Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class review: none of this matters actually

I learned two important things about Korean Air while trying out their 737 MAX 8 business class product recently on a flight from Seoul to Tokyo:

I learned that that they prioritize some narrowbody aircraft over others. For example, the 737 doesn’t have lie flat seats (unlike the A321neo). There are no video screens. Privacy is nonexistent.
I learned that none of that matters. The legroom was hilariously generous. The service from the cabin crew was proactive and personalized. They had me feeling like a rockstar.

The TLDR: who cares what the seats look like? It’s still Korean Air, y’all.

KE713
Seoul, South Korea (ICN) – Tokyo, Japan (NRT)
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Aircraft: 737 MAX 8
Registration: HL8349
Duration: 1 hour 48 minutes
Seat: 8A (Prestige Class / business class)

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 side view illustration by NorebboStock.com

ICN to NRT KE713 flight track — Our route from Seoul to Tokyo this evening as KE713. We got into NRT by the skin of our teeth!

My full review of Korean Air 737 MAX 8 Prestige Class (business class) from ICN to NRT

To fully appreciate what I’m about to show you, it’s important to understand what Korean Air A321neo business class is like. This was a lot different than that. Sort of. Maybe just a little? Mostly.

The preflight ground experience

Having four hours to kill before this flight to Tokyo was of no concern to me. There’s a lot to see and do inside Terminal 2 at ICN.

Customer service robot inside terminal 2 at Incheon airport — ***bleep bloop*** *“Greetings Earthling! I have been instructed to tase you in the a** if you can’t say anything nice about Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class. Have a nice day!”* ***bleep bloop***

Scott Leazenby waiting for a flight in terminal 2 at Incheon Airport — Welp, there goes my plan to tell you that business class on the Korean Air 737 isn’t quite as nice as it is on the A321neo. Excuse me while I sit and think of plan for staying honest while keeping my delicate buttock skin scar-free.

Main shopping area terminal 2 Incheon Airport — The plan that I came up with (simply avoiding the robots) was genius. Thankfully Terminal 2 here at ICN is busy enough where hiding in plain sight doesn’t take all that much effort.

I spent about 2 1/2 hours hiding from the robots in the newly renovated Korean Air Prestige Lounge. Once I felt sufficiently full and bloated (and courageous enough for an escape), I made a mad dash for my departure gate and hung out there until departure time.

Gate 251 terminal 2 Incheon Airport — Things got better as the afternoon progressed. Turns out the departure gate for this flight to Tokyo Narita was going to be on the lower level (which I didn’t even know existed here). Ain’t no robot gonna get me down here!

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 pulling up to gate 251 Incheon airport — My escape from the death robots has arrived. At least I feel safe enough down here to tell you that I think I like the old livery better.

Korean air prestige class boarding pass from Seoul / Incheon to Tokyo Narita — The sound of bleep bloops from the top of the escalator were becoming louder (and angrier) as I took one last look at my boarding pass. Any delays could have been catastrophic.

The boarding process

The Korean Air gate agent on the mic this afternoon had a voice as gentle as falling snow, resulting in me missing the fact that boarding had started exactly on time. It wasn’t until I noticed group 2 starting to board that I made my move. “Oh, hey!”

Walkway leading to jet bridge at gate 251 Incheon airport terminal 2 — *“I haven’t even seen it yet, but I already love Prestige Class on the Korean Air MAX 8!”* This polished floor looks robot friendly, so I figured it was best to play it safe here in the walkway leading to the jet bridge.

Scott Leazenby walking down the jet bridge to gate 251 Incheon airport — *“Yeah, the old livery is definitely better.”* I didn’t dare say that out loud though. Those little bastards were ~~probably~~ definitely watching me from the terminal windows.

Oddly enough, despite my deafness, I was still one of the first business class passengers to board the aircraft.

Walking down the gate 251 jet bridge with a nice view of the Korean Air 737 MAX 8 I'm about to board at ICN

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 forward boarding door

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class seat overview

There are only two rows of Prestige Class / business class seats on the KE 737 MAX 8. It’s a 2-2 configuration, consisting of 8 seats total.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class seats row 8 — Business class seats 8A and 8B. See? These aren’t quite as fancy as what they put in the A321neo’s. Please disregard any *pew* *pew* sounds ricocheting off the fuselage from this point forward.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class legroom — Legroom might actually be better though. Kind of funny how silent it got just now, isn’t it?

It’s important to know that these are not lie flat seats. They are of the old-school recliner-style variety, but they are comfortable enough for shorter regional routes IMHO.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class seatbacks with no video screens — There are no video screens in these seats. The lack of *pew* pew* sounds after making that statement leads me to believe that the robots agree that video screens would’ve been nice.

I had seat 8A, which is a window seat on the left-hand side of the aircraft in the second row of business class. I know! The row numbering doesn’t make any sense to me either. Why business class starts with row 7 is beyond me.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class seat back pocket — A closer look at the seat back storage pocket, with a subtle reminder that Korean Air is still not willing to call this a MAX 8. This is a *737-8*, mofos.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class power outlets, USB ports, and seat controls — You’ll find electrical outlets and USB ports under the armrest (down the street and around the bend). And yes, you’re seeing that button correctly. These seats do have extendable leg rests.

Amenities

Just like how it was on the flight from Tokyo to Seoul earlier in the day, there were no amenity kits provided. The cabin crew did offer a choice of pre-departure beverages however.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class pre-departure drink — Champagne, water, and guava juice were offered during the boarding process. I chose guava juice (because I heard it helps with taser burns).

Full-size blankets and pillows were on the seat when I boarded the plane. Slippers and the dinner menu were in the seatback pocket. There were no headphones of any kind provided.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class blankets and full size pillows — My apologies for forgetting to take a picture of my own blanket and pillow, but I think this sums up the situation nicely. Korean Air doesn’t mess around, even for a short 2 1/2 hour flight.

The departure from Seoul

We pushed off the gate 12 minutes late at 5:27 PM. The boarding process didn’t take all that long to complete, so I suspect the slight delay was the result of congestion around the airport. We just had to wait our turn to go.

Crossing my legs and relaxing in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — Is it safe to give the robots a middle finger now? I think it’s safe to give the robots a middle finger now.

Looking at the engine and wing from my window in seat 8A Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — You’ll get a fairly decent view of the engine (as well as the previous Korean Air livery off the distance) from here in row 8.

Looking out my window from seat 8A in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class during pushback from gate 251 at ICN

Scott Leazenby looking out the window from seat 8A Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — *“I mean, they could’ve at least kept the little splashes of red here and there.”*

It was a 16 minute taxi out to runway 33L. The scheduled taxi time (according to the Flighty App) was 16 minutes when it was only scheduled to be 10, which only added to our delay. Not a big deal though. I was comfortable.

Korean Air A380 in the old livery landing at ICN

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 lining up for departure for runway 33L at ICN

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 Business class row 8 passengers — Everyone looks comfortable as we hold short of runway 33L. I continued to wrestle with the loss of a once great airline livery.

Looking down at the terminal building just moments after taking off from runway 33L at ICN

Looking out the window from a Korean Air 737 MAX 8 just moment after taking off from runway 33L at ICN — What a view! Does life get any better than jetting off into the setting sun on a world class airline bound for one of my favorite places in the entire world?

Trying on the slippers in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — Actually, it does. The sweetness increased tenfold as I slithered into a really comfortable pair of slippers.

We ended up taking off at 5:43 PM, which was 18 minutes behind schedule. Not all that bad considering how busy Incheon Airport can get in the afternoons.

Flying directly over top of Seoul just moments after taking off from Incheon Airport — How I didn’t have an aneurysm from jetting off into the setting sun on a world class airline bound for one of my favorite places in the entire world while wearing comfortable slippers while getting such an amazing view of Seoul is beyond me. This departure was *slightly* more stimulating than I was expecting.

In flight entertainment

On a whim, I decided to switch on the Wi-Fi about 15 minutes after departure just to see what happened. Turns out that a fully stocked catalogue of in-flight entertainment is what happened. I was not expecting to see this!

Movies and TV shows main menu of the streaming in flight entertainment system in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — And because this iPhone hasn’t tased me in the a** once in the four years that I’ve owned it, I have no fear in telling you that the selection of movies and TV shows is somewhat limited. It’s good, but not great.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class streaming in flight entertainment movies menu

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class streaming in flight entertainment Korean movies menu

Most of the movies, TV shows, and music is Korean. This may have been disappointing to me in years past, but if there was one thing that I learned from my Air Premia 787-9 premium economy experience, it’s that I actually like Korean comedy. K-pop is kinda good too!

Watching movies and TV shows on my phone in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — It’s also worth noting that there are no device holders in these seats. If only those little buckets of bolts could hear me now…

The meal service

I ain’t never had a bad meal in Korean Air business class, and this flight was no exception. The only disappointment was how delicate my innards are.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class dinner menu — The flight attendant warned me that the Korean option was spicy as I was looking over the menu. I then pretended to ponder the choices knowing full well that the chicken breast was the only option for this pasty white boy.

Here are pictures of both the wine list and the drink list (featuring alcohol, soft drinks, juice, tea, coffee, etc). Clicking on either of them will launch a larger version for easier reading:

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class wine list

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class drink menu including alcohol

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class hot towel service — Moist towelettes were distributed just prior to the meal service. *“$20 says that I’m the only one who chose the chicken breast.”*

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class western style dinner — Poached chicken breast with Rouille sauce. Or as I like to call it: the Korean Air white boy special.

Poached chicken breast with potatoes, olives, and tomatoes in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — I love Korean food, so it killed me having to order the western option. Then again, the spicy Korean option would’ve killed me as well so it was basically a ‘damned if I do damned if I don’t’ type situation.

This was very similar to the second meal that I had in Korean Air 747-8 business class on a 13 hour flight from Seoul to Atlanta. In other words, it was darn near long-haul international business class style.

Fresh bread roll served with my meal in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class

Fresh green salad with mozzarella cheese served with my meal in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class

Eating dinner in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — *“This bread would be very good toasted I think. How come there’s never a taser around when you need one?”*

If your stomach lining can handle it, I highly recommend choosing the spicy Korean option. I didn’t actually see it, but it sure did smell good.

Seat recline and comfort

The most comfortable thing about these seats, by far, are the blankets and pillows they provide. Sure, the seats are soft and squishy enough. But those full-size blankets and pillows? OMG.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class Frette blanket — I looked it up just now, and apparently Frette is a fancy pants bedding brand from Italy. Good thing I did the research, because I spent the remainder of this flight thinking how awesome (and comfortable) French blankets are.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class full size pillow — The French thing made total sense though, because this is one hell of a voluptuous pillow. Rubenesque even. The way in which I’m grabbing handfuls of it suggests that I may have enjoyed this one more than the one that I had in EVA Air 787-9 business class.

Scott Leazenby adjusting the headrest in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — There was nothing sensual about the headrest action. MF’r would barely budge, leaving me to believe that it was produced in the nation of **< redacted >**.

Although these seats do not lie fully flat, they recline just enough to get comfortable. The extendable leg rest helped to provide the illusion of being in a lie flat seat. I was able to get the seat to stretch out a bit, but not quite to the level I recently achieved in China Airlines A330-300 business class.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class seat recline — These seats recline less than you would probably think given how much legroom there is. The person over there by the window (seat 7E) is chillin’ at probably 62% recline.

It also worth noting that window seat passengers have full access to the aisle no matter how stretched out (or inebriated) the aisle seat passenger may be.

The descent and arrival in Tokyo

It wasn’t only the meal service that was spicy. There was one heck of a big storm closing in Tokyo just as we began the descent, and we ended up squeezing in there just before things got nasty.

Walking out the window from seat 8A in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class while on descent into Tokyo Narita just after sunset — I have no caption for this other than telling you how amused I was that the skies turned ‘Korean Air’ blue just as we began the descent. Fun!

Blue mood lighting in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class

Scott Leazenby looking out the window from seat 8A in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class

Looking out the window while landing on runway 16R at Narita airport at night in the rain — *“w-wE&lCo7mM5E tO2 J6aA?pAn!”* (The landing was kind of rough)

Despite the sketchy weather, we ended up touching down on runway 16R four minutes ahead of schedule at 7:31 PM. From there it was a 6 minute taxi over to Terminal 1, and we were docked at the gate at 7:37 PM (the most convenient time for a 737 MAX 8 arrival BTW).

Ramp worker marshaling in an aircraft at night in the rain at Narita airport — Is it just me or is he waving those sticks in a way that implies that he prefers the older Korean Air livery? Because that’s what it looks like to me.

Looking out the window from seat 8A in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class as we pull up to gate 22 in terminal 1 at NRT — Ain’t no guessing about the guy standing there in the jet bridge. His body language says it all.

Unbuckling my seatbelt after the seatbelt sign has been turned off in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — *“I can’t wait to tell everyone how nice these French blankets are!”*

Stretching out my feet in Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class — Using the final moments of this experience to apologize to my feet for having to let go of the slippers. They weren’t happy being shoved back into the Vans.

Exiting the forward boarding door of a Korean Air 737 MAX 8 with Japanese immigration documents in hand — Do I look ready to enter Japan, or what?

Pros and cons of the Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class experience

If you’re the kind of flyer who enjoys being spoiled rotten by an attentive cabin crew, you’re gonna love this. However, if a lie flat seat is what you need, I’d recommend looking for other options (Singapore Airlines 737 MAX 8 business class being a good example).

Pros

Legroom for days. Even months. Probably even years if you’re really short.
Long haul international style pillows and blankets. High quality stuff!
I like how cozy and intimate the business class cabin feels.

Cons

There are only 8 business class seats on this aircraft, which means less of a chance of one being available if you book last minute.
There are no privacy screens or seat dividers.
Although they do offer a streaming in flight entertainment product, there are no video screens built into these seats.

Korean Air 737 MAX 8 business class review: none of this matters actually