choose flights on A350 (San Francisco) or A380 (Los Angeles and New York) avoiding B777 (whose business class is not at the level of other companies).
Savings are here:
