Before catching a flight on Asiana’s Boeing 747 from Seoul to Tokyo, I had a chance to check out one of the airline’s three business class lounges at Incheon Airport. This wasn’t my first visit to the lounge or my longest visit to the lounge but since I haven’t reviewed it before, I decided to do so this time.
Continue reading to see what the Asiana Business Lounge West at Seoul Incheon was like.
Entry Requirements
In addition to Asiana Airlines’ business class passengers departing from the airport, the following passengers can also enter the Asiana Business Lounge West (and Central and East for that matter):
- Business class passengers traveling on other Star Alliance airlines
- Economy Smartium passengers traveling long-haul on Asiana Airlines’ A350
- Star Alliance Gold members traveling on Asiana Airlines or other Star Alliance airline
- Priority Pass holders traveling on Asiana Airlines or other Star alliance airline
Opening Hours & Location
As mentioned earlier, Asiana has three business class lounges at Incheon Airport – East, Central, and West. They are all located on the fourth floor of terminal 1 (one floor above the main departures level), behind security check and immigration. Asiana Business Lounge East is located near gate 11, Central near gate 26, and West near gate 43.
While my departure gate was closer to the Central one, I ended up going to the West one as that was the one I “ran into” while walking around the terminal a bit.
The opening hours of the three lounges differ and, as of the time of writing this article are:
- East: 5AM – 10PM
- Central: 6AM – 10PM
- West: 6AM – 12:30AM
Before visiting the lounge, make sure to check the latest opening hours on Asiana’s website.
Lounge Tour
To the right of the reception desk were some storage lockers. The lounge itself was to the reception desk’s left.
Along the way leading to the main part of the lounge were three bar-height communal tables, each with six chairs. Each of the tables was equipped with three universal power outlets.
Across from those tables were the lounge’s restrooms and shower rooms. There was also a flight information display with a list of departures.
There was a variety of seating options further down along the lounge’s left side wall.
First, there were three tables with four lounge chairs each. Those were in a library-like setting and also had a flight information display behind them. Behind the tables were half a dozen or so relaxation pods. Then there were some more tables with lounge chairs, and at the very end, there were a few dining tables.
The dining tables were a part of the dining area that I will talk about further down.
Each of the relaxation pods was walled off from the one next to it and from the rest of the lounge with a fairly high partition.
Inside each pod were a leather lounge chair with an ottoman, as well as a side table. Each pod was also equipped with a universal power outlet and a USB power outlet located on the partition.
There were a few distinct seating areas in the middle of the relatively large lounge too.
Starting on the reception side, there was a self-service bar with some drinks and snacks. More about those later, though.
The seating in this area consisted of three tables with four chairs each and two additional tables with a long bench on one side and a pair of chairs on the other. Along the windows in this area, there was also a counter with a bit over a dozen seats.
Other than at the counter, there appeared to be no power outlets or USB ports in this section.
Next, there was an area with a few rows of sofa chairs facing a TV. Between the chairs were small side tables each of which featured a power outlet and a USB-A charging port.
Along the windows in this section were sofa chairs arranged in groups of four.
That configuration along the windows continued into the next area which had lounge chairs arranged in groups of four. There were small tables between each pair of chairs located next to each other, as well as between each pair of chairs facing each other.
Lastly, at the very back of the lounge was a dining area.
The seating there consisted of over a dozen tables for two and four – some with just chairs and some lined along a long bench that separated the dining area from the rest of the lounge. Along the windows was a counter with a dozen or so seats some of which offered a power outlet and a USB charging port.
The buffet consisted of one island counter and one counter along the rear wall of the lounge.
While the lounge offered some views of the apron, they were limited because of the windows’ coating.
Food and Drinks
Food and drinks in the lounge could be found in the bar area just past reception and in the buffet area at the very back of the lounge. While some of the drinks selection overlapped, other items were exclusive to either area.
Both the bar and the buffet area was equipped with a coffee machine and hot water dispensers for making tea and instant coffee. With just three types, the tea selection was relatively simple.
The one thing that was missing from the coffee/tea corner in the bar area but was present in the buffet area was syrups for customizing coffee.
Soft drinks in the buffet area included a soda dispenser with Chilsung Cider, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, and Pepsi.
There were also apple and orange juice dispensers, as well as boxes of milk and small bottles of water.
In the bar area, there were cans of Canada Dry club soda, ginger ale, and tonic water. There was also a large bottle of water.
Alcoholic drinks could only be found in the bar area and included:
- Beer on “reverse tap”
- Liquor such as Smirnoff vodka, Tanqueray gin, and Jack Daniel’s whisky
- Wine
The only things to eat that could be found in the bar area were some candies and packs of pretzels; the rest was located in the buffet area.
Cold items available from the buffet included fresh salad, pasta salad, orange cuts, and yogurt. There were also three different types of cereals.
Then there was a selection of bread. That included bread rolls, croissants, and sliced bread. Butter and strawberry and apple jams were available too.
Lastly, there were ham and cheese sandwiches and pumpkin sandwiches.
Hot food available during my breakfast-time visit included:
- Broccoli soup
- Vegetable rice porridge
- Grilled vegetables
- Scrambled eggs
- Fried pork dumplings
- Fried rice with shrimp
As is standard with Korean lounges, there were also two types of instant noodles.
During my quick stay, I had a ham and cheese sandwich, some pasta salad, and a breadroll with apple jam. While I enjoyed the last of those, the ham and cheese sandwich was quite dry and the pasta was overcooked.
Asiana Business Lounge (West) Seoul Incheon Summary
With the lounge being essentially empty during my early morning visit (I stayed for about 20 minutes from 7:30AM), it provided for a nice place to spend some time in away from the busier public part of the terminal. There was a good variety of seating and plenty of drinks to choose from.
While the choice of food was alright considering it was breakfast time, the quality – at least of some of the items I decided to try – left a bit to be desired.
