Josh Cahill's Asiana Airlines A380 First Class: Great Steak, Disengaged Crew

Asiana Airlines operates one of the more quietly compelling first class products in East Asia — a cabin aboard the Airbus A380 that, by Josh Cahill's own account, remains accessible at a price point that makes it genuinely worth considering. In a video published on 23 May 2026 and titled "The Secret Airbus A380 First Class Flight - NOBODY knows about!", Cahill boards an Asiana Airlines A380 departing from Incheon International Airport (ICN) and delivers a verdict that is, in the end, characteristically mixed: the hardware and catering clear a respectable bar, but the human element falls short in a way that is difficult to ignore.

The Case for Flying Asiana First Class

Cahill's central pitch is straightforward and aimed squarely at the value-conscious premium traveller. "If you want to experience a first class seat for cheap, this is the way to do it," he observes — a tip that frames the entire review. The Asiana first class cabin on the A380 is, by most accounts, a product that has aged but retains genuine appeal, particularly when priced at a discount relative to competitors such as Korean Air or the Gulf carriers. Cahill's coverage of Incheon International Airport itself draws on a channel history that includes three prior videos originating from the same hub, most recently a Korean Air cabin review in May 2025 and an Air Premia hybrid airline feature in 2022.

The catering is where Asiana earns its most unambiguous praise in this review. At the 806-second mark, Cahill delivers a clear positive verdict on the main course: "The steak served on the flight was actually medium rare and very good." For a first class cabin review, this is not a trivial observation. Cahill has spent years cataloguing in-flight catering across hundreds of airlines, and a properly cooked medium-rare steak at altitude — where cabin pressure and dry air conspire against kitchen ambition — represents a genuine operational achievement. It places Asiana in respectable company on the catering front, even if the overall product does not reach the heights of the Emirates first class experience Cahill reviewed in December 2024, which he described as "the most luxurious flight in the world."

"This was the best shower I had in a very, very long time."

The shower suite — a feature exclusive to A380 first class cabins on select carriers — evidently left a strong impression, reinforcing the hard product's appeal even as the soft product struggled.

Crew Engagement and the Merger Shadow

The more substantive concern in this review is the crew. At the 1,045-second mark, Cahill articulates a criticism that carries structural weight beyond a single flight: "The crew's attitude seemed less engaged, possibly due to the airline's impending merger." Asiana Airlines has been navigating a prolonged and turbulent acquisition process involving Korean Air, and Cahill's observation — that institutional uncertainty may be filtering through to cabin service — is a plausible and analytically interesting one. Airlines in transition frequently exhibit service inconsistencies as staff morale fluctuates and operational priorities shift. Cahill has documented this phenomenon before: his coverage of SriLankan Airlines across multiple videos tracked a similar deterioration in crew engagement during that carrier's financial crisis.

This marks Cahill's sixth coverage of Asiana Airlines, with the most recent prior video — a domestic Boeing 747 flight — published in May 2023, making this the first time the channel has reviewed Asiana's first class product on the A380. For context, Wingin' It! Paul Lucas reviewed the same Asiana A380 Business Suites cabin on the Seoul (ICN) to Bangkok route approximately two years before this video, arriving at a similarly mixed conclusion — praising the food while criticising the lounge service and outdated entertainment. The convergence of two independent reviewers on comparable weaknesses lends credibility to Cahill's crew assessment.

Cahill's nostalgia for Seoul is also woven into the video's texture. At the 98-second mark, he notes: "I felt nostalgic every time I come to Beijing" — a line that reflects the personal geography of a creator who has spent years traversing Asia and built a particular affinity for the region's aviation landscape.

Verdict: A Bargain with Caveats

The overall verdict on Asiana Airlines' A380 first class is, in Cahill's framing, a conditional recommendation. The product offers genuine value — a spacious first class suite, a functional shower, and catering that can produce a properly cooked steak — at a price that undercuts most comparable offerings in the market. The A380 itself remains an exceptional platform for premium travel, and Cahill's channel has documented the type extensively, from Emirates' flagship first class to British Airways' A380 return to service. Asiana's version is neither the best nor the worst of the breed, but it occupies a defensible niche for travellers departing Incheon International Airport who prioritise value over polish.

The crew engagement deficit is the most consequential weakness, and it is one that Asiana's management will need to address as the Korean Air merger process concludes. A first class cabin that cannot deliver consistent, attentive service is, ultimately, a business class cabin with a larger seat. Cahill's review does not dismiss the product — the steak alone earns it a degree of goodwill — but it does flag a warning that prospective passengers should weigh carefully before booking. For those willing to accept the trade-off, the price-to-experience ratio at Incheon remains, as Cahill puts it, a genuine opportunity.