Korean Air from Los Angeles to Seoul

Deborah Kade
7 days ago
6 min read

We have a morning flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Incheon International Airport.

Flying first class will make the long flight less stressful and more comfortable, for sure.

So....we leave Friday morning and do not arrive in Korea until Saturday night. We have to cross the International Dateline.

We were the first ones to check in this morning. I wish I had taken pictures of the process. The Koreans are just as precise as the Swiss.

There were no lines at the TSA pre-check line. We just walked on through.

The first class lounge is on the 6th floor. We were given a tour of the area. We could have sat inside at one of the pods or out in the area overlooking the shops.

This was the lounge menu. I couldn't see myself having filet mignon this early in the day but a gentleman sitting nearby did have it.

Michael and I opted for the breads and tea.

Michael had the earl Grey black tea and I chose the Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong tea.

Check out the amount of tea leaves that were in my pot!

Michael tried the Winter Citrus Salad

Citrus Tart

I had the warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake. Oh my!!!! Delicious!!!!!

We were asked if we wanted to shower before the flight. Showered at the hotel before coming to the airport so we skipped it. Wonder what that would have been like!

The flight from LAX to Incheon is 12 hours and 22 minutes. On time departure. First plane out so there was no waiting in line to take off.

We headed right over the ocean with Catalina off to my side of the plane.

Michael is seated in 1A while I’m in 2A. Have a bag with slippers, PJ’s, and a bag with toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.

There are 10 of us in first class: 8 men and 2 women.

Meal was served right after we reached our cruising altitude.

Amuse Bouche

Pea purée truffle tart, bacon Parmesan candle, lobster with ajo blanco and melon and cucumber balls, and caviar de Venise. Fresh ingredients and extremely tasty! Hard to choose a favorite.

I had the shrimp skewer with butternut squash as an appetizer. The shrimp and squash were served warm. Delicious!

The minestrone soup! Oh my goodness!! My friend Rosie would have loved this! I would like the recipe.

For the main, I chose the veal chop with Madeira sauce. It was cooked to my preference, medium rare. The meat was so tender I could almost cut it with only a fork

I was too full for the cheese selection and dessert. I did sneak a picture of the cheese plate being prepared for the man sitting across the aisle.

The man sitting across from me had the beef short ribs.

Now, it is time for a little shuteye. The second meal service will be served three hours before we land.

I did sleep a few hours on the plane.

I watched the television K drama series “Moon River” throughout the flight. It is a romance taking place in the Joseon era. Of course, I recognized some of the actors. I have watched too many K dramas not to. I finished 9, one hour, episodes. Hope they still have this when we travel back home in two weeks. I really want to know how it ends.

Salad

Monkfish Loved the sauce!

Fruit for dessert

Final approach into Incheon International Airport.

Part of the first class service, we had an airline representative meet us at the plane, guide us through immigration and customs, pick up our bags and take us to the limo.

Incheon International Airport is the main international airport serving Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world.

"This airport opened for business on March 29, 2001, to replace the older Gimpo International Airport, which now serves mostly domestic destinations and shuttle flights to several East Asian metropolitan areas, including Beijing–Capital, Kaohsiung, Nagoya–Centrair, Osaka–Kansai, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Taipei–Songshan and Tokyo–Haneda."

"Incheon International Airport is located west of Incheon's city center, on an artificially created piece of land between Yeongjong and Yongyu Islands. A shallow sea originally separated the two islands. That area between the two islands was reclaimed for the construction project, effectively connecting the once-separate Yeongjong and Yongyu islands. The reclaimed area and the two islands are all part of Jung-gu, an administrative district of Incheon. The airport has 111 boarding gates altogether, with 44 in Terminal 1, 30 in Concourse A (connected to Terminal 1), and 37 in Terminal 2.

This airport was constructed to share the demand for air transport in the 21st century and to serve as a hub airport in Northeast Asia."

"Located 48 km (30 mi) west of Seoul, the capital and the largest city of South Korea, Incheon International Airport is the main hub for Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, and Polar Air Cargo. The airport is a hub for international civilian air transportation and cargo traffic in East Asia. In 2024, the Incheon International Airport was the sixth-busiest airport in the world and third in Asia by cargo traffic, and 13th in the world and seventh in Asia by passenger traffic.^"

Can't believe all the different types and designs of bridges we saw as we drove into Seoul.

Some sights along the way.

The limo driver had to wind around the city as BTS is having an outdoor concert very close to our hotel.

We are staying at the Four Seasons on the 25th floor.

View from our room of people gathering to see BTS.

The historic heart of South Korea's capital is bracing itself for what may well be the year's biggest event: the return of the world's most successful band in recent years, BTS.

Some 260,000 people are expected to turn up on Saturday at Gwanghwamun Square, where the seven K-pop stars - RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook - will perform together for the first time since October 2022.

Most of them will watch the giant screens outside because only about 22,000 people who managed to get the free tickets will enter the concert venue, a smaller area that has been cordoned off.

"BTS, 'Bulletproof Boy Scouts'), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they expanded their musical style to incorporate a wide range of genres, while their lyrics have focused on subjects including mental health, the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards self-love, individualism and the consequences of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature, philosophy and psychology, and includes an alternate universe storyline."

"Set against the backdrop of a 14th Century gateway to the royal palace, the band's one-hour set will include songs from their long-awaited new album, Arirang, which is set to release on Friday afternoon. Millions around the world can watch the show on Netflix, which has struck a live-stream deal with BTS. Netflix's deal with BTS includes exclusive rights to live stream the show, as well as a documentary on the band's reunion - a marketing triumph given the billions it has pumped into Korean entertainment.

For South Korea, this is more than the comeback of a K-pop band - it's also the return of a cultural force that has propelled Korean soft power with its record-busting mix of punchy pop and electric dance moves."

"One of the world's biggest pop acts, BTS were at the peak of their fame when they had to enlist for mandatory military service, starting with Jin in 2022. Suga was the last to complete service in June last year, paving the way for a full-group comeback. Their 82-date world tour across more than 30 cities, from Singapore and Tokyo to Munich and Los Angeles, begins next month.

The stakes are high as BTS returns to a K-pop industry that has got bigger and more competitive."

The BTS Army is the name millions of the band's fans call themselves.

We are watching the concert on Netflix