Today we’re reviewing Asiana Airlines Economy class on the Airbus A380. This is my second time flying on an Airbus A380. My first time was flying with Emirates in 2018. (Check out my Emirates Economy Review.) It’s a massive plane and I was excited to fly on it again from Japan to South Korea. What a large plane for only a two-hour plus flight.

Asiana Airlines Economy Class – Airbus A380

My sister and I were hoping to book a seat on the upper level (The Airbus A380 has two levels.) To our surprise, we were automatically seated on the upper level. We were seated in a center exit row, which meant lots of extra legroom.

Unfortunately, it also meant I could not keep my backpack under the seat in front of me. So, all the photos taken for this flight are from my phone, as my camera was too hard to get to. I had to keep my backpack in the overhead bin.

In-Flight Entertainment (IFE)

The in-flight entertainment was limited. There were not a lot of choices when it came to TV shows and movies. However, I liked the little bonus features such as in-flight exercise tutorials. Language and conversation guides, to help you brush up on your language skills, were available in English, Japanese, and Chinese. I watched a South Korean travel variety show called “Europe Outside Your Tent: Romantic Italy“. It was about Korean celebrities traveling through Italy. I enjoyed it.

The exit row seats had the screens that folded down between the seats. And the tray tables came out of the armrests. I had seen these before, but I had never sat in an exit row to experience them myself before.

It was very difficult to access the entertainment screen. It would not budge from under the seat. A very helpful flight attendant (I mention how helpful the flight attendants were later on.) had to take it out for me.

You also must stow away the IFE screens in the exit rows during taxi, take-off and landing. This is due to safety regulations.

Food

Each passenger was served a breaded chicken cutlet with rice, peas, and what appeared to be cabbage. There was also a dessert waffle, a sealed cup of water and some sort of unknown gelatin item. A packet of Korean gochujang sauce came with the meal.

The chicken cutlet was the only meal option. However, real food on a two-hour flight is unheard of. Keep in mind the flight was international. However, even four-hour flights from New York to the Caribbean do not include real food.

The chicken cutlet was moist, nicely breaded and seasoned well. The rice was fine. The unidentifiable gelatin item was tasteless and unappetizing. I really enjoyed the waffle. Overall, the meal was very good. I rate it an A-.

The flight attendants wore satin, floral embroidered aprons while serving the food. It was a nice touch.

Bathrooms

The rear bathroom was small, but it wasn’t too bad. For the size of this aircraft, one would expect a larger bathroom. It’s possible that the bathrooms towards the center of the plane were larger. 

Bathroom amenities included facial and hand lotion. I always appreciate when airlines consider how dry the air is on airplanes and provide special amenities like this, especially in Economy class.

Beyond the bathroom you can see the staircase that is roped off. This showcases the two levels of the Airbus A380.

Flight Attendants

The flight attendants were very professional and helpful. Whenever a passenger had the smallest concern, they were right there, with a smile on their faces. That’s a feat, when taking care of passengers on such a large airplane.

I needed a flight attendant to help me raise my entertainment screen since it was very difficult to bring up. I never felt like I was an inconvenience.

Bonus

Even though I flew Economy class, I was able to view the Business class as I exited the plane.

Business class on the Airbus A380 

The seats were in a 1-2-1 configuration with what appeared to be lots of storage space.

Conclusion

I would gladly fly Asiana Airlines Economy class again. The food was very good, especially considering how short the flight was. The flight attendants were attentive and very helpful. The plane was dated, and this included the entertainment system. However, that does not change my positive feelings about the airline.

Maybe you are aware that Asiana Airlines has merged with Korean Air (More details about the merger here.). However, Asiana Airlines is still operating flights independently for the time being. It was a privilege to be able to get to fly Asiana Airlines before it is completely merged with Korean Air.