After my outbound leg, I had some time until my return leg. Although I was scheduled to be in Jeju for only around 4 hours, it would've been kind of disappointing if I had just went back without doing anything.
The Jeju Black Pig is probably one of the things people think of the most when they talk about Jeju Island. And pork from black pigs is a must-have for visitors. This is a noodle stew with pork as a topping. This set me back 10,000KRW which is not too shabby for airport food. Although the taste made the price understandable. Nothing too special, and I'd recommend a place outside the airport if you have the time.
After my meal, I headed downstairs to check back in for my return leg on the same plane. If you are in an airport that is operated by the KAC, which is probably all domestic airports in South Korea, you get the same signages which gets plus points from me for consistency.
I had to check in on a separate check in desk as underage passengers were prohibited from using the kiosk, nor the online self check in. I didn't mind it at all, as it gave me a printed ticket which I collect.
I went through security and to my surprise, learned that liquids were allowed past security checkpoints on domestic flights. I don't know if this is a Korea thing or if it's the worldwide standard, but it left me pleasantly surprised as Korean aviation laws tend to be very conservative when it comes to…basically everything.
Bit of plane spotting from airside. I had to wait around 2.5 hours for my flight as Asiana put the 767 on a tight schedule and it kept getting delayed each leg. Beware that airside of Jeju airport is not really a pleasant place to be in for 2.5 hours. The ceiling is low, akin to a bus terminal, the floor is red, out of all colors, which makes my stomach turn for some reason, and it is overcrowded like hell thanks to flights leaving to GMP plus other destinations like every 5 minutes. Also, there aren't many viewing spots for pictures. there are not windows at all, or the window is too dirty, or it is far away as there is an exit course for inbound passengers between the viewer and the window.
Excuse my disappointment, I did take some photos of the traffic. Some noticeable ones were the Korean A330 and the Eastar 737 max.
A Korean Air A330 at Jeju is nothing special. Every Korean Air widebody has been put on the GMP-CJU run at least once, except for the obvious ones. Even the 747-400 was based in GMP for the route before covid, before they all retired. However, this A330 was special in that it bore the registration HL8025, which started with 80-. This means it is the newer version of the A330 fleet, delivered to them around 2014. It has the newer business class, the apex suites and the updated economy class. I think it might've been on the GMP-CJU run after going on the morning GMP-HND route, the real goldmine of a route for Korean Air and other airlines. Due to the significant improvement in accessibility compared to the counterparts in ICN and NRT, the business traveler and some leisure travelers prefer to pay significantly more to fly out of GMP and HND. On another note, Korean Air has been utilizing the 787-10 for the GMP-HND route, and as the A330's lifespan reaches the end, I am tempted to think that seeing the 787-10 at Jeju will be a regular sight in the future.
Our plane arrived around 1640L, which was when we were supposed to take off. You can see how dark it has become, thanks to the earlier sunset times in winter. It was given the furthest parking spot from the terminal, so this was the best angle I could find.
Another shot before boarding.
You can see the crowded area just outside the door, which is not in sight in this photo. The doors in the 767 opens upwards, and is hidden inside the fuselage. An interesting concept, but I don't know how it would operate in an emergency, with what I presume an electrically operated system, when every second matters. On the outside however, it looks very clean and flush with no door hanging on the outside.
View form my seat, 22A. I carefully selected this seat for two reasons. First, I wanted to get an engine view, as on the outbound leg I was seated aft of the wing. Second, I wanted to be on the left side as I figured I would be flying during sunset, and I wanted to experience it fully. Unfortunately with this delay of an hour, the sunset seems to be in full effect already, but I still managed to get amazing views.
Like this! We took off from runway 07 on the IPDAS 4K procedure and after a bit of cloud surfing, we were greeted to this amazing sight. The redness of the skies with the sun almost set past the horizon mixed with the fluffy clouds covering the surface thanks to the overcast weather of the ground makes this my favorite picture taken from the sky to this date. I was so glad I could've gotten this picture on the 767 before it retired.
In its full glory.
The sky is getting darker and the pictures are becoming harder to take.
As with the previous flight, we were handed out drinks as the seatbelt sign was turned off. I went for an orange juice again. I was never really fond of orange juice to be quite honest, but when I het asked during a flight, there's nothing more refreshing than a cup of orange juice.
You can see the old Asiana Airlines logo with the red mark on the top right. That would be another sight not to be seen as the merger with Korean Air and copyright with the previous parent company which had the red mark prohibited Asiana from using the mark on anything.
Pressure relief holes?
Enter text here…
Maybe somewhere over Suwon or Yongin. As you can see, the reflections make it hard to see.
Landed in GMP on runway 32L. The yellow lighting makes things extra classic. I wish the crew would've turned off the lights next to the wall, as it would've made the views even better, but it wasn't to be. I wonder if it is up to the crew or there is a manual about that.
You can see the change in the seats as you go forward in this shot. That's where the business class used to be, when the 767 flew internationally. It went through a config change sometime during COVID, but as the seats were ancient even then, it seems like the airlines decided to fit whatever was available. You can see how the seatback on the newer seats are taller than the original ones.
Final shot of the aircraft.
