First time aboard A380! [Korean Air] KE 608 HKG-ICN (Hong Kong->Seoul/Incheon) trip report [대한항공] KE 608 홍콩/첵립콕->서울/인천 탑승기

 KE 608 HKG-ICN (Hong Kong->Seoul/Incheon)

DEP HKG 00:50 16 DEC 2011

ARR ICN 05:15 16 DEC 2011

Flight Duration: 3:25

Aircraft: A380-800

Today's flight would mark my first time with A380-800.

It was midnight and I was ready to board my last flight of the 4-segment trip from Chicago/O'Hare to Seoul/Incheon. As a reminder, the trip itinerary from Chicago/O'Hare to Seoul/Incheon was as follows:

(Click each flight segments for trip reports)

Outbound

ORD-LHR: AA 86 DEP 18:05 13DEC2011 ARR 07;55 14DEC2011

LHR-HEL: BA 794 DEP 11:20 14DEC2011 ARR 16:15 14DEC2011

HEL-HKG: AY 69 DEP 00:10 15DEC2011 ARR 15:20 15DEC2011

HKG-ICN: KE 608 DEP 00:55 16DEC2011 ARR 05:20 16DEC2011

Inbound

ICN-HKG: KE 601 DEP 13:45 28DEC2011 ARR 16:50 28DEC2011

HKG-HEL: AY 70 DEP 01:30 29DEC2011 ARR 06:30 29DEC2011

HEL-LHR: AY 831 DEP 08:00 29DEC2011 ARR 9:10 29DEC2011

LHR-ORD: AA 47 DEP 14:25 29DEC2011 ARR 18:30 29DEC2011

Today's flight was a red-eye flight provided by Korean Air from Hong Kong to Seoul. There are many red-eye flights that leave from Hong Kong Airport around midnight, including many East Asian destinations such as Beijing, Seoul, and Japan. There are many other long-haul "red-eye" flights that depart from Hong Kong, including flights to Sydney, London, Paris, Dubai, and other European destinations.  

 I reason why I picked KE 608 was because the aircraft for this flight would be A380-800.  I have always wanted to experience the double-decker ever since Korean Air started flying the aircraft in 2010.

There she is, looking beautiful in KE colors.

It was around 23:00 local time when I spotted this beauty.

I was just thrilled at the aspect of boarding this plane for the first time.

It surely does look like a big blue whale from this viewpoint.

One more shot before boarding.

Boarding for KE 608 started at five minutes past midnight.

My seat was located all the way in the back in the main deck. A380 main deck was divided into three smaller sections, and it gave the cabin more homey feeling.

The windows of the A380.

The AVOD system of the new Korean economy seats.

The take-off occurred on-schedule at 01:00 local time.

For tonight's meal it was chicken, fish or beef.  I took the chicken, which turned out to be a Chinese style chicken sautéed in General Tso-like sauce served with broccolis and noodles. For salads it was mix of shrimp and more broccolis.

After eating, I walked around the plane a little, checking out the duty free shop in the back section of the plane. Unfortunately, I haven't taken any more pictures beyond this point. Most of my time aboard this A380 was spent sleeping, since it was a red-eye flight.

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Luckily for me, I had another chance at experiencing A380 in 2013 with Emirates Airlines on a flight from Dubai to New York/JFK.

Click here for the Emirates Airlines EK 203 Dubai-New York Trip Report with A380-800!

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Also, click here for the first of my returning flight segments to Chicago, KE 609 from Seoul to Hong Kong.

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USA to Korea with Finnair [Finnair] AY 69 HEL-HKG (Helsinki/Vantaa->Hong Kong) trip report [핀에어] AY 69 헬싱키/반타->홍콩/첵립콕 탑승기

AY 69 HEL-HKG (Helsinki/Vantaa->Hong Kong)

DEP HEL 00:10 15 DEC 2011

ARR HKG 15:20 15 DEC 2011

Flight Duration: 09:10

Aircraft: A340-300

Courtesy of www.flightaware.com

Following my flight with British Airways BA 794 from London/Heathrow to Helsinki/Vantaa (link provided) and an 8-hour layover in Helsinki, Finland (layover report to follow), I boarded the third flight of the 4-segment trip from Chicago/O'Hare to Seoul/Incheon. As a reminder the trip itinerary was as follows:

(Click each flight segments for trip reports)

Outbound

ORD-LHR: AA 86 DEP 18:05 13DEC2011 ARR 07;55 14DEC2011

LHR-HEL: BA 794 DEP 11:20 14DEC2011 ARR 16:15 14DEC2011

HEL-HKG: AY 69 DEP 00:10 15DEC2011 ARR 15:20 15DEC2011

HKG-ICN: KE 608 DEP 00:55 16DEC2011 ARR 05:20 16DEC2011

Inbound

ICN-HKG: KE 601 DEP 13:45 28DEC2011 ARR 16:50 28DEC2011

HKG-HEL: AY 70 DEP 01:30 29DEC2011 ARR 06:30 29DEC2011

HEL-LHR: AY 831 DEP 08:00 29DEC2011 ARR 9:10 29DEC2011

LHR-ORD: AA 47 DEP 14:25 29DEC2011 ARR 18:30 29DEC2011

The third flight was Finnair AY 69, which took me from Helsinki/Vantaa to Hong Kong. The flight was scheduled to depart after midnight, arriving into Hong Kong at local time 15:20.  This trip would mark my first time flying with Finnair, and I had a very pleasant experience with the airline.  It would also mark my first time ever flying an A340.

After strolling around Helsinki downtown, I boarded the city bus again back to Helsinki/Vantaa Airport. To check into my Hong Kong-bound flight, I went to Terminal 2.

Terminal 2 departures floor. The check-in counters for Finnair dominated the floor. The security checkpoint was located underneath the departures status screen.

Terminal 2 Departures floor.

Departures status screen and the security checkpoint below.

In Helsinki/Vantaa Airport, Gates 1-27 are in the domestic side of the terminal, while Gates 28-40 are designated for international flights.  All passengers, domestic or international, go through same security checkpoint into the domestic side of the terminal. The international passengers must walk toward the international side of the terminal. Between gates 27 and 28, there are passport control booths and a bridge that separates the international and domestic sides of the terminal.

Gate 34, where my Hong Kong-bound flight AY 69 would be departing from tonight.

Finnair's Airbus A340-300.

The economy section layout was 2-4-2. The seats, although looking a bit old, were pretty comfortable.

Each seats had TVs installed in them. The entertainment system reminded me of that of American Airlines plane that I took the day before.

Today's route to Hong Kong.

The first meal was served about 3-hours after take off. The entrée included beef steak with green peas and potatoes.  It was my first meal with Finnair and I was impressed with the high quality of the meat I tasted.

Flying over Kazakhstan.

The sun began to rise as we were flying into Chinese airspace. We had about six more hours to go.

The flight route seemed to avoid the mountains in the western China.

The scenes of Western China. The snow was covering the mountains.

two hours left in this flight.

The flight attendants three Hong Kong-based crew, all of them who served in the economy section of this flight. I would say about half of the passengers on today's flight were Asian. 

The drinks were served first. I took the orange juice.

Simple breakfast was consequently served. Muffin, sandwich, and yogurt was served.

Finnair A340 economy class view.

Slowly descending into Hong Kong.

The plane was flying over Guangzhou at this time.

Turning toward east over Macau.

Touchdown into Hong Kong at 15:10 local time.

The plane taxied toward Gate 18.

Next to us was a British Airways B747 which got here shortly before my plane.

The Finnair A340 which took me from Helsinki.

The newly opened Terminal 2 of Hong Kong.

The aviation discovery centre on the top floor of the terminal.

The museum showcased brief history of modern aviation in Hong Kong.

The life-sized cockpit room of B777.

Unfortunately, it was off-limits.

A worn-out replica of Cathay Pacific first class seats.

The model of Hong Kong International Airport.

I had some Taiwanese-style noodles before catching my next flight, a Korean Air Airbus A380-800 bound for Seoul/Incheon.

Click here for my next flight, Korean Air KE 608 from Hong Kong to Seoul/Incheon.

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