Korean Air confirms new first class suites

Behind closed doors, Korean Air is developing an all-new first class suite to debut in 2028 – making the South Korean flag-carrier the latest airline to chart a course for the luxury travel market.

The suites will be rolled out across a raft of new aircraft deliveries, says David Pacey, Executive Vice President and Chief of In-flight Service and Lounges at Korean Air. 

“With the new aircraft that will be coming in – the A350, 777 and 787 – they’ll have a new first class cabin.”

The first class suites will appear on Korean Air's newly-delivered Boeing 787, 777 and Airbus A350 jets.

And they won’t only be restricted to Korean Air’s current cluster of first class routes in North America, Paris, Heathrow, and Frankfurt.

“We (also) have a number of what you would call commercially viable (first class) route on this side of the world… Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong, Pacey told Executive Traveller on the sidelines of the launch of Korean Air’s new logo, livery and visual identity.

Pacey also shared that these new first class suites were being designed by PriestmanGoode, the highly-regarded hands behind the latest Prestige Suites 2.0 business class.

Korean Air's Prestige Suites 2.0 business class.

PriestmanGoode is expected to apply the same thoughtful approach of “blending traditional Korean design with modern sophistication” to the first class suites.

The Prestige Suites 2.0 business class berths feature custom patterns inspired by Korean textile art and what PriestmanGoode director Daniel MacInnes has described as "a new contemporary vision of Korean identity” which reflects contemporary Korean aesthetics.

Korean Air's Prestige Suites 2.0 business class.

Korean Air’s new first class service

But even before those new suites arrive, Korean Air will upgrade the service on its existing first class flights.

“There’s actually first class seats, but we didn’t provide first class service,” explains Pacey, a seasoned hospitality professional with over 35 years of experience in luxury hotels across Asia whose mission is to bring that expertise into the sky with Korean Air.

“If we have a first class seat, then we’ll provide first class service.”

This will include new “fine-dining-inspired meals” developed by Chef Seakyeong Kim, owner of Cesta in Seoul, served on Bernardaud china with Christofle cutlery and Riedel glassware. 

First class bedding will feature premium materials from Italian luxury brand Frette, accompanied by an innovative Air Coil mattress from Eco World, with passengers slipping into Frette loungewear for a more relaxing onboard experience.

The upgraded inflight dining and service offerings will debut on March 12 across ten major long-haul routes, including flights to New York, Paris and London; by June, these enhancements will be available on all long-range routes.

Korean Air's chairman Walter Cho wants the airline to go from being a Korean flagship carrier to an international carrier based in Korea.

Pacey said these changes were in part driven by a mission “to go from being a Korean flagship carrier to an international carrier based in Korea.”

On a broader base, this reflects the shift in Korean Air’s passenger demographics.

“I’d say historically we probably saw more Korean males aged 40-ish and above flying. Now it's almost – not totally, but almost – a 50/50 split of Korean and non-Korean, female and male, and we’re certainly seeing a younger profile passenger on board.”

“So I think it's just the changing dynamics of our passenger profile, and we're consciously looking to target a younger segmentation.”

“The chairman’s mandate to us is we need to elevate everything that we do. We know we’re behind and that’s something we need to work on.”

A sneak peek at Korean Air's new flagship lounge at Seoul Incheon.

Something else which Pacey is working on: elegant new airport lounges for Seoul, Los Angeles and New York, which look more like the sophisticated lounges of a five-star luxury hotel.

Travellers can look forward to sating their pre-flight appetite with the help of noodle bars and live cooking stations, a bakery and patisserie, and à la carte dining.

Read more: Korean Air’s new lounges for Seoul, New York, LAX

Sid Raja travelled to Seoul as a guest of Korean Air