Korean Air "Selling First Class Seats to Business Class Passengers"

First-Class Seat Assignment for 200,000 to 1,200,000 KRW
Priority Baggage Handling Also Provided
Applicable to Some A380, 777, 747 Models

Korean Air will offer first-class seats to Prestige (business) class customers for an additional fee on some aircraft.

According to industry sources on the 1st, Korean Air will provide the 'Cosmo Zone' service, which allows Prestige class customers to use first-class seats for an additional fee, starting from flights departing on the 13th.

The applicable aircraft are the A380-800, 777-300ER, and 747-8i. For medium-haul routes such as Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, an additional fee of 200,000 KRW will be charged, while long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East will incur an additional fee ranging from 500,000 to 1,200,000 KRW. Along with this, services such as first-class amenities and priority baggage handling will also be provided.

Seat sales will begin on the 6th. Eligible customers are Prestige class passengers on medium- to long-haul routes operated by the specified aircraft where first-class is not currently offered. Among these, only customers who purchased J, C, or D class tickets, which have relatively higher fares, can purchase the upgrade. Million Miler Club members (those who have accumulated over 1 million miles) will receive the service free of charge.

Until now, Korean Air has operated some medium- to long-haul routes served by these three aircraft without first-class seats to improve seat operation efficiency. However, first-class seats have been maintained and assigned to some Prestige customers. The assignment criteria are known to include factors such as elite membership status.

First-class seats are more than twice the size of regular Prestige seats. They are equipped with large monitors and partitions. As a result, there has been high demand from customers wishing to be assigned these seats, and many requests for paid upgrades have been reported.