Autumn 2024. Ten years after my first trip to Seoul in 2014, I am returning to the Republic of Korea, better known as South Korea. Not solo this time, but with Oriol, who has never been to Korea. On the itinerary: flying with Qatar Airways to Incheon via Doha, the capital Seoul, the historic city of Gyeongju, Busan, Jeju Island and a second stint in Seoul, where we are joined by Sehyeon. We’re spending two weeks in South Korea. The ROK is such a popular destination now. Will we experience overtourism?
For us in Antwerp, our ‘home airport’ is Brussels Airport in Zaventem. Okay, there is Antwerp International Airport (ANR) but that only serves a few destinations. Brussels (BRU) is Belgium‘s main airport.
Because it’s always smart to look “further than your nose” as we say in Belgium, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) in the Netherlands is our second big option. Antwerp and Schiphol are connected with one hourly train, and since December 2024 there are even two direct connections per hour.
KLM and Korean Air provide direct flights between Schiphol and Incheon, Seoul’s main airport. Seoul’s second airport is called Gimpo (GMP).
But these direct flights were much more expensive than what we found with Qatar Airways. So our route would be Brussels – Doha – Incheon.
Qatar Airways has been voted the ‘World’s Best Airline’ in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024. So I was eager to try them. In economy class for budget reasons.
The rise of the Middle East
The United Arab Emirates (mostly Abu Dhabi and Dubai) and Qatar’s dominance in air travel began in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Their rise was fueled by a combination of factors.
Firstly, both countries made significant investments in their national airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways. This provided them with substantial financial resources to expand their fleets and routes. With Etihad, the UAE even has two major airlines.
Secondly, their geographic location in the Middle East made them ideal hubs for connecting passengers between Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Thirdly, they built world-class airports with state-of-the-art facilities, offering passengers a luxurious and efficient travel experience.
Finally, the airlines adopted innovative business models, such as offering luxurious amenities and focusing on long-haul flights.
By the early 2000s, Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways had established themselves as major players in the global aviation industry, attracting passengers with their exceptional service and extensive route networks.
QR194
Qatar Airways QR194,
Brussels to Doha,
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, A7-BCS
For this 6-hour flight, comparable to a flight to New York, we got a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The economy cabin has a 3-3-3 configuration and its colour scheme is classy and calming. The burgundy and the grey work well. Burgundy, of course, is one of the two colours of the flag of the State of Qatar.
The seat
The seat is nicely ergonomic. It features a prominent headrest with sidewings and which is adjustable in hight. There is an USB-A port under the IFE screen. The tablet is ‘double folded’ and is sturdy.
The legroom is good. The storage option are standard. The recline goes quite far. All in all it is a good seat. I didn’t get up once in those six hours. I must say I sleep quite easily on flights (I’m sure Danny and Oriol will say that’s an understatement) and I’m good at setting my body in ‘sleep mode’, even if I’m not actually sleeping.
The in-flight entertainment
The in-flight entertainment works well. Although… the system restarted itself on our row of three seats.
The browsing and searching experience is intuitive and easy. You can create a ‘my list’ and the categories are logical. There’s also a search bar.
You get what you’d expect: films, tv shows, audio, games, kids’ section. As Qatar is an islamic state and Qatar Airways follows its guidelines, there’s section with the Quran (Qur’an, Koran).
This also means the flight started with a citation from this holy book. This also has consequences for the IFE offering. Don’t expect queer content and films and shows have been “edited to fit the screen” and also content has been edited.
The catalogue is large though. But for me that day it wasn’t really inspiring. I watched the Italian production ‘Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia‘ and a Qatar Airways tv show on Formula 1 destinations. That was pure propaganda.
The games section was unimpressive. Oriol and I again finished ‘Angry Birds: World Tour‘, a game which is featured on every long-haul flight in seams. Make a new version, Rovio.
The tracker worked well, although I did not find where the camera controls were. Looking-outside-cameras were installed because I saw other people watch. But I didn’t find it. Oh, and in a quirky technical issue, on my screen the flight seemed to be intergalactic.
So I did what I do best: eat and sleep.
The service
Speaking of which. Catering started with a drink and some pretzels.
For lunch or dinner, the options were chicken, feef or vegetarian ravioli. I had the chicken, Oriol beef. As usual for economy meals, it was accompanied by some bread, a salad which is supposed to be your starter but which I always eat after the warm dish (before that gets cold) and there is dessert. After that meal, coffee and tea were offered.
A few hours later a small snack, such as a pack of crisps or some KitKats.
So?
This was a pleasant flight. I can see why Qatar Airways gets many accolades. In my notes I have written down there were so many announcements near the end of the flight. But I guess all airlines do that.
No, I’m happy with this flight.
Trip By Trip 
44 Comments Add yours