When we decided that we were going to plan a two-stop trip to Korea and Japan this Easter, the first thing we did was head straight to SkyScanner to look for flights. Air China flights were coming in the cheapest, but we didn’t want the long (11 hour each way) layover in Shanghai that came with the low price.

The next most affordable option? Korean Air. So we booked the flights, and this ended up being the best decision we could have made!

We took 4 flights with Korean Air during the month of April 2025. We flew from London Heathrow to Seoul, then a week later from Seoul to Tokyo.

For the return leg of our journey we flew a 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo to Seoul Incheon, had a 6 hour layover in the airport, and then one final 14.5 hour flight from Seoul back to London Heathrow.

Here’s our full review of our economy class experience with Korean Air:

The World’s Best Economy Class Airline?

Long after we’d booked our flights, Korean Air hit the press. This is because at the beginning of the year Korean Airlines was named the Airline of the Year for 2025 by AirlineRatings.com. It was particularly highly rated for its economy class service, and has the honour of being the airline with the most legroom and widest economy class seats in the world.

Korean Air economy class seats are generally 18 inches wide and have a 33-34 inch pitch. This is the case for the majority of the fleet, but small variations can occur.

I’m only 5 ft 6, so leg room has never really been a problem for me on any flight. But this was the first time in a long time my husband, who is just over 6 foot tall, didn’t complain about being cramped and uncomfortable on a long haul flight.

👉 Ready for an adventure in Korea? Read our full South Korea with Kids Itinerary here!

🚗 Top Tip? Don’t forget to book your airport transfers! Check availability and book here.
There’s nothing worse than having to get on public transport after a long-haul flight (especially with kids!)
🎁 Use the code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off all transfer prices!

An Excellent Service For Kids

Where we were particularly impressed, and where Korean Air stood out from the crowd, was just how well it dealt with its younger passengers. If you’re travelling with kids then this is a great airline to choose both for its long haul and short haul options.

🍛 You can read our full review of the food on our Korean Air flights here.

Some of the things we felt impressed by were:

• The children’s food portions on every leg of the flight were incredibly generous. As well as a main meal option (which we had chosen in advance, so we knew it would be something the kids would like), there were also plenty of snacks, bread, fruit and salad too. The children’s meals were served first and the hostesses checked that they had the right meals for each kids as we boarded. You can view the children’s special meals available by departure airport here.
  
• We were invited to board the flight first because we were travelling with kids. This was really handy because we had plenty of hand luggage that we were glad to get onboard. As we were taking night flights, it meant that we could get the boys settled before take off.
  
  We weren’t expected to be offered this service (the boys are 9 and 12, so not toddlers) but the team couldn’t have been better, even helping to carry my bags for our 1am departure because I was carrying a fast-asleep 9 year old who refused to wake up!
  
• The boys were offered child-sized and incredibly comfortable overhead headphones which were much more comfortable than the cheap, in-ear ones that the adults were using (we did have to return these at the end of the flight, whilst you can keep the in-ear ones if you want to).
  
• Finally, both of the boys were offered entertainment and activity packs that were of surprisingly high quality. This guy LOVES Pororo, so he was especially pleased with the Pororo activity pack he was given on the flight from Seoul to Tokyo.

Looking for more tips on travelling with kids? Check my South Korea with kids destinations guide here.

Amazing Quality of Service From the Staff

💺 Have you booked your Korean Air flights yet? We always book our flights with Expedia because they offer great deals and last-minute savings, instant booking confirmation, and in some cases, you can even pay with a payment plan (great if you’re booking expensive flights for a big family!)

We fly a lot, so it’s no small thing for us to say that we were incredibly impressed by the quality of the service offered by the kind and attentive staff on all four of our Korean Air flights.

There was a regular drink and food service (on our longest 14.5 hour flight we were offered 3 full meals) and there were also snacks and drinks available in the central galley that we could help ourselves to during the flight. The staff never seemed to sit down: they were constantly walking up and down the aisle offering drinks or even just glasses of water. There was no need to be dehydrated!

On the subject of the food? On the whole, it was good! Like the children’s portions, the adults portions were generous. We were pleased with the fresh fruit and the fresh salad: I hate it when you eat nothing but processed foods on long flights.

The only negative? On our flight to London from Seoul they ran out of the Western main meal, leaving us with a plate of spicy octopus. Not my first choice, but these things happen! And although I would normally avoid spicy food on a flight, it tasted good and was well presented.

The in-flight temperature was great, and the lighting was adjusted through the flight to help us manage our jetlag. There was a good range of entertainment available: films, games, tv shows, and cartoons for the kids. You can view the range of in-flight entertainment here.

There was a much better selection of movies available on the short haul flight from Seoul to Tokyo than on the longer flight from Seoul to London, but there were still plenty of options, and enough to keep us all entertained.

Each seat also had its own USB charging point, so we could keep our phones charged (handy for arranging transfers on arrival) and the boys could also charge and therefore play their Nintendo Switches for as long as they wanted on the flight too.

In terms of amenities, when we boarded each flight there was an amenities kit on each chair as we boarded which contained a pair of slippers, toothbrush, and toothpaste. There was also a bottle of water, a blanket, and a pillow which helped to making sleeping much more comfortable.

What We Packed On Our Korean Air Flight

Man can’t live on in-flight amenities alone, even if Korean Air did pop a thoughtful amenities pack on every seat. We packed pretty light for this flight (we took advantage of our included hold luggage allowance) but some of our tried-and-tested essentials that made our journey so much more comfortable were:

• Charger cable. Power banks aren’t easy to carry on flight in Asia any more, but each seat had a USB charging point, so pack a charging cable to keep your phone topped up! (I have this iPhone one)
• Refillable water bottles – Take these ones through security empty then fill them up before you get on the plane! It doesn’t matter how many drinks services there are, I’m always thirsty on the plane. We’ve spent a little more on durable, stainless steel bottles like this for travelling.
• Packing cubes – trust me on this one! Organising your carry-on means that when your kids ask for a snack, crayon, spill juice on themselves etc, you can find what you need fast, without tipping your whole bag on the tray table. Look for backpack specific ones like these.
• Travel pillows – We ALL took our neck pillows and we all used them a lot! These are long, overnight flights. I use a memory foam pillow, and now I’ve tried it I’ll never go back.
• Lightweight cabin bags – On the subject of bags! The CabinZero ones are the best we’ve ever tried, and you can see my full review of these here.
• Compression socks – It’s not glamorous, but my feet can sometimes swell when I travel, so I don’t fly anywhere without these.

Before We Boarded

Before we boarded our flight, we were able to make many choices online via the Korean Air website, and this made the whole experience even easier.

We chose our seats, and selected kids meals for the boys. We could also have chosen gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, or low fat meals for ourselves. What I liked about choosing the meals is we were given a full menu, so not only could we opt for kids meals for the boys, they could choose the meals they wanted.

Options included hot dogs, BBQ chicken, spaghetti and beef bulgogi. A range of child-friendly options that they were happy to eat!

I also used this same, easy to navigate, website to pre-check into all four of our flights in one go around a month before we travelled. This means I didn’t have to think about the flights, check in, or complete any other paperwork, while we were travelling. I just had to focus on having a good time!

Korean Air was an amazing airline and for its low price it far exceeded our expectations. We will definitely be flying with Korean Air again!

Keep Planning Your South Korea Trip

Are you planning a trip to Seoul with kids, or perhaps you want to travel further afield with your family during your time in South Korea? This further reading will help you plan your trip:

👍 Visiting the DMZ in South Korea With Kids: An Essential Guide

👌 The Ultimate 5 Day Seoul Itinerary With Kids: Our Family Friendly Adventure

👏 The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Lotte World in Seoul

😊 Complete Guide to Renting a Hanbok in Seoul, South Korea

Have you ever flown with Korean Air? I’d love to know how you found the experience! And what other airlines do you think have the best economy class service? We’re economy class passengers all the way here, so i’d love to hear your thoughts!

WANT MORE POSTS LIKE THIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX? HIT SUBSCRIBE BELOW

✓ Subscribed

Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!