Simply the best airline I've ever taken. Usually, tickets are expensive so I never get the opportunity to take KoreanAir, but back towards the end of summer, airline prices dropped and I was able to grab a KoreanAir seat with my husband. What is great about airline policy is that we can reschedule our flights with no charge. The website is a bit confusing and not working properly at times because I have to make sure I'm in the right region (America), but we're still glad we managed to book the tickets. Checking in was OK, only I didn't know much since staff automatically speak Korean first. Announcements were done very politely and professionally. I love the flight attendant outfits: a sky blue mini-scarf tied to the side and a matching loop fastened to the back of all hair buns. Every flight attendant looks immaculate: neat, tidy, professional. All flight attendants can understand English. They even have Chinese-speaking flight attendants on some flights where there are a lot of Chinese customers (i.e. Incheon to/from Jeju) I can pick my seats online in advance unless it's too close to the flight date by one or two days.
For international flight: I took JFK to ICN. The meals were delicious on the airplane with real metal utensils. I had fresh fruit, seaweed rice, bibimbab (veggies, rice, and spicy sauce), wine, etc. Every meal was delicious and I think you can't go wrong ordering any type of meal. We get peanuts and drinks between meals and takeoff-landing. Pillows, blankets, a bottle of Jeju water, and earphones are included. A vast movie/TV section. I can watch up to three movies during this span of time between New York and Seoul, but I usually fall victim to sleep.
On shorter domestic flights: ICN to TAE. I see flight attendants put a sticker on the back of a seat to indicate to a sleeping person that they actually missed some free goodies such as a snack or a drink so when they wake up, they can hit the service button to get these items. TAE to Jeju Island (CJU) was great.
One thing that might bother me is that they request windows to be down when it's night time and up during takeoff and landing. What if I wanted to look outside? The flight attendants are very strong about having the seats in an upright position as expected, except they are unusually careful to check that trays and seats are upright.
No matter what type of flight I am taking, there are usually newspapers available either before I board the plane or after I board the plane to grab some free newspapers to read in English or Korean. The bathrooms on the plane have lotions, toothbrushes with toothpaste. Awesome!
Being that I'm Asian looking, the staff always tries to communicate in Korean with me. I think it's time for me to learn more Korean because I know I'd be taking KoreanAir again! I'm so much of a fan that I would consider buying a $25 stuffed KoreanAir plane as a souvenir (I didn't, but I want to!)
PROS: premium image and reputation, delectable meals, lots of freebies included, totally worth the money, great experience
CONS: picky about plane windows read more