Asiana Airlines Business Class Experience

The first half of my flight from Seoul to Melbourne was with Asiana Airlines. Funny enough, before this trip I've never heard of Asiana,  After flying with Air Canada all the way to Seoul, I thought that I had seen what business class is like...oh boy was I wrong. According to Skytrax rating agency Air Canada is only a 3 star airline, Asiana is a 5 star airline! This trip was bound to be an upgrade.

Maybe not a suite, but even better!

With Asiana there’s a clear separation between business/first and economy class including separate entrances to the plane. Upon boarding I’m greeted by the flight attendant offering me the usual glass of champagne and a copy of the Korea Herald which is a good but awkward newspaper in terms of its shape. Now unlike Air Canada, the seats aren’t “suites” but they do recline almost fully. I also preferred this over the suites as I don’t feel like I’m cramped in a cubicle. Also if you REALLY don’t like the person next to you, there’s a “privacy screen” you can pull out. However, like I said in the Air Canada review, you’re not just paying for the seat, it’s the food that makes the difference.

Duck anyone?

My appetizer started off with some roasted duck, garden salad and whatever that dark stuff is on the side of the plate. The duck had some sort of fruit topping and went down amazingly. As for the salad, well it’s really hard to screw up a salad now isn’t it! You’ll also notice the REAL silverware on the side of my plate. To drink I chose a Merlot wine. I don’t normally do red as it gives me terrible heartburn, but I do make a special exception when I have what I chose for my main course.

Mmmmm filet mignon!

The picture above is a pretty sight now isn’t it! Beef tenderloin served with asparagus wrapped in pork belly (bacon) and potato wedges. When I saw this on the menu, there was no way I could refuse. The steak was so tender and juicy, the complete opposite of what you’d expect on an airplane. I had also chosen the Merlot as I tend to prefer red wine when I have steak. It was also nice to have the pork belly/bacon as you don’t see that kind of bacon often in this part of the world.

The grapes had seeds in them, yuck!

After my wonderful dinner, we had a course of cheese, crackers, nuts, and fruit. The cheeses were great. It was a nice addition to my meal but unfortunately the grapes had seeds in them... yeah that’s my biggest/only complaint. It’s a tough life I live, thankfully the real dessert was up next and completely made up for the seeded grapes.

Nobody can say no to ice cream!

That’s right folks, Haagen Daaz and coffee, the best way to finish a four course meal! Someway somehow I enjoyed this quite a bit more than the pie that was served on Air Canada’s flight. Can’t say much else other than it was vanilla and amazing!

Overall the business class experience with Asiana was definitely an upgrade over the experience with Air Canada. There’s a very significant difference in the 3-star and 5-star treatment with the airlines. From the separate entrances to the plane, the upgrade in cutlery to the fantastic choice of wines and champagne on the plane, Asiana certainly makes rtheir business class a 5-star experience. I highly recommend if you can, try the business class with Asiana you won’t regret it...especially for the price I paid!