This week we are increasing the Star Alliance South Korea-based carrier Asiana with expanded Asiana business class reviews! Expanding these reviews gave us an enhanced view of Asiana, validating this carrier as a good—if not great—option. Asiana is often popular due to great business saver award availability. There are many positive aspects of Asiana business class, but also a few things for travelers to be aware of based on the reviews.
As a reminder, Premium Travel Insider aggregates reviews from around the web and scores them on a 1-3 scale. A 3 indicates that a given category exceeded reviewer expectations, a 2 indicates it met expectations, and a 1 failed to meet expectations. We evaluate a variety of categories, the most important of which we call the “Big 5” that are most important to a premium travel experience: seat, food, drink, service, and in flight entertainment. You can learn more about our methodology here.
Expanded Asiana Business Class Reviews Top Line
We now have 11 total reviews from nine different sites. Asiana business class scored 2.41 overall, although only a 2.28 “Big 5” score. These ratings are fairly consistent with our previous ratings when we only had five reviews. These two ratings are a little spread from each other, meaning that the overall Asiana experience will be more positive than some of the individual aspects. Our overall level of detail is 2.00/3, meaning we have moderate confidence in the consistency of these reviews.
What Changed the Most?
| Category | Current Rating | Previous Rating | Change |
| Service | 2.80/3 | 2.50/3 | +.30 |
| Seat | 2.27/3 | 2.00/3 | +.27 |
| Food | 2.45/3 | 2.20/3 | +.25 |
| Drink | 2.25/3 | 2.14/3 | -.11 |
| Bedding | 1.67/3 | 2.00 | -.33 |
There were several changes above that are worth noting. First is the superior service that Asiana provides. Across the 11 reviews, nearly all of the reviewers had extremely positive experiences with Asiana service, scoring 2.80/3. Food also increased to a great score of 2.45/3, with bloggers praising the multi-course meals and the delicious Korean food served. Several reviewers also commented that the Korean food was particularly delightful due to the difference from standard airline cuisine.
On the negative side, the drink program dropped .11 due to a few bloggers commenting on either cheaper wine selections or having flight-specific problems (i.e., broken espresso machine). Bedding also took a hit, as many reviewers noted the pillows are subpar, particularly for the often-long journeys from the US to Korea.
What (Mostly) Didn’t Change?
Several categories remained the same or nearly the same. Lavatory and amenity kit remained the same at 2.00/3. Reviewers praised the A380’s upstairs bathroom, which, while lacking a shower, is extremely spacious. Amenity kits were not provided on all flights, but reviewers praised the “on request” system as a way to be less wasteful. IFE dropped .05 to 1.75/3 from 1.80/3, reflecting Asiana’s lack of selection in movies, which is a universal concern.
Is Asiana Business Class Worth Flying?
Based on our expanded Asiana business class reviews, we can definitively state that Asiana is a good – if not great – product. The biggest issue with Asiana is the poor IFE selection, which is a very negative aspect for an airline that flies 10-14 hour flights around the world. You can check ahead of time what movies are offered, or bring your own entertainment to mitigate this. Otherwise, so long as you don’t end up in an angle flat seat or a “honeymoon” seat with someone you don’t know, you’re in for a good ride.
Looking for more details? Check out the full Asiana business class reviews page or look at our full business class reviews.