Korean Air Prestige Lounge (Incheon) review: dark and moody with just a *hint* of kimchi
It hasn’t always been the case, but the Korean Air Prestige Lounges at Incheon Airport (ICN) are some of my favorite business class lounges in the entire world.
They’re huge, nicely partitioned, and as cozy as a library. The food is pretty good too.
It’s basically a really nice place to gorge yourself on kimchi and pizza (and maybe an apple if you’re feeling guilty) between flights.
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Location
There are actually two Korean Air Prestige Lounges at Incheon Airport: East and West. Both are located in Terminal 2, and they are essentially the same.
The East lounge is located near gate 253. The West lounge (the one that I visited) is located near gate 248. You can’t go wrong with either one. They’re so similar as a matter of fact that it’s hard for me to recommend one over the other.
How to get in
The most common way to get into the Prestige Lounge is to be holding a business class ticket on Korean Air or any SkyTeam airline. My boarding pass for Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class to Tokyo Narita was what granted me access this particular day.
You can also access the Prestige Lounge if:
- You are a SkyTeam Elite Plus member
- You are a SkyPass Million Miler Club member
- You are a SkyPass Morning Calm Premium member
- General SkyPass Morning Calm members also have access (it just depends on how busy they are)
Note that entry rules and requirements can change, so I do recommend double-checking the official Korean Air lounge entry requirements for ICN just to be sure.
To enter this lounge, simply scan your boarding pass at one of the kiosks at the entrance. There’s no need to check in at the reception desk. Unless the kiosk doesn’t like you of course.
Layout
Those are you familiar with the previous version of the Incheon Korean Air business class lounges will be happy to know that this updated version is so much better. The overall size is the same, but it’s not an open floor plan anymore. Everything is partitioned off into cozy little cubicles and private(ish) rooms. It’s a very warm and welcoming environment IMHO.
The colors and textures aren’t as ‘hospital like’ as the previous version. There’s dark wood, warm light, and soft textures covering every inch of this space.
The colors and textures actually remind me of what these Prestige Class lounges used to look like back in 2014. Those were dark and moody just like this one.
This lounge features showers, a decent business center, and fairly strong Wi-Fi . It’s a really good place to get stuff done.
Food and drinks
Unlike the NRT KAL lounge I had visited earlier that morning, this one was stocked full of really great food. There was hot food, cold food, and made to order food.
Notice the chef in the top left of the picture above. He was preparing made-to-order dishes (presumably noodles), and he looked extremely talented. So talented that I presume nothing more than a wink and a nod would have been all that was needed for him to prepare the best bowl of food I’ve eaten in my entire life. Presumably.
I somehow found myself fixated on the pizza (omg), but there’s a wide variety of other options. You’ll find something good to eat. I promise. Unless you’re a really picky eater.
This lounge features a fully staffed bar. It’s worth noting that getting an alcoholic drink in this place will require getting it from the bartender. There is no self-serve alcohol. If this sounds annoying to you, I highly recommend the Incheon Oneworld Lounge instead. They’ve got self serve alcohol up the wahzoo over there.
Pros and cons
This lounge reminded me a lot of The Pier in Hong Kong. Both are huge, somewhat dark, very moody, and broken up into smaller rooms. Unlike The Pier however, the pizza was annoyingly irresistible here.
Pros
- Finding a private (and cozy) place to sit will be very easy. A large portion of this lounge is dedicated to individual / private seating options.
- I really like the dark and moody ambience. It’s probably not for everybody, but it’s the kind of environment which is very calming and soothing to me.
- The selection of food is pretty good for a business class lounge. It’s maybe not the best, but it’s pretty stinkin’ far from the being the worst.
Cons
- You might not like this lounge if you’re the type of person who needs natural light to function normally. There are no windows to the outside world here.
- I kinda wish they would’ve had more nonalcoholic drinks available. There wasn’t much of a selection.
- Speaking of drinks, the only way to get a stiff one in this place (the alcoholic kind I mean) is to mosey on up to the bar.
