Before I begin, I should apologize for the limited number of photos. When a route or an airport becomes routine, the motivation to document every step tends to fade. This flight, sold under a Japan Airlines number but operated by Korean Air, was a welcome chance to fly the A380 again — something I hadn’t done since January 2020. (A small glitch on JAL’s side: the flight appeared in their system as a B787‑900, which would have meant the new cabin…) Although I usually prefer the Gimpo–Haneda route for convenience, arriving at Narita made more sense this time.
CHECK‑IN
Check‑in takes place in a dedicated Premium area, tucked away from the crowds. There’s a bit of a wait — typical for early morning departures — but the process remains smooth.
Surprisingly, Incheon Airport still doesn’t offer a priority security lane for First and Business Class passengers, which feels unusual for a hub of this scale.
The security line is long, but the newer scanners allow liquids and electronics to stay inside bags, which speeds things up.
KOREAN AIR LOUNGE
We head to the lounge located farthest from the main concourse, recently renovated and hopefully less crowded. The atmosphere is calm and refined, with a solid selection of dishes — both Korean options and a continental breakfast. Drinks must be ordered at the bar, but cocktails are served in rather plain, cafeteria‑style glasses. We settle for mimosas and apple juice. The main drawback is the limited number of restrooms (one toilet and one urinal on the men’s side).
DELAY
Arriving at the gate at the scheduled time, we learn of a roughly one‑hour delay due to strong winds at Narita.
We move to a second Prestige Lounge located after immigration, quieter once the first wave of passengers has departed. The offering is similar, including the cocktails still served in those unflattering glasses.
BOARDING & CABIN
When boarding resumes after the delay, it is already well underway. The flight appears full, including all 94 Business Class seats.
The crew welcomes us warmly, offering sincere apologies for the delay. We are among the last to board the upper deck.
The 2‑2‑2 seats are unchanged from the pre‑pandemic layout, with only a refresh of the fabrics: the celadon green has been replaced by a dark brown to match the new Prestige Suite 2.0 on the A350.
Slippers are provided, storage is generous on the window side — a classic A380 upper‑deck perk — and meal orders are taken via tablet. We choose the Japanese option.
IN‑FLIGHT SERVICE
After a smooth takeoff, service begins quickly. The cabin manager returns to inform us that they are short on Japanese meals and, with many apologies, asks my partner if he would accept the Korean option instead. He politely declines due to the presence of fish. She doesn’t insist, apologizes again, and seems to have found a solution with other passengers.
As someone who frequently travels between Japan and Korea, I’m always impressed by how extensive the service is on these short flights: a full meal, drinks, and the whole long‑haul ritual, even though the flight barely lasts two hours and is often turbulent.
The meal was tasty and served in Armani Casa tableware, but it was hard to fully enjoy it given the pressure to finish before the cabin was prepared for descent.
MENU
ARRIVAL IN NARITA
The landing is bumpy, confirming the strong winds. Seeing an A380 sway that much is unusual, as the aircraft typically offers very stable approaches.
Despite the delay, immigration is quick — our flight is the only one arriving at that moment — and baggage delivery is immediate.
