I flew on Korean Air's giant Boeing 747 in economy from Seoul to New York. The big plane made the 13-hour trek much easier than expected.

Taylor RainsSep 17, 2023, 18:09 IST

My seat for the 13-hour journey from Seoul to New York.Taylor Rains/Insider

Five-star carrier Korean Air is one of the last operators of the mammoth Boeing 747-8i jumbo jet.
Korean's plane can fit up to 368 people, with a majority of passengers riding in economy.

The last airline to receive the iconic Boeing 747-8i passenger jet was Korean Air.

And, unlike other carriers who ditched the Queen of the Skies during the pandemic, the Seoul-based airline still maintains a fleet of nine strong.

The 747s are famously equipped with four engines and an upper deck, the latter housing Korean's spacious Prestige business class.

However, a majority of passengers will be seated in one of the jumbo's 314 economy seats situated on the first level — and, fortunately, they're pretty nice.

I recently flew from Seoul to New York on Korean's legendary 747 to see how the 13-hour trek would be in coach. Here's what it was like.

Korean Air is the third five-star carrier I've flown on this year, the other two being Singapore Airlines and Japan's All Nippon Airways.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Considering my stellar experiences on both Singapore and ANA, I had high expectations for Korean.

Taylor Rains/Insider

My journey started at Seoul's Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 at around 4:00 p.m. for my 7:40 p.m. flight (which Insider paid a media rate for).

Taylor Rains/Insider

Having already checked in on the app, I headed to the economy check-in counter to drop my luggage.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Despite Korean's giant operation out of Incheon, there was no bag queue and I was quickly off to passport control and security.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Curb to gate only took 20 minutes total, so I had about two hours to kill before boarding. Luckily, there's plenty to do at Incheon.

Taylor Rains/Insider

After exploring everything the fourth-best airport in the world has to offer, I headed to Gate 233 for boarding.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Heading down to the aircraft, I noticed two jet bridges for boarding: one for first and business and the other for economy.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I was seated in seat 47A — a window seat in the second section of economy.

My seat for the 13-hour journey from Seoul to New York.Taylor Rains/Insider

The seat I was in, however, was beside the middle galley. But I liked the little corner nook as it felt more private than if I was in a 10-abreast row.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Waiting for me at my seat was everything I'd need for a smooth flight: a pillow, blanket, headphones, water, and an amenity kit.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I was particularly impressed with the amenity kit as it came with slippers, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. An eye mask and earplugs were handed out later.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The seat itself was well-designed too, complete with good padding, a 33 to 34-inch pitch, and a headrest — all imperative for surviving 13 hours across the Pacific.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The seat itself was well-designed too, complete with good padding, a 33 to 34-inch pitch, and a headrest — all imperative for surviving 13 hours across the Pacific.

The generous legroom is on par with the 34 inches of pitch offered on ANA, and above Singapore's 32 inches.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The regular bells and whistles of economy were also present, including a big seatback pocket, a TV screen, and a power port.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Probably the best perks though were the cup holder and the handheld remote — both typically absent from US carriers.

Taylor Rains/Insider

However, the seatback pocket was pretty simple and there were no extra pockets like on ANA and Singapore for added storage.

Singapore (top left), ANA (bottom left), Korean (right).Taylor Rains/Insider

Shortly after takeoff, the inflight meal service started. The options were curry chicken, beef stew, or a marinated chicken salad.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While I would have opted for the curry, I actually ordered a special meal on this flight so I could try the vegan dish.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The meal came with tofu, sprouts, mushrooms, radish, rice, and fruit. I loved the food, especially the included seaweed to make a little tofu wrap.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Korean Air actually has a dedicated 'vegan corner' at the Seoul catering center where it prepares special dishes for customers.

Taylor Rains/Insider

This may be a sigh of relief for travelers worried their vegan meal may end up being just a banana and a bottle of water.

The banana served to Japan Airlines passenger Kris Chari when he asked for a vegan dish.Kris Chari

Following the inflight service, I headed to the lavatory to freshen up before napping and was happy to see a clean bathroom.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The cabin lights dimmed for bedtime shortly after, and I found it fairly easy to sleep — though it helped that there was no one in the middle seat.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I slept on and off for about five hours total, with a wake-up around hour 10 for breakfast. I was served rice porridge, a fruit cup, and a banana.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I could also order the Western meal of eggs, potatoes, fruit, yogurt, and a muffin.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Satisfied with the food, I ended up watching Fast & Furious until landing around 8:30 p.m. EST.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While I was very happy to be home after such a long flight, it wasn't the miserable economy experience most people dread.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The seats were spacious, the dinner was delicious, and the recline was much better than any US airline I've been on.

Taylor Rains/Insider

My biggest complaint, however, was the lack of WiFi.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Despite the few issues, I'd easily recommend Korean over other competitors to Seoul, but would suggest getting a window seat if possible.

Taylor Rains/Insider

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I flew on Korean Air's giant Boeing 747 in economy from Seoul to New York. The big plane made the 13-hour trek much easier than expected.

Korean Air is the third five-star carrier I've flown on this year, the other two being Singapore Airlines and Japan's All Nippon Airways.

Considering my stellar experiences on both Singapore and ANA, I had high expectations for Korean.

My journey started at Seoul's Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 at around 4:00 p.m. for my 7:40 p.m. flight (which Insider paid a media rate for).

Having already checked in on the app, I headed to the economy check-in counter to drop my luggage.

Despite Korean's giant operation out of Incheon, there was no bag queue and I was quickly off to passport control and security.

Curb to gate only took 20 minutes total, so I had about two hours to kill before boarding. Luckily, there's plenty to do at Incheon.

After exploring everything the fourth-best airport in the world has to offer, I headed to Gate 233 for boarding.

Heading down to the aircraft, I noticed two jet bridges for boarding: one for first and business and the other for economy.

I was seated in seat 47A — a window seat in the second section of economy.

The seat I was in, however, was beside the middle galley. But I liked the little corner nook as it felt more private than if I was in a 10-abreast row.

Waiting for me at my seat was everything I'd need for a smooth flight: a pillow, blanket, headphones, water, and an amenity kit.

I was particularly impressed with the amenity kit as it came with slippers, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. An eye mask and earplugs were handed out later.

The seat itself was well-designed too, complete with good padding, a 33 to 34-inch pitch, and a headrest — all imperative for surviving 13 hours across the Pacific.

The generous legroom is on par with the 34 inches of pitch offered on ANA, and above Singapore's 32 inches.

The regular bells and whistles of economy were also present, including a big seatback pocket, a TV screen, and a power port.

Probably the best perks though were the cup holder and the handheld remote — both typically absent from US carriers.

However, the seatback pocket was pretty simple and there were no extra pockets like on ANA and Singapore for added storage.

Shortly after takeoff, the inflight meal service started. The options were curry chicken, beef stew, or a marinated chicken salad.

While I would have opted for the curry, I actually ordered a special meal on this flight so I could try the vegan dish.

The meal came with tofu, sprouts, mushrooms, radish, rice, and fruit. I loved the food, especially the included seaweed to make a little tofu wrap.

Korean Air actually has a dedicated 'vegan corner' at the Seoul catering center where it prepares special dishes for customers.

This may be a sigh of relief for travelers worried their vegan meal may end up being just a banana and a bottle of water.

Following the inflight service, I headed to the lavatory to freshen up before napping and was happy to see a clean bathroom.

The cabin lights dimmed for bedtime shortly after, and I found it fairly easy to sleep — though it helped that there was no one in the middle seat.

I slept on and off for about five hours total, with a wake-up around hour 10 for breakfast. I was served rice porridge, a fruit cup, and a banana.

I could also order the Western meal of eggs, potatoes, fruit, yogurt, and a muffin.

Satisfied with the food, I ended up watching Fast & Furious until landing around 8:30 p.m. EST.

While I was very happy to be home after such a long flight, it wasn't the miserable economy experience most people dread.

The seats were spacious, the dinner was delicious, and the recline was much better than any US airline I've been on.

My biggest complaint, however, was the lack of WiFi.

Despite the few issues, I'd easily recommend Korean over other competitors to Seoul, but would suggest getting a window seat if possible.