If you’re looking for loads of legroom in economy or an inexpensive premium economy seat to and from Seoul, you should definitely consider Air Premia, the new hybrid airline from Korea.
With surprisingly comfortable seats, generous baggage allowances, power outlets and inflight entertainment, Air Premia excels in all the basics and is an excellent choice if you’re flying to Seoul.
Air Premia is a new kind of airline – a long-haul hybrid carrier that isn’t quite a full-service airline but isn’t exactly a traditional low-cost or budget carrier either. It exclusively flies Boeing 787 Dreamliner widebodies, and offers above-average economy and premium economy seats.
I love it as an inexpensive yet surprisingly luxurious way to get across the Pacific from Newark (for the New York metro area), Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Air Premia itself only flies to Bangkok (BKK) and Tokyo (NRT) within Asia, but if you’re happy building yourself an onward connection from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, it can be really handy for an onward journey, too.
Air Premia’s model is point-to-point, to and from Seoul. The airline does offer some limited onward connections via Korean Air, but in all honesty if you want to do that you’re probably better off flying Korean Air all the way through.
If you want to book a connection onto Air Premia (for example, traveling from the US to Bangkok) you’ll need to book two entirely separate tickets. That self-connection will be at your own risk, meaning that if you miss the first flight or are delayed so long you miss the connection, the airline is not obligated to rebook or assist you.
If self-connecting still sounds appealing (and depending on the cost, it might be) I’d recommend making sure you have at least a 2-day buffer in Seoul between your flights. If you have the time, go for it – Seoul is a wonderful city to visit.
Air Premia has a frequent flyer program where you earn points based on how much you paid for your ticket. Since it doesn’t have any partner airlines, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re shuttling backwards and forwards to Seoul super regularly.
Air Premia offers two cabins – economy and premium economy – aboard its fleet of modern Boeing 787 Dreamliners. These are great planes to fly, with big windows and lower cabin altitude compared with older jets, delivering less jetlag and fatigue, even on the long-haul.
In Economy, you can pick between Lite, Standard and Flex Fares. All economy tickets are allowed 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of cabin baggage, which I think is pretty generous.
Lite fares have the fewest benefits. One standard 50.7-pound (23-kilogram) piece of checked luggage is included, but you pay to choose a seat and there are fees to change or refund your flight. You only earn 70% of the points by miles flown but, unless you live in Seoul and fly Air Premia a whole lot, that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for you.
Standard fares get two checked bags and can select some seats for free, while Flex fares allow you to change your date of flight with a lower fee. You will have to pay any difference in fare on the new date.
Generally, Lite is fine for most passengers. Standard is good if you need the extra piece of checked baggage and want to choose your seat, while the benefits of Flex don’t really add up to the upcharge in most cases.
In Premium Economy, your options are Standard or Flex. Standard premium economy passengers get two heavier 70.5-pound (32-kilogram) checked bags and two 22-pound (10-kilogram) carry-on bags, as well as free seat assignments and priority baggage, check-in and boarding.
Flex in premium economy just means you don’t pay the (fairly reasonable) change fee and pay a little less to cancel your flight. For most Premium Economy passengers, I think Standard fares are the way to go.
Economy on Air Premia (previously known as Premia 35) is one of the best in the sky, with great legroom, in-flight entertainment screens, delicious food and generous baggage allowances.
Your legroom may vary between airplanes, offering several potential seat pitches, but all are comfortable. Overall, most seats offer 33 inches of seat pitch, with others going up to 35 inches. There’s no way to know whether you’ll get 33 inches or 35 inches of room, but even 33 inches is a good couple of inches more than most airlines offer.
All seats offer 12-inch touchscreen monitors, power outlets and USB ports, and are comfortable Recaro seats with adjustable headrests similar to those many other airlines use. Headsets and blankets are handed out free.
If you have a Standard fare, you can pick seats in the rear economy cabin for free, but there’s a charge for seats in the forward cabin. You can also pay a fee for extra-legroom seats at the front of each cabin and in the emergency exit rows.
If the flight isn’t full at your time of check-in at the airport, Air Premia will let you purchase the seat next to you for a very minimal fee so that you can spread out in more comfort. Ask at the desk for more details.
Premium Economy on Air Premia (previously known as Premia 42) is a great pick, and better than quite a bit of the competition. These are the usual premium economy recliners — think domestic first class within the United States rather than a pod seat that converts to a bed — that make a big difference if you’re looking for a bit more comfort than economy.
I love that the airline offers 42 inches of seat pitch, which is a good 6 inches or so more than some other airlines. Each seat has its own adjustable leg rest and a 13-inch touchscreen entertainment monitor, plus power outlets and USB ports.
These are arranged in the traditional 2 by 3 by 2 layout that you’ll find in premium economy on other airlines using the Boeing 787. If you like an aisle seat, choose one in the center section so that you have the highest likelihood of an empty seat next to you and the lowest likelihood of someone having to disturb you to get out to the bathroom.
You’ll also get a small amenity kit with hand cream, lip balm and an oil mist for your face. Meals are basically similar to economy, but you do have extra drink options, including alcohol.
The check-in and airport experience with Air Premia is like any other full-service airline, and the airline offers both online check-in and desks at the airport. Helpfully, Air Premia publishes the details of its check-in locations (terminal plus entry door and desk number, depending on the airport) on its website. This is handy to know, so do make a note.
If you check-in online, there’s a separate bag drop counter that will save you some time. On some routes where the airline needs to verify your documents, you may be able to complete a pre-check-in online and then head to the desk for document verification.
Air Premia doesn’t offer lounges (which is not surprising since it doesn’t have a business class), but most of its airports have lounges that are either affiliated with lounge access programs like Priority Pass or offer day passes.
Air Premia offers free basic meals for every passenger, and you can pick either a Korean or Western menu option comprising a starter and a main course. Water is included free. I always lean towards an airline’s home cuisine, and fortunately Korean food works really well in the air.
If you’re still hungry and thirsty, or if you’d like alcohol with your meal, you can buy snacks and drinks from the onboard menu. I find it to be reasonably priced and I recommend the Korean cider if you haven’t tried it before. Duty-free is also available, with good pricing here, too.
Entertainment on Air Premia is mostly Korean TV and movies, with subtitles if you don’t speak the language. This is a great opportunity to find your new favorite K-drama!
Air Premia’s planes have inflight connectivity via satellite, and the airline offers four plans to get online. On some of its planes, all passengers get a free one-hour chat plan to allow you to use WhatsApp, iMessage and other messaging apps with limited file transfers. Web browsing, socials media and streaming audio or video won’t work with this.
A full-flight version of that chat-only connectivity is also available for a fee, with 3-hour and full-flight internet options rounding out the list. These last two allow browsing, socials, any cloud services and audio streaming, but only the full-flight package allows video streaming to your device.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
Low season | April |
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High season | September |
Cheapest flight | $111 |
Flight # | Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Duration | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
621 | Incheon (ICN) | Da Nang (DAD) | 4h 50m | • | • | • | • | |||
802 | Hong Kong (HKG) | Incheon (ICN) | 3h 30m | • | • | • | • | |||
801 | Incheon (ICN) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 3h 55m | • | • | • | • | |||
622 | Da Nang (DAD) | Incheon (ICN) | 5h 0m | • | • | • | • | |||
111 | Incheon (ICN) | San Francisco (SFO) | 10h 5m | • | • | • | • | |||
112 | San Francisco (SFO) | Incheon (ICN) | 13h 0m | • | • | • | • | |||
731 | Incheon (ICN) | Tokyo (NRT) | 2h 35m | • | • | • | • | • | ||
732 | Tokyo (NRT) | Incheon (ICN) | 2h 45m | • | • | • | • | • | ||
101 | Incheon (ICN) | Los Angeles (LAX) | 11h 0m | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
102 | Los Angeles (LAX) | Incheon (ICN) | 13h 20m | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
602 | Bangkok (BKK) | Incheon (ICN) | 5h 40m | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
601 | Incheon (ICN) | Bangkok (BKK) | 6h 0m | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
132 | Newark (EWR) | Incheon (ICN) | 15h 39m | • | • | • | • | |||
131 | Incheon (ICN) | Newark (EWR) | 13h 35m | • | • | • | • |
IATA Code | YP |
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Routes | 14 |
Top route | Incheon Intl Airport to Los Angeles |
Airports served | 8 |
Top airport | Incheon Intl |