Asiana A380 Business Class NRT-ICN July 2014

[Carfield]

Asiana A380 Business Class NRT-ICN Special Trip Report




As a fan of the A380s, I can’t resist an opportunity to fly on Asiana A380. Asiana is Airbus A380’s latest customer, and is now using these A380s on flights to Narita, and Hong Kong for trials. Osaka Kansai and Bangkok will join Asiana’s A380 network, when the second OZ A380 is ready to fly. Los Angeles will become Asiana’s first long haul destination beginning August 20. I specifically choose a daytime flight, as it provides a bit better photo opportunity. I believe there have been many reports on Asiana A380s, and let see if I can keep this report short. Asiana Airlines has its ups and downs in the past 12 months, but when it comes to service, Asiana Airlines is definitely one of the best airlines in the region. If Asiana’s flight attendants can speak English better, they will be on the rank of Singapore Airlines, if not better.

July 21, 2014
OZ 101 NRT-ICN Lv1310 Arr1540 Airbus A380-800 HL7625

Check-in
Star Alliance carriers all use South Wing of Terminal One in Narita, and all premium check-in was segregated from the main check-in area. The line was actually quite busy this morning, but the wait was not too bad. This was a typical Japanese check-in experience.


Instead of going to the lounge, I headed towards the observation deck waiting for the arrival of Asiana’s A380s. The observation deck was extremely busy this morning, and I always felt proud as an aviation enthusiast when I was in Japan. Since the second runway was opened in Narita, most arrivals took place at R/W16L/34R. However A380s always land on the R/W16R/34L due to its size. The inbound flight arrived on time and the quality was not that great, but I still want to share. The plane is very impressive.



Turkish Airlines TC-JJI – spotted this plane on my way to immigration


Thai Airways’ Star Alliance 747 HS-TGM leaving to Bangkok – used to be an A380 flight


Since it was a public holiday in Japan, the airport was a bit quieter than normal. Immigration and security clearance time was relatively short. I immediately headed to gate 45 and I hope to snap some photos before the crowd arrived.

Getting ready


The crews keep on mentioning this plane/flight as “Special Edition”

[Carfield]

More shots of HL7625




Boarding began at 12:36pm, and there were agents directing passengers to the right jetway. Business class passengers are shown to the upper deck, as well as some main cabin passengers.


I was immediately welcomed by two F/As, and the mini business class cabin was not too busy. I took the chances to take a few photos. The F/As were not surprised by all the camera actions, as most passengers were very excited about the new plane. The F/A offered to take a picture of me and also showed me some of the new features of the planes, as well as the newly enlarged toilets in the front of the plane. Asiana definitely does not follow the extravagant trend like the Middle East carriers, but offer a modern, smart, and simple configuration with improved seats at all three cabins.

Cabin shots:

[Carfield]

New center pair seats – really awkward if you are not a couple – the main disadvantage of this kind of configuration



Second main J cabin



The on-board business class lounge – there will be more pillows to decorate this area on future long haul flights!

[Carfield]

Snack counter – available on long haul flights in the future


11A/11K – a bit different from other seats – due to its location, it has an enlarged table with the magazine pocket located below the table area.




Seat features – new Smartium business class seats – a definitely improvement from the current seat on its 777s. The seats are angled to provide with more privacy, as well as additional storage spaces for small items. I have tried the lie flat position, as most passengers have issues with the width especially at the shoulder. The new seats definitely addressed this issue and my shoulders did not hit the side panels, while lying face up. You don’t need to sleep sideways.

Seat (10A) in upright position


Relax position



Lie flat position





Side storage bin for upper deck passengers

[Carfield]

More table space


Literature pocket with headset holder/slippers/bottled waters with personal reading lamp


Personal reading lamp


Headset and USB port


Side panel


Power Port


Seat control & handset console


Small pocket below tray table for safety card but nothing much – maybe menus


Tray table – I really like this design – much better than previous attempts




New forward lavatory

[Carfield]

I love this small touch – stylish hooks


Pre-takeoff beverage – OJ or water


Boarding was completed early and door was closed at 1:04pm and we pushed back at 1:06pm. Narita was very quiet at these hours, and we took off from R/W16R at 1:24pm.



Flying time was a short hour and forty-five minutes, but weather en route was quite bad. Our routing took us towards Matusdo and Tokorazawa, as we reached 40,000feet, and then after passing city of Echizen, we descended towards 36,000feet. However the chops were pretty bad, and we descended further to 34,000feet as we crossed the Sea of Japan towards Pohang, Korea, and then towards Incheon.

The flight attendants were very efficient and friendly, and two different F/As introduced themselves to each passenger in the beginning of the flight, and they are graceful and polite. They never collected an empty glass before asking if you want another drink. To give you an example of how observant these F/As are: some of the windows had some light spots, so I began wiping them. Five minutes later, the F/A came with a wet towel and wiped my windows for me, and apologized for the dirty windows. I told her that she had nothing to apologize for, but if this move was not service, I didn’t know what would be. This is award-winning service.

A one-tray meal was served and I was honestly a bit sick of the BiBimBap option, so I decided to go with the Western option. The beef tenderloin was perfectly cooked, and in general, this was a very good meal. In terms of catering, what Asiana needs to work on is variety. Beef is considered a very expensive item in Korea, but I feel that both options featuring beef products are a bit too much. However you really cannot complain about the quality of the meals prepared here in Japan.

Wine List
Champagne Cattier Brut
Albert Bichot Macon-Villages Blanc Chardonnay 2011
d’Arenberg Stump Jump Syrah 2012

Menu
Western


Appetizer
Bocconcini Cheese with Mixed Greens



Main Course
Beef Tenderloin Steak (500kcal)
Seasoned with Ruby Port Wine Sauce
Served with Green Beans and Fried Potato

[Carfield]

Dessert
Strawberry Mousse


Coffee and Tea

Korean
Mixing and Harmonizing
A Famous Korean Cuisine “BiBimBap” 620kcal
It is also called ‘Goldongban’. ‘Goldong’ means that several ingredients are gathered equally. Bibimbap is a mixture of cooked white rice, various vegetables, pan-broiled meat, and red pepper paste ‘Gochujang’. At the court, Bibimbap was served on New Year’s Eve based on the belief that the remaining food should be emptied before the end of the year. Moreover, it was easily prepared for farmers in the farming season during break time and is a recommended dish since it is a convenient and substantial meal. As a healthy food with several ingredients in harmony, it was accredited as space food. There are various forms of bibimbap by area.

Dessert
Fresh Fruit

Coffee and Tea
OZ 101
NRT/SEL
B/C
2014C1-20140701

I took a few shots of the wing after lunch!



Never sick of looking at them!

We began our descent at 2:41pm and we landed on R/W34 at 3:09pm.


We taxied to gate 43 and parked there at 3:17pm.




Some farewell shots of HL7625 at ICN – getting ready for evening rotation to HKG






In conclusion, Asiana A380 Special Edition is definitely a promising product. It is not going to be an extravagant plane like the Middle East airlines, but for passengers, it should be a very comfortable plane. Asiana maintains 34” of legroom in economy, which will definitely be appreciated by these transpacific customers. The new Smartium seats in J are much improved compared to its first generation. This new product is definitely better than Korean Air’s current J seats on the A380s. Of course there is always a weak point, which is its entertainment system. The new PTV is huge and offers touchscreen functions but the contents are severely lacking. There is not even one English speaking sitcom available and for Western (and most) travelers, you really need to bring your own entertainment. Other than the poor entertainment system, Asiana A380 is promising and I can consider flying it from ICN to LAX in the future. I hope you enjoy this trip report!

Carfield

[yflyer]

Thanks -- a very absorbing read!

Looks like quite a good hard product in J. Interesting that so many airlines have a higher density J config on their A380's compared to SQ.

[jammed]

thanks very much Carfield, very detailed description and comprehensive shots to take us almost there

One question: I notice, on the headrest of the seat, a piece of something that seems to lead to a belt; I'm wondering if that's a new vertical seat/safety belt or a pull for employing the bed? Did it feel uncomfortable resting your back/head over it?

[Carfield]

There is an additional shoulder harness, which is required during takeoff, landing and taxing. It is really uncomfortable especially Asiana is one of those Asian airlines that requires the F/As to prepare the cabin for landing early.

However you don't really feel the shoulder harness when you are not using it. At least it did not bother me during this flight at all!

Carfield

[jammed]

Oh, this is the 1st time I hear of civilian airliner requiring an over the shoulder harness in addition to the waist seat belt. Even military C-130 pax seats have only waist seat belts at least the last time I was on them. At least they were comfortable enough. Thks for explaining Carfield

[kapitan]

J cabin seat configurations looks exactly like TG's.

[Kyo]

Looks like a great longhaul option for the future. The J lounge looks exactly like TG's. Did you manage to see the F cabin?

Thanks for the TR!

[StarG]

Thanks for the TR Carfield

[Carfield]

Thanks for the nice comments!

Sorry I did not have access to the F cabin on this flight.
But I think someone at FT did a report on Asiana A380 and got to snap some photos of the F cabin.

Carfield