Direct flights into Japan cost a bomb due to regulations. Other than waiting for the rare promotion, we can also try a one stop flight. One such airline that actually offers lower airfare from Singapore to Japan is Asian Airlines. Here’s my trip report flying home from Osaka, Japan via Seoul Incheon Airport.
The 10-hour journey would see me fly OZ111 to Seoul, South Korea, followed by the longer leg of OZ751 to Singapore, both on Airbus A350-900. I would also be dropping in to Osaka and Asiana’s Business Class lounges in Osaka and Incheon Airports, respectively, using my Priority Pass privilege.
Trip Overview
Osaka to Seoul (KIX-ICN)
Flight Number: OZ111
Aircraft Type / Registration: A359 / HL8362
Class: Economy
Departure (ETD/ATD): 1050hrs (GMT+9) / 1115rs (GMT+9)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 1250hrs (GMT+9) / 1244hrs (GMT+9)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 2h 00m / 1h 29m
Seat: 37K
Meal Service: Snack
Seoul to Singapore (ICN-SIN)
Flight Number: VN340
Aircraft Type / Registration: A359/ HL8708
Class: Economy
Departure (ETD/ATD): 1620hrs (GMT+9) / 1636hrs (GMT+8)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 2155hrs (GMT+9) / 2148rs (GMT+8)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 6h 35m / 6h 12m
Seat: 33K
Meal Service: Dinner – Bibimbap!
Pre-flight: Checking In
In order to catch the early flight, I had caught the Haruka train departing Osaka at 6:53am. Thankfully, I stayed in Hotel Vischio Osaka by Granvia, which was right by the Osaka Station. The 40-minute green car ride set me back at JPY 3,710 (USD 25), but of course it would be half the price if one opts for the regular ride.
From Osaka Kansai International Airport, I was able to check in for my entire flight. My luggage was also checked through to Singapore. All I needed to do was to find my way to the Singapore flight after touching down at Incheon Airport.
Like all airlines, I could check in via mobile check in. However, I could somehow only use the mobile boarding pass. Nonetheless, it meant I only needed to drop my luggage. Till date, Asiana was the airlines with the fastest queue for passengers who had checked in online (don’t ask me how the other airlines screwed up and initiative that’s supposed to cut check in time).
The challenge came when we had to clear the security and immigration, for there was a long queue to enter the transit area. Thankfully, the ground staff saw my boarding pass and directed me to the separate queue for passengers with mobile boarding pass. Therefore, I got to cut the queue ahead of about 30 passengers! However, as more and more airlines adopt mobile boarding passes, this โprivilegeโ may be lost.
After passing through the security check, I headed downstairs for the immigration. At first sight, there was a long queue. However, that was for the residents. Instead, foreigners were guided to the egates, which had shorter and faster queues. Interestingly, the residents still had to go through the manual immigration counters.
All in all, I reached the transit area in under 15 minutes.
Pre-flight: Going though Kansai Airport
Kansai Airport is undergoing renovations, which was obvious from the hoarding at parts of the north wing. However, based on what had been completed, the new look was refreshing. They had chosen light earth tones that complemented the big open windows. This gave the terminal an airy feel as compared to its older look.
However, there was one glaring downside – its toilets. While their toilets were still clean as per Japanese standards, they smelled like Malaysiaโs ones. Even the toilets in the lounge smelled of stale urine.
Pre-flight: Boarding
Boarding for my Incheon flight was at Gate 12. While it was on the same wing as KIX North Lounge, it was so far out in the finger pier that we had to take the shuttle train.
As per Japanese style, there were clear queues for different boarding groups. Consequently, boarding was orderly, yet speedy.
The boarding for my flight to Singapore was equally orderly. Except that the Koreans were super enthusiastic and queued up in the respective queues before the boarding announcement was made!
Boarding at Incheon Airport
For my 2nd leg of the journey, boarding at Incheon Airport was pretty much standard. I was slightly late, as I really couldn’t bear to leave the comfort of Asiana’s Business Class lounge. By the time I reached the gate, the queue had already formed, and I was stuck at the back. There was no queue organisation per se. People just queued up before the gate and the queue snaked down the terminal building across several boarding gates. Pretty surprising for an east Asian airport!
Aircraft – A350-900 (HL8362 / HL8078)
The aircraft of both flights was the Airbus A350. With a configuration of 28 Business and 283 Economy Class seats, the aircraft could carry 311 passengers. Luckily for me, the flights weren’t full on that day.
Asiana A359 Economy Seating Layout
I was seated in the aft cabin, by the window. The economy class cabin was fitted out with Safran Z300 seats in a 3-3-3 layout. Therefore, my seats at 33K/37K were 2 seats from the aisle.
For those seeking privacy with easier access to the aisle, they could consider row 29, where the window sections had 2 instead of 3 seats. 30A and 30K, which are window seats, enjoy the added benefit of aisle access, due to the space left empty by what would have been 29A and 29K. However, based on my observation, passengers seated at 29B/J always liked to leave their personal belongings (which could sometimes be bulky) at that coveted space, thereby obstructing 30A/Kโs aisle access.
Seat and Space
Back to my regular Economy seat, I had decent legroom to tide through the flight. The window seat also provided extra โshoulder spaceโ for me. Compared to the aisle seat, I need not worry about people bumping into my shoulders when they move up and down the aisle.
My seat amenities at the seat back included the Inflight Entertainment System (IFE), the bi-fold tray and (rather tight) seat pocket. Near the bottom, we could find the international power socket; the 3 seats in the row shared 2 sockets.
Inflight Entertainment System (IFE) on Asiana Airlines Economy Class
My inflight entertainment included an 11 inch touch screen TV, a remote control and a pair of headphones. The screen was responsive and intuitive. The IFE content, though, was questionable. The shows were those that were popular in the last decade.
The headphones also showed severe signs of wear and tear. Its rubber casing was already splitting apart. Needless to say, my oversized head exacerbated the issue. Since the IFE didn’t support Bluetooth pairing, and used the 2-pin headphone jack, I ended up giving watching shows on the flight a miss.
A359 Lavatory
There were 6 lavatories shared among the 283 Economy Class passengers. Those of us in the after cabin could even choose between the 2 at the tail of the plane, or the 4 located in between the 2 Economy cabins. Kudos to the cabin crew for keeping the lavatories clean despite the high 47:1 passenger to lavatory ratio!
Meals over High Seas – The Asiana Experience
Even though my Seoul-Singapore flight was almost 3 times longer than the Tokyo-Seoul one, both served only 1 meal onboard. Of course, Asiana serving a proper hot meal for a 1.5hr flight was impressive!
Lunch Over Sea of Japan
Meal service started a mere 15 minutes from take off. The meal consisted of a light lunch box of Curry Pork (hopefully) Rice. There weren’t โoptions” to choose from, and the entire meal service was concluded in 30 minutes. I’m always apprehensive about choosing spicy food like curry on flights, especially on red eyes. That being said, the curry rice wasn’t spicy. The meal was rather standard – nothing to wow about, but definitely not bad. As a comfort food, it was a great way to say goodbye to a good holiday in Japan.
Dinner at South China Sea
Around 15 minutes after take off from Incheon Airport, the crew commenced the beverage service. And within the next 10 minutes, the meal service started proper. The meal options of the flight were Bibimbap and Chicken Pasta. Since Asiana is famous for its tasty Bibimbap, it was only logical that I opted for it.
Although the meal was presented via tray service, it was no less elaborate. The rice, ingredients and soup were all in separate containers, making it a joy to put them all together and stir the Bibimbap to perfection. All on the plane!
To be honest, the meatโs serving was pathetic, but the soul of the Bibimbap was its sauce. The gojichangโs spiciness was toned down to suit the taste buds of non Koreans. For the second half of my meal, I threw in the accompanying kimchi to stir up the taste.
Near the end of the flight, we were served a snack – microwaved pizza slice. Nothing fancy. By then, it was already past dinner time back home, so I was all game to gorge it down in a few gulps.
Asiana Airlines Staff Service
When it came to meal service, it was clear that the cabin crew was ruthlessly efficient. Commencing meal service within 15 minutes after take off? That was something our dear Singapore Airlines cannot achieve.
I couldnโt say the crew was super friendly, but neither did they look like we owed them millions. When taking the Economy class, all I asked for was a quick meal service, so that I could enjoy some peace for the remainder of the flight.
The pilots, however, were of a different breed. During take off, they made a very long announcement in Korean. When they switched to English, all they did was to announce the flight number and said โHave a pleasant flightโ. Although I didnโt understand Korean, I donโt think โHave a pleasant flightโ would take up to 2 minutes in Korean lol
KIX North Lounge
As an HSBC Travel 1 card holder, I had access to the lounges in Kansai Airport via Dragon Pass. After a quick search, I decided to drop by the KIX North Lounge, which had slightly better reviews.
However, through my past experience, I didn’t have high expectations for Japanese airport lounges. They were known for their minimal provisions. Food variety was limited and seats were often insufficient.
First Impression of KIX North Lounge
In a way, KIX North Lounge both met and exceeded expectations. It met the expectation of a bare minimum of a Japanese airport lounge.
F&B options
There were literally only 2 hot food options (Caramelized Chicken (think Orange Chicken, but no sour) and Shumai), some cold cuts and instant noodles. For beverages, the offering was more complete – from alcohol to coffee (2 coffee machines), soft drinks and instant drinks.
Seating of KIX North Lounge
On the other hand, it exceeded my expectations as the furnishing was modern. Most of the seats were for single travellers, which meant a higher take up rate. There were also workstations for business travellers. Despite the crazy crowd downstairs, the lounge was quite and half full.
I chose a lounge chair facing the apron, so that I could enjoy my breakfast with the superb view of sunrise over the runway (and a Cathay Pacific A350 parked in front of the lounge).
Location – Getting to KIX North Lounge
The KIX North Lounge is located near Gate 20, which was on the left side after clearing the immigration. It was accessible by elevators, though there was also a loooong flight of stairs for the athletic travellers.
In general, I had a rather pleasant experience with KIX North Lounge using my Dragon Pass. It offered a much better experience than what I went through at Haneda Airport’s ANA Lounge. Surprise! I couldn’t say it was worth a detour. But considering that Osaka Airport is as busy as it can get, catching some peace in KIX North Lounge might be a real blessing.
Asiana Business Lounge (East)
In my 3.5 hours of transit in Seoul, I dropped by Asiana Business Lounge using my Priority Pass. Asiana maintains 3 lounges in the terminal. My target today was the lounge near gate 11, which was near my departure gate. At around 12pm, there wasn’t much of a crowd in the airport.
The escalators leading to the lounge were found in a non assuming hole in the wall. As we emerged from the lower floor, we were greeted by the expansive welcome walls of the Asiana Business Suite Lounge and the Asiana Business Lounge.
The Asiana Business Suite Lounge was exclusively for the First Class passengers and premium tiers of Asianaโs frequent flyers. The lounge name hardly fit the clientele. Since I was traveling Economy that day, I could only use my Priority Pass at the Asiana Business Lounge, which was also open to those flying on Business Class with Asiana and the Star Alliance airlines.
First Impressions
With both lounges side by side, it was rather confusing at first. Luckily, Asiana combined the reception for both of them. After processing my PP voucher and checking my boarding pass, the staff pointed me to the right entrance.
I had to scan my boarding pass to pass through the turnstile, which made the experience feel distant and cold. How many โillegal customersโ were there in order for them to install such devices, right beside the reception?
Past the entrance though, the soft design touches of the lounge welcomed me. There were similarities between the design language of Asianaโs lounge and ANAโs. Both used simple, low lines to accentuate the earthly tones of the furniture and fabric. That said, Asiana’s felt contemporary, while ANA’s was a throwback to the 1980โs.
Seating in Asiana Business Lounge (East)
Nearer to the entrance we could find the counter seats that doubled up as a workstation. Kind of like library desks, but taller. Further in, we walked past the cafe seats that led to the food islands.
On one side of the lounge was the floor to ceiling windows facing the apron. On the other, we had private pods that one could lounge in.
I took the cafe seats initially, since I wanted to try the food. I swooped in to take one of the pods when one of them became available later on. For the cafe seating, I’d say the fantastic view of the airplanes complemented the experience very well.
The pods were equally enjoyable. Coupled with the high back seat, the footstool allowed me to lounge and try to catch forty winks from catching the super early flight from Tokyo. There was enough space in the cubicle for my belongings. In fact, one of the passengers was using the pod with their kids, which went to show how much space there was. One should really try to snag a place in the pods when possible!
F&B Options
The F&B section covered all aspects of a well stocked lounge. On top of the hot food and cold cuts, there were pastries and cakes – all comfort food. On the beverages side, there were coffee machines, alongside tea and juices, and of course the alcohol.
The Asian focused hot food consisted of fried Korean dumplings and braised pork with brinjals – comfort food for a tiring flight, though underwhelming as it was lunch time. Therefore, I also picked the pasta, which was passable.
Thoughts About Asiana Business Lounge (East)
I’d say the value of the lounge was in its variety of seating.
The toilets were reasonably clean. There were also shower facilities, which I skipped as I was traveling alone so no one was looking after my stuff while I shower. There was also massage chairs according to the app, though I didn’t find one in Asiana Business Lounge (East).
In hindsight though, I wondered if the chair in the pod was the massage chair? Except that I had completely overlooked its functionalities?
The pods especially were great for me. For someone trying to pass my time in my 4-hour transit, I could rest easily, doze off, and work on this post all the while in the comfort of the seat. If you are flying Asiana’s Business Class, or have Priority Pass membership, the the Asiana Business Lounge (East) is worth a detour.
Parting Words
Flying on Asiana Airlines from Japan to Singapore took a longer time, but it was also a cheaper option. During the transit, I also got to experience one of its Business Lounge at its home base in Incheon Airport. The minimalist lounge had plenty of seats and space, making it a great spot to hide from the airport’s hustle and bustle.
The flights themselves were just as enjoyable, considering that I was flying Economy. Airbus after all had designed its A350-900 to be comfortable for long flights. The inflight food was catered from Incheon, hence ensuring their quality.
Near the end of the long flight from Seoul to Singapore, the public announcement even initiated a stretching exercise. I was rather surprised to see almost all passengers stretching in unison! It was definitely a scene to remember!
This post marks the end of my winter trip to central Japan, where I visited Takayama, Kyoto and Osaka. Check out my travelogues to the mountain town of Takayama, as well as my re-visit of Kyoto, particularly to spots like Kiyomizu-dera and Sagano Romantic Train. I also returned to Osaka for sightseeing – old and new sights. We stayed in Hotel Wood in Takayama, Hotel Granvia Kyoto and Hotel Vischio Osaka By Granvia in those spots, so feel free to read my room reviews if you are scouting for accommodation in these cities. I had flown into Nagoya, Japan via Vietnam Airlines‘ Business Class, and now headed home on Asiana via Seoul. I had visited Osaka before and documented my vacation, so check out my travelogue hunting for food around Dotonbori in summer!
Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.
