I am planning my upcoming trip to SEA. Plan on flying Korean Airlines, Prestige class. They fly the 380 out of LAX and the 777 out of SFO. I really hate flying out of LAX. Is there that big of difference once you are up in the air? I also heard that it can get warm on the upper level of the 380.

 

Thanks

If you hat LAX chose SFO, seats on KE are the same . IMHO are the 777 far superior to the 380 but isnt it same same as long as  you'r heading towards debauchery on biz?

The temperature will have nothing to do with the aircraft per se, more to do with how the flight attendants set the heating. I've had some flights where I have been roasting others where its a bit chilly. 23c seems about right. I travel biz and first quite a bit and would take the A380 every time but that's my personal preference

Edited March 2, 20188 yr by chelseafan

12 minutes ago, Kandinski said:

If you hat LAX chose SFO, seats on KE are the same . IMHO are the 777 far superior to the 380 but isnt it same same as long as  you'r heading towards debauchery on biz?

*geek mode on*

No the seat layout on a 777 is 2-3-2 where as the A380 is 2-2-2. Although seat pitch and width are the same. Could argue there are less biz seats on the 777 so service may be better....*geek mode off*

Seats are not the same. There are two cabin layouts for the B777-300ER. One has the Prestige Suite (2-2-2, all seats direct aisle access), the other has the Prestige Sleeper (2-3-2). A380 only has Prestige Sleeper (2-2-2).  I would double check, but chances are the flight from SFO features the newer, better Prestige Suite.

No question the A380...much more modern aircraft and facilities...Business class normally gets you a cocktail bar and lounge (it did on Emirates)

The 777-300 has been around since 1995!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_777

I loved the aircraft telemetry on the A380 especially the outside cameras on landing though landing in a sandstorm in Dubai was 'interesting'

The new 787 is another good option which is becoming more and more popular with airlines now they have stopped catching fire with dodgy batteries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787_Dreamliner_battery_problems

10 hours ago, chelseafan said:

*geek mode on*

No the seat layout on a 777 is 2-3-2 where as the A380 is 2-2-2. Although seat pitch and width are the same. Could argue there are less biz seats on the 777 so service may be better....*geek mode off*

Not talking of  config but seat model, pretty sure they are the same

Never flown Korean so couldn't tell you but that's not true on Emirates who operate both the 777 and A380.

 

Can’t comment on Korean but much prefer the Biz layout on the 777 with Eva than on the A380 with Thai. 

Edit: just checked in SeatGuru and I see that Korean are ‘old style’ Biz in any case.

Looks like you’ll have slightly more room on the A380 but doubt it’s a game changer. Pick the airport & flight times that suit you best.

Edited March 3, 20188 yr by davidge

I just flew Korean Prestige from BKK to ICN, then ICN back to LAX.  Had A380s on both legs.

I too had read that it can get hot, but it wasn't uncomfortable to me (and I HATE trying to sleep when it's hot).  I just didn't use the blanket.  Wore my typical longhaul flight attire - sweatpants and a long sleeve t-shirt (which is close to pajamas).

The IFE isn't that great - I think only 20-25 Western movies, although Thor Ragnarok was among them.  I flew Korean 1st over, so I'd pretty much exhausted what I wanted to watch before the trip back.  The TV choices are even more limited -- like 4 or 5 comedies and only 2 episodes each.

52 minutes ago, davidge said:

Can’t comment on Korean but much prefer the Biz layout on the 777 with Eva than on the A380 with Thai. 

Edit: just checked in SeatGuru and I see that Korean are ‘old style’ Biz in any case.

Looks like you’ll have slightly more room on the A380 but doubt it’s a game changer. Pick the airport & flight times that suit you best.

Not sure what you mean by "old style" Biz - they have full lie flat seating, but it is 2-2-2.  I was in the middle section of seats, so the person next to me never had to climb over me.  A couple of "window seaters" got lucky and had nobody in the aisle next to them, but I think the center section was pretty full.

I agree with davidge that I would use the airport and flight times that work better, as opposed to the type of aircraft (unless you haven't flown an A380 and REALLY want to try it).  I live close to LAX, so I always fly it.  It can be a pain in the ass to get into/out of, but I think the Bradley Terminal is great.

I wasn't unhappy with Korean, and expect to fly them again.  BIG plus with Korean is that you are allowed a stopover when using miles (and can book one way if using Korean, but I don't know about if booked using partner airline miles - I know using Alaskan it has to be RT).  I had -- and expect to continue to have -- some business in Korea, so that helped me quite a bit.

9 minutes ago, Luv2Phuket said:

I just flew Korean Prestige from BKK to ICN, then ICN back to LAX.  Had A380s on both legs.

I too had read that it can get hot, but it wasn't uncomfortable to me (and I HATE trying to sleep when it's hot).  I just didn't use the blanket.  Wore my typical longhaul flight attire - sweatpants and a long sleeve t-shirt (which is close to pajamas).

The IFE isn't that great - I think only 20-25 Western movies, although Thor Ragnarok was among them.  I flew Korean 1st over, so I'd pretty much exhausted what I wanted to watch before the trip back.  The TV choices are even more limited -- like 4 or 5 comedies and only 2 episodes each.

Not sure what you mean by "old style" Biz - they have full lie flat seating, but it is 2-2-2.  I was in the middle section of seats, so the person next to me never had to climb over me.  A couple of "window seaters" got lucky and had nobody in the aisle next to them, but I think the center section was pretty full.

I agree with davidge that I would use the airport and flight times that work better, as opposed to the type of aircraft (unless you haven't flown an A380 and REALLY want to try it).  I live close to LAX, so I always fly it.  It can be a pain in the ass to get into/out of, but I think the Bradley Terminal is great.

I wasn't unhappy with Korean, and expect to fly them again.  BIG plus with Korean is that you are allowed a stopover when using miles (and can book one way if using Korean, but I don't know about if booked using partner airline miles - I know using Alaskan it has to be RT).  I had -- and expect to continue to have -- some business in Korea, so that helped me quite a bit.

Sorry, I’ve explained what I mean by ‘old style Biz’ in another thread so didn’t expand on it in my post.

Basically, I think Biz nowadays can be separated into those airlines that have moved to the ‘own personal space’ model with no-one sat next to you and a 1-2-1 or herringbone layout with almost your own capsule to sit in, and those airlines that still have the 2-2-2 or 2-3-2 layouts or ‘old style biz’.

I’d expect the latter to be significantly cheaper or I wouldn’t fly it, given the option. Obviously, service/food/lounges etc then need to be factored in when comparing airlines as well.

 

As I mentioned a few posts up, KAL has two versions of the B777-300ER. The version with the new Prestige Suite is 2-2-2 and the staggered seating by the window gives everyone direct aisle access. The Prestige Suite is a better seat than the Prestige Sleeper that is found on the A380 and the older B777-300ER version. Since the flights from SFO have the Prestige Suite and the OP prefers that airport to LAX, seems like a no-brainer to me.

4 hours ago, davidge said:

Basically, I think Biz nowadays can be separated into those airlines that have moved to the ‘own personal space’ model with no-one sat next to you and a 1-2-1 or herringbone layout with almost your own capsule to sit in, and those airlines that still have the 2-2-2 or 2-3-2 layouts or ‘old style biz’.

I dont mind the 2-2-2 layout on Qatar 777s. I flew on one for nearly 16 hours last year and found it fine and I'll be doing a couple of similarly long flights in 6 months in the same seats (unless they have fitted the new Q suites on my plane by then). That said, the only seats I would take on a 777 2-2-2 traditional layout would be one of the centre pair.

The nice thing about the 2-2-2 layout (on a decent airline) is the huge feeling of space around you. It feels more spacious than some condos I've seen.

I would almost take economy from SFO before I took anything out of LAX.  I have had all the flights out of there I want to ever take.

I have flown Korean business lately and it was OK enough.  Personally, plane age is not really a big deal to me.  All airlines change the interiors pretty regularly these days so most seats are ok.  But I personally like the 777 over the 380 as I think I am more likely to get a good rest as I remember it.  

After flying on the A380, I don't want to fly on anything else lol! Although looking forward to the new A350's, they look exceptionally brilliant.

8 hours ago, davidge said:

Sorry, I’ve explained what I mean by ‘old style Biz’ in another thread so didn’t expand on it in my post.

Basically, I think Biz nowadays can be separated into those airlines that have moved to the ‘own personal space’ model with no-one sat next to you and a 1-2-1 or herringbone layout with almost your own capsule to sit in, and those airlines that still have the 2-2-2 or 2-3-2 layouts or ‘old style biz’.

I’d expect the latter to be significantly cheaper or I wouldn’t fly it, given the option. Obviously, service/food/lounges etc then need to be factored in when comparing airlines as well.

 

That's what I thought you meant, but I wasn't sure.  There are still some carriers that have the REALLY old style, angle biz class seats, and I avoid them like the plague.

I agree 110% - if I am paying the cost of business class on a long haul flight (whether cash or the increased miles required), I do NOT want to be in a position where I have to crawl over someone or they have to crawl over me.

I had to fly to Azerbaijan last year, and my options were Turkish, with a 2-3-2 layout, or Qatar with 2-2-2.  The biggest factor in my decision was getting oneworld credit with Qatar, but the 2-3-2 layout on Turkish ruled them out, even though the flight was MUCH cheaper.

3 hours ago, KittenKong said:

I dont mind the 2-2-2 layout on Qatar 777s. I flew on one for nearly 16 hours last year and found it fine and I'll be doing a couple of similarly long flights in 6 months in the same seats (unless they have fitted the new Q suites on my plane by then). That said, the only seats I would take on a 777 2-2-2 traditional layout would be one of the centre pair.

The nice thing about the 2-2-2 layout (on a decent airline) is the huge feeling of space around you. It feels more spacious than some condos I've seen.

Not to digress too far from the OP, but Q Suites reportedly coming to Chicago routes as of April 1:

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/02/28/qatar-airways-qsuites-chicago/

As indicated above, I strongly agree re center section of 2-2-2.  I always assume those seats will fill the quickest, but they don't seem to do so.  I think some people really like a window view (which, to me, is meaningless for 95%+ of a long haul flight)

That said, on a 1-2-1 layout, my LEAST favorite seats are the 2 in the center section, because I travel alone and enjoy the additional privacy.

Seat Guru web site will give you all the info about the seats on the 2 planes.

IMO if you have the money business of course.

Asiana is the best airline in Korea fact.

 

1 hour ago, Jack Frost said:

Seat Guru web site will give you all the info about the seats on the 2 planes.
 

I'm a big fan of SeatGuru -- what I find most helpful are the "Featured User Comments" in the right hand column near the bottom of the page.  I always search them re seats in the area of the plane that I am considering.

Take the 777 if flying out of SFO.  They fly the newer version of business class seats so have direct isle and more privacy .  The 380 business seats for Korean are not that good.  I flew 380 in 2016 business class out of LAX.  ?? Mention SEA, do you mean Seattle?  If so look at Vancouver, Korean flys 787 out of Vancouver that plane has the new business class seats for sure. 

 

 

777 v A380

I take it 777 were the home team, what was the final score?

A380 all day long. The best, smoothest and most spacious plane in the world. 

The a380 is class but as someone said the service is better on the smaller plane. On the 380a business class the attendants are always very busy but found on the smaller planes they have time for a chat etc..

The significantly lower noise level on the A380 is the winner for me here. After travelling on A380, 787, A350 mostly for a few flights you really notice how much louder the ambient noise level is on 777's. The new A350 is NINE decibels quieter in the cabin than a 777-300ER and as its an algorithmic scale, 3 decibels is double the noise energy. 

I've never been on an A380 though that I thought was laid out well. None of the airlines seem to have nailed the perfect interior layout/cabin mix.

Edited March 7, 20188 yr by Shaksey

On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 02:32, Shaksey said:

The significantly lower noise level on the A380 is the winner for me here. After travelling on A380, 787, A350 mostly for a few flights you really notice how much louder the ambient noise level is on 777's. The new A350 is NINE decibels quieter in the cabin than a 777-300ER and as its an algorithmic scale, 3 decibels is double the noise energy. 

I've never been on an A380 though that I thought was laid out well. None of the airlines seem to have nailed the perfect interior layout/cabin mix.

I just completed a R/T from BKK to LAX on China Southern.  From BKK to LAX I was on the A-380 and on the return a 777-300ER.  When flying of the A-380 make sure you have plenty of time for your connection. I had 2 hours upon arrival at LAX to make my connection which is usually plenty of time, however my seat was near the rear and with over 500 PAXs it took awhile  to get off the plane and then get thru immigration.  That was quick compared to waiting for over 1000 pieces of luggage to arrive at the luggage carousel as mine was about the last to arrive.  Then a wait to pass thru customs and fortunately I wasn't singled to have my bags searched.  Rechecked my bags and then walk from the International Terminal to the domestic terminal with about 5 minutes to spare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 20188 yr by usexpat46