I've flown several different international airlines over the past 15 years or so. In my experience and humble opinion, most of the North American and European airlines are mediocre, at best. Some, like Continental, are actually terrible. Though Ukrainian Airlines gives it a good run for its money. And Alitalia....oy. Exceptionally rude service, ancient planes--and no individual TVs! Aerosvit, Aeroflot...are as good as their names. M. flies to the Netherlands regularly on KLM, and says they're alright, nothing to write home about. I've only had two good experiences: Air France (in keeping with my theory that the French have a right to be snooty because in actual fact, they generally do everything better), and British Airways.
But the Asian airlines are in a completely different class. Japan Airways was my first experience, and I felt like I got an idea of what first class service was like--only I flew economy. The hard shelled travel kits, the water/juice stations, the personal TVs (keep in mind that this was 11 years ago, when in flight entertainment meant 2 or 3 movies played at specific times). I've flown Malaysian Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, and they all offer exceptional, kind service, delicious food, new or beautifully maintained planes, gorgeous uniforms, and wonder of all wonders: on time flights.
So I should have expected nothing less when we booked with Korean Airlines. But knowing that they have historically had a poor flying record made me manage my expectations.
The phone call I received about 2 weeks prior to our departure date tipped me off as to what we had in store for us. It was a Korean Airlines representative, calling to say that they were aware that we would be travelling with two small children. Was the baby still nursing, or should they pre-order her formula and puréed baby food? And as for our toddler: would he like spaghetti, pizza, or hot dogs?
Come again? Have you ever been contacted by an airline for any reason? Other than to confirm that yes, indeed, your bag was accidentally sent to Santiago, not San Diego, and that it *might* arrive in 7 days. And that yes, you'll need to pay out of pocket to buy a new bridesmaids dress for your cousin's wedding. And that depending on how they evaluate your situation, they *might* be able to reimburse you up to $75.
8 hours into this 14 hour direct flight from Toronto to Seoul, and I am nothing short of amazed.
Our baby bassinette was brought to us promptly, along with a kiddie activity bag which included stickers, a colouring book, pencil crayons and a toy. Our in-flight kits include the standard toothbrush and toothpaste, but also slippers. Which are surprisingly useful on a long haul flight.
Little J was pretty into her bassinette (at least, at first...), which just clipped onto the bulkhead seat.
When our meals arrived, Big J's came in this cute as a button little container.
We both chose the Bibimbap, a Korean fave from back home. Korean Airlines kindly considered that we might not know exactly what to do with the rice, toppings, and sauces, so provided us with this handy guide.
No sooner did I write this paragraph (several hours later) did I happen to open a set of chopsticks to eat my ramen soup snack. And note that they, too, came with thoughtful instructions.
The slogan on the napkin reads, "Caring More About You". You really did care about us, Korean Airlines, you did.
It gets better. Things got a little hairy during meal time, and we literally did not have enough hands to keep Big J from dumping his spaghetti all over the place, while also keeping our meals on our tray tables. Little J decided that it was an opportune moment to start wailing. Within a minute, a flight attendant arrived to ask if she could hold the baby. And then proceeded to comfort and play with Little J for the next few minutes while we got settled. Because it took awhile for us to assemble our bibimbap. And we could just tell she wanted us to enjoy our meal.
Later in the flight, I had to politely decline another tray full of huge jars of baby food, because Little J had barely made a dent in the first round.
Finally, we need to discuss the uniforms. They had me at the aqua silk blouse and beige pencil skirt. But the structural scarf and wisp like hair accessory? Pure class.
If you're going to spend 24 hours flying, doing it with Korean is a good call. Check out the vids below just for fun. Genius branding!
2 comments:
Great story N. Will try and remember to book cross Pacific flights on Korean Airlines.
You should. Tell them I sent you. Since this post is essentially one big ad for them, they owe me a kick back.
Post a Comment