SEOUL - Korean Air will launch its first A380 service in
May 2011 with the entire upper deck of the aircraft devoted
to business class flyers. The unique configuration of the
two-story A380 aircraft will allow Korean Air business
flyers "to feel exclusivity like they're travelling in
their own private jet," says general manager Passenger
Marketing Team in Southeast Asia & Oceania
Headquarters, Kim Jung Cheol. He added "this innovative
approach to dedicate an entire floor for a single class
will be benchmarked by other airlines." Korean Air's
business seating, called Prestige Class, will have 94
lie-flat sleepers with 188cm (74inch) between seats and
extra large seat partitions offering what Kim says is
"normally the comfort and privacy reserved for First Class
passengers on other airlines." He added that Korean Air's
A380 is "one of the most spacious in the industry when you
consider that our economy class seats are spaced at 86cm
(34inch) apart and our Prestige Class pitch is 188cm
(74inch). That's a comfort level that will provide us with
a competitive edge." The airline's A380 will have a total
of only 407 seats: 12 first class and 301 economy class
seats on the first level, and the 94 Prestige Class seats
on the upper deck. It is the first airline to devote the
entire A380 second level to the business flyer. Korean Air
has ordered ten A380 aircraft with the first five to be
delivered by the end of 2011 and an additional five by
2014. The airline will launch its A380s on short haul
routes to Japan and East Asia in May, and then expand to
Korean Air's U.S. and European routes in August 2011.