Check-in
Jeju Airport has sections for both international and domestic departures. Passengers travelling on domestic routes are to use Gates 1 to 3 to check-in for their flights. Korea Air occupies counters 1 to 14 in the domestic section of the airport, located near Gate 3 in the middle of the terminal building. There are four queues for Korean Air in Jeju Aiport: one for passengers travelling on their Business Class, one for Korean Air elite status frequent flyer (Morning Calm), one for passengers who have performed online or self check-in, and another for passengers who have not completed any form of check-in. There was a small queue at the time my friends and I were at the airport, however, we did not have to wait too long as we were directed to the Morning Calm counter for our check-in. The staff at the Morning Calm counter was very friendly and kept smiles on her face throughout our interaction. She processed our luggage with speed and gave us our boarding pass together with information on the boarding gate as well as the time of boarding. All international passengers travelling on the domestic routes from Jeju are subjected to additional visa checks, resulting in a long queue at the immigration area.
Queues for Business Class and Elite status passengers
The queue for passengers who have completed online check-in
The Aircraft
Korean Air deploys the narrow-body B737-800 for this flight from Jeju to Busan.
Korean Air B737-800 up close
Korean Air B737-800 safety card
The Cabin
There are a total of 12 Business Class seats and 135 Economy Class seats on the Korean Air B737-800 jet. Economy Class seats are arranged in a 3-3 configuration. The use of orange lighting in the Economy Class cabin exudes a feeling of warmth and comfort, which is perfect for this early morning flight. Seats in Economy Class are decked out in blue fabric, which is the same as other Korean Air aircraft.
Korean Air B737-800 Economy Class cabin
Korean Air B737-800 Economy Class cabin
I did not have the chance to visit the Lavatory as seat belt sign remained turned on throughout the entire 1 hour flight time from Jeju to Busan was on throughout the entire flight.
The Seat
Seats in the Economy Class on Korean Air have a 33″ pitch and 17″ wide and are rather comfortable for a short 1-hour flight from Jeju to Busan. Seat reclined button is located on the side of the armrest of the seat, which allows seats to recline to a maximum of 113º. The legroom of the Economy Class seats on the B737-800 is quite good for a narrowbody aircraft. The seats look rather dated and scream of a need for refreshing.
Business Class seats onboard Korean Air B737-800
Seats in Economy Class onboard Korean Air B737-800 is decked in blue fabrics
Legroom in Economy Class is quite good
Seat recline button is found on the armrest of each seat
Each seat comes with a single-piece tray table which is large enough to place a 15″ laptop on. However, these tray tables seem redundant as no food is being served on this short domestic flight. There is a cup holder fixed on the back of the tray table, allowing passengers to place their cups without having the need to deploy the tray table. Reading lights and attendant call buttons are located on the ceiling above the seats. This is where air vent for each seat is also found.
Tray table being stowed away
The tray table onboard Korean Air B737-800 is quite large
Cup holder behind the tray table
Lights and air vents are located on the ceiling above eat seat in Economy Class
The seat pocket onboard the Korean Air B737-800 is big enough for passengers to place their tablets into. Each seat pocket comes with a small compartment inside the seat pocket, which is great for passengers to store smaller items into. The seat pockets contain the usual inflight literature and aircraft safety card.
The seat pocket onboard Korean Air B737-800 Economy Class is quite big
Inflight literature in the seat pocket
In-Flight Entertainment
There are no In-Flight Entertainment System installed on this Korean Air B737-800 jet. There are drop-down screens installed on the ceiling of the aircraft, mainly used for playing safety videos. These screens are not in use throughout the 1 hour flight time from Jeju to Busan. There seem to be some radio facilities installed on the armrest of each seat, but no earphones are being distributed nor are these radios being turned on. The only form of entertainment onboard this Korean Air B737-800 are the inflight magazines found in the seat pocket.
Dropdown screens mainly used for showing of safety videos before take-off
Some kind of radio in the armrest, but it was not turned on for this flight
Beverage Service
As soon as the aircraft reached cruising altitude, the air stewardesses went around distributing beverages. No food is being provided to passengers flying this domestic route.
Each passenger get a cup of beverage during the flight
Service
Despite being a domestic flight, the service on Korean Air B737-800 is rather good. Pursuers are seen helping passengers locate their seats and stowing their carry-on baggage in the overhead bin. Beverage distribution is always done with a smile on the faces of the pursuers. The pursuers are also seen patrolling the cabin several times during the 1-hour flight, helping passengers clearing the used cups. At the end of the flight, the pursuers thanked the passengers for flying with Korean Air with a warm smile at the door as we deplane.
Pursuers getting passengers during boarding
Pursuers going around for beverage service
Afterthought
The Economy Class onboard Korean Air B737-800 is good for a short. 1-hour flight. The seats are comfortable and the legroom is good. The lack of Inflight Entertainment did not bother us as this is a short flight and time pass by very quickly onboard. Pursuers are friendly and seen to be helping passengers. For a short flight, flying on this Korean Air B737-800 does the job of transporting us from Jeju to Busan.
Arriving at Busan