Rolling to the gate next to an Asiana 747 at Tokyo Narita.

You know you’re on a cool airline when one of your breakfast options is spicy octopus with rice.

This is just eight hours into my handful of Asiana Airlines flights spanning the Pacific, with shorter flights to Jeju Island and Tokyo. During these five flights, I got to know Asiana pretty well. And I have some impressions to share about how Asiana Airlines scores for international flights. I admit, I have no other Asian airlines to compare it to. But it stacks up well for any airline.

1. Let’s loop back to that food. Other meals including a traditional bi bim bap, bulgogi, and tempura chicken and shrimp. Most of the meals included fresh fruit. Hands down, it was the tastiest and healthiest airline food I’ve ever encountered. It easily dethrones the Qantas meals, which were decent but nothing memorable. But I’ll never forget spooning marinated beef, bean paste and rice into a huge lettuce leaf, folding it into a burrito and munching away. I was more than a bit amused that, half the time, the flight attendants didn’t ask if we wanted to the squeeze tubes full of tasty hot chili sauce. They probably hadn’t encountered many Arizonans … many of us crave spiciness in any form.

The Travel Class cabin of an Asiana 777

2. In-flight entertainment was everything it should be for international flights. I caught up on my silly superhero movies, plus the latest Star Trek. No hiccups from the equipment at all, and it was easy enough to work. I might’ve expected Asian airlines to be even more slick and hi-tech. But it was just solid, no-fuss equipment.

3. The cabins were immaculate whether I was aboard an A320 or a 777. Asiana’s 767s are probably no spring chickens, but they looked great. A question for Asiana – I could’ve sworn our 1:30 flight (Oct. 15) from Narita to Incheon was a 767 configured in 3-3-3 rather than the usual 2-3-2. Was I overdosing on the spicy chili sauce, or is that some unusual 767?

4. From the check-in counter to the cabin, every Asiana employee was helpful and welcoming – no exceptions. They were all efficiency, and they said everything with a smile. They weren’t quite as jocular as Air New Zealand or Qantas, but who is?

Dinner is served - bi bim bap! I usually take other travel bloggers to task for posting food photos - but I think this warrants breaking my own rule. I mean, steamed pumpkin, kimchi, fresh veggies ... that's out-of-the-ordinary!

5. There was a bit of weirdness the moment our flight pushed back from the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Sept. 30. We’d only moved a few feet when I felt the plane lurch. This led to a few announcements about tire changes, which made us a bit more than two hours late. I didn’t mind, even though international flights are long enough with no delays. I took advantage of the time to read and doze. I’m really curious about what it takes to change tires on a 777 at the gate. Kind of cool, really! Oh, and props to my mostly Korean fellow passengers. They took the delay announcements in stride.

6. There are only two things that prevent me from flying Asiana Airlines every chance I get: First, Seoul is its only hub. Second, I always love trying a carrier based in the country I’m visiting. So if I go to another Asian country, I’d want to fly some different Asian airlines just to sample its airborne culture. Asiana’s competitive fares and excellent in-flight service would give me second thoughts about booking on another airline if it’s possible to use them, though.

Our ride ... with all the sweet hook-ups.

7. Something else odd – most of our international flights were only about 75 percent full. The busiest ones were the flights to and from Tokyo. But the trans-Pacific flights had plenty of empty seats. That’s very nice, of course, since it gave Sarah and I some room to stretch out.

8. In one way, Asiana Airlines might learn from fellow Asian airlines JAL and ANA: Both these Japanese airlines sell small trinkets with their logos on them at Narita. Asiana should do the same at Seoul. I would definitely add an Asiana t-shirt to my collection of airline stuff – if one was available.

I can honestly say that Asiana deserves its Skytrax Airline of the Year award for 2010. I always insist that getting there is part of the fun, and that my vacation truly starts when I step aboard the plane for international flights. Asiana did everything right and put the Republic of Korea’s best foot forward. Maybe next time, I’ll get to try some other Asian airlines, too.

Check out Asiana Airlines on Twitter!

Comments

• December 7, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: You're far superior to me at knowing not only which airlines to fly and which planes you're in. All I can say about my flights in the East are that it's conducive to my vegetarianism. Not only can I rely on getting proper veggie food (I'm ovo-lacto-pesce), I can also opt for a variety of veggie cuisines (because of the local religions, of course). Delight! The most recent flight I took with an airline from our own country didn't even have a single veggie meal on board. "Here, take this. You can just ignore the chicken," was the response from an airline attendant who at least helped in some sense. Good thing I wasn't hungry.
• December 7, 2011, WanderingJustin writes: Intercontinental flights just make me so freakin' giddy that I almost embarrass myself. Almost ... I embrace my dork status!

Related posts:

• Ten Days of Transportation
• 7 Thoughts on Asiana Airlines
• Have You Thanked a Pilot Lately?
• Do Airlines Cheat on Baggage-Handling Stats?
• My Take on Flying IcelandAir

Related posts:

1. 7 Thoughts on Asiana Airlines I just booked my first trip to Asian - a...
2. Ten Days of Transportation Since I left on Sept. 29, I have sampled all...
3. Do Airlines Cheat on Baggage-Handling Stats? After a missed-baggage incident at Sky Harbor in Phoenix, I...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly rails against President Obama's plan to boost fees for air travel.

When it comes to travel, President Obama is a colossal disappointment. I viewed his election as a victory for intellectual curiosity. Travel is essential to crumbling racism, nationalism, prejudice and ignorance. I figured a man of his background would see the benefit of travel, within and beyond U.S. borders.

President Obama’s failure to bring the Department of Homeland Security, especially the department’s Transportation Security Administration, to heel proves me wrong. Sorry, I said “failure to.” That implies that he tried. He hasn’t. Instead, the president has enabled the TSA to spend money to no good effect: Measures such as back-scatter body scanners and “enhanced pat-downs” inhibit many people from flying rather than making anyone safer.

As if that’s not enough, President Obama wants to make it more expensive to fly.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly takes the president to task while outlining the proposed measures in a very cogent Southwest Airlines blog post. To oppose the fees, check out the Stop Air Tax Now! page.

I’ve read several articles about the potential job loss.

But no journalist has yet mentioned the intellectual loss. Travel broadens minds, stimulates cross-cultural exchange and forges bonds between people of different nations. Do we need less of that?

I’ve alluded on this site to my belief that the U.S. government doesn’t want Americans to travel. Why? Because it’s a big world full of great ideas that we don’t (or rarely) implement in the United States. Exposing Americans to these ideas puts the status quo at risk. This makes the fine purveyors of high-fructose corn syrup, mindless entertainment and superstition (known to some as “religion”) a wee bit nervous.

Because if you travel, you just might wake up and quit playing their games.

Good on ya, Gary, for your stance. Is it self-serving? Sure. But it’s good for the rest of us, too. Southwest still isn’t one of my go-to airlines, but Gary Kelly’s just earned it a bit of extra goodwill from this guy right here.

As for President Obama, I’m not a one-issue voter. Yes, he’s wiggled, waffled and wavered far too much for my taste. And I haven’t seen a Republican who impresses me. But the president should be very aware that his actions make it very possible for a third-party candidate to either spoil his re-election or (though I know it’s highly improbably and would be unprecedented) flat-out win the nation’s highest office.

Comments

• December 7, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: The more I read your blog the more I'm curious to know how we'd travel together. Of course we'd both be working against our norms of solo travel. First, we might talk about how literarily and intellectually sexy must be the person who links politics and travel, two of my favorite subjects. (We're on the same side of the political fence.) Next we might talk about the vote for Obama as a victory, as you wrote, for "intellectual curiosity." I do not see it that way, though I applaud you for at least having an 2008 option other than the write-in. The third thing we might talk about for hours on end is the ability of travel to "crumble". You're definitely going to have to read my essay on the first country I lived it. It still saddens me, a full year+ later to have had the opposite reaction there. Kind of a meta-emotive essay. Your graf on "the government doesn't want Americans to travel" is heresy. If you said or wrote that in China, for instance, you'd be imprisoned, then the Nobel Committee would extend to you a prize for rebelling. I'm curious now, having read the 'potential job loss' linked article, what Obama is thinking. How does he see it manifesting? I'm not refuting his thinking or embracing it. Excellent post, my friend. One of my favorites.
• December 7, 2011, WanderingJustin writes: What had me really optimistic about Obama was that he's not an ideologue. He got younger voters fired up, perhaps for the first time since they've been able to cast a vote for president. He's not an old rich guy. I like all that - still do. But wow, those policies disappoint me. Salon.com thinks Occupy Wall Street is going to galvanize the president to go to the 99 percent well. Should be interesting. I am really interested in hearing about this "crumble" topic ...

Related posts:

• Arizona Centennial – Recognizing the State’s Worst
• The World Hates American Travelers – Fact or Fiction?
• Coming soon – more bike posts!
• New Harris Interactive Study on Overweight Americans Based on Junk Science
• Anti-Airbus Rhetoric Equals Ignorance

Related posts:

1. When Air Travel Blogs Go Wrong I've rarely take another blogger to the woodshed. But the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Do airlines set policies to skew their baggage-handling stats? It seems like it from the customers' view.

Every few months, just about every newspaper served by a major airline runs a story on the latest on-time and baggage-handling stats for their hometown carrier. And yes, we all know to take the on-time numbers with a boulder of salt.

But watch out for those baggage-handling stats: I discovered first-hand tonight how airlines can fudge them – and deprive their employees the chance to look like superheroes in front of afflicted fliers in the process.

Here’s my story: I bought my tickets on Asiana Airlines, a Star Alliance buddy of US Airways. I took US Airways to and from Los Angeles International Airport. The entire trip went smoothly until I arrived back in Phoenix (after starting my day in Tokyo, followed by a layover at the spectacular Incheon International Airport just outside Seoul). My backpack, which carries the bulk of my clothes, wound up at Terminal 2 of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport rather than Terminal 4. I discovered this with the help of US Airways customer service employee Robbin. I figured “no worries – they’ll just bring it over from T2.”

Nope. Robbin told me that I could either go to Terminal 2 via the shuttle bus or have her “open a case” and have my pack delivered to my house.

First, it’s ridiculous that I should have to do anything to recover my bag. I didn’t send it to the wrong terminal: A US Airways employee sent it astray, and that means US Airways should fix the problem.

Second, it’s clear that Robbin was trying to save herself some paperwork.

Finally, not only would it save her paperwork, but I suspect it would prevent the baggage mishap from becoming official record and affecting the airline’s baggage-handling stats.

And I was not gonna play that game. Not after a 90-minute subway ride, a 2-hour flight, a 10-hour flight, a 1-hour flight and a long wait for my never-to-arrive backpack.

I would guess, US Airways doesn’t stack the deck in the favor of front-line people like Robbin who deal with customers. My suspicion? It pressures them to keep baggage mishandling unofficial, which then makes it impossible for them to perform simple but meaningful acts that would make the airline look good to the customer. Imagine if Robbin was empowered to handle this problem: I’d get my bag within minutes, and they could keep the incident off the record. Everyone would be happy. Instead, it seems US Airways leans on its employees to deflect the responsibility and put the onus on customers for its mistakes.

I’m not going to get huffy here and say I’ll never fly US Airways again. But it’s exactly this sort of missed opportunity that makes me a grudging “what else can I do?” customer rather than an enthusiastic supporter who feels great about flying the hometown airline.

Comments

• November 11, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: Ironically you've just discovered a way of creating new jobs: have people properly deliver missing bags. The airline is failing to glean PR paradise via positive testimonials. We travelers talk.

Related posts:

• Cheat Your Way out of Airline Checked-Bag Fees – For Now
• What Does “Well-Traveled” Mean?
• New Plane Inspires Hawaiian Airlines Fare Special
• Ten Days of Transportation
• Quick & Dirty Thoughts on Southwest Airlines and Airtran

Related posts:

1. 7 Thoughts on Asiana Airlines I just booked my first trip to Asian - a...
2. Ten Days of Transportation Since I left on Sept. 29, I have sampled all...
3. A Quick Guide to Sky Harbor International Airport There's never a slow season at Phoenix Sky Harbor International...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Since I left on Sept. 29, I have sampled all sorts of travel. A brief so-far recap:

-1 leg on US Airways

-3 legs on Asiana Airlines

-1 leg on Air Busan

-1 leg on the KTX high-speed train from Busan to Seoul

-A nice little boat tour of Busan

-Too many taxi and subway trips to count

I’ll have lots to say about all this – and some photos. Quick thoughts:

-Asiana Airlines deserves its Skytrax awards

-The Busan metro system rocks my socks off

-The KTX is ludicrously cool. It is a jolt of high voltage frankensteining my inner train-loving 3-year-old boy back to life.

Comments

• November 11, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: You're incredible. The briefest post I've seen you write, yet you still encapsulated what it's like by 'planes, trains, and automobiles'.

Related posts:

• My TSA Tips on Yahoo! Voices
• Banned from Flying or Not?
• The Case for Being a Beer Snob
• Random Photo Fun – This is Air Travel!
• New York Times “41 Places” Travel Story is a Dud

Related posts:

1. 7 Thoughts on Asiana Airlines I just booked my first trip to Asian - a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.