English translation of the original Korean report. Images and source documents may contain Korean text.

Incheon–New York Round-Trip First Class Fares Start at Around 13.76 Million Won, 5.6 Times Economy…Jjamppong Photo Sparks Debate Over Toppings and Wooden Chopsticks

An account of a Korean Air First Class flight, in which a passenger said they ordered seafood jjamppong but received a bowl consisting mainly of noodles and broth, is circulating online. With another jjamppong photo posted alongside it, comments followed about differences in toppings and the use of wooden chopsticks.

On the 15th, a post and food photographs from a user who said they had flown in Korean Air First Class appeared on the online community TheQoo. The user said they took a photograph immediately after receiving the food and claimed that, when disembarking, the passenger seated next to them received a farewell greeting but they did not. The post also included a screenshot confirming the submission of a complaint through Korean Air’s ‘Voice of Customer (VOC)’ system concerning the quality of the in-flight meal and the treatment of passengers.

In the photo on the left, noodles and broth are prominent, with what appear to be wooden chopsticks placed beside the bowl. The comparison photo on the right, included in the same post, shows shrimp and vegetables, with black chopsticks and a spoon placed alongside. The original source of the photo on the right and the flight on which it was taken have not been verified.

Comments on TheQoo included reactions from users who said they understood why the passenger had complained only after viewing the photographs side by side, as well as opinions that passengers could reasonably expect service commensurate with First Class fares. In response to a suggestion that the passenger should have raised the issue on board and requested a replacement, another commenter said it could be uncomfortable to complain in front of other passengers. Some also argued that the farewell greeting and the food complaint should be considered separately.

■ Jjamppong Served Separately From Full-Course Meals…No Published Standards for Toppings

First Class is Korean Air’s highest cabin class, above Prestige Class (Business Class). A Google Flights search conducted on the 15th for the lowest round-trip nonstop Korean Air fares, departing Incheon on December 8 and New York’s JFK Airport on December 15, showed fares for one adult of 13,765,800 won in First Class, 8,481,000 won in Prestige Class and 2,456,000 won in Economy Class. For the same itinerary, First Class cost approximately 1.6 times as much as Prestige Class and approximately 5.6 times as much as Economy Class. The amount actually paid by the passenger in the post was not disclosed.

Korean Air first introduced jjamppong as a First Class snack on flights departing South Korea in July 2022. A photograph the airline provided to the media at the time showed jjamppong topped with shrimp, mushrooms and vegetables, along with what appeared to be metal chopsticks and a spoon. A First Class passenger review published in January 2024 for a flight from Incheon to London also featured a photograph of jjamppong topped with shrimp and vegetables.

Korean Air separately lists traditional Korean full-course meals, consisting of appetizers, main courses and desserts, and snacks for long-haul First Class passengers. Its snack selection includes jjamppong, jajangmyeon and ramyeon. In 2024, the airline discontinued ramyeon service in long-haul Economy Class to reduce the risk of burns from hot water during turbulence, but ramyeon remains listed in its current First Class service information.

Airlines overseas also include noodle dishes on their First Class menus. Japan Airlines (JAL) lists yuzu-scented ramen on its à la carte menu for international First Class flights departing Japan and tonkotsu-style miso ramen for flights arriving in Japan. Emirates also states that First Class passengers can order snacks whenever they wish, separately from full-course meals.

Last June, Korean Air expanded its First Class in-flight meal pre-order service to nine long-haul routes departing overseas destinations, including New York, Paris and London. On the 5th of this month, the airline announced that it had ranked first in each of three categories—Business & First Class, Inflight Food and Cabin Crew—in a reader vote conducted by the U.S. newspaper USA TODAY.

When Korean Air opened its new First Class lounge at Incheon Airport last April, it also said that it used Christofle cutlery and Bernardaud tableware for its First Class in-flight meals. Its publicly available service information does not specify detailed standards for the toppings and utensils provided with jjamppong or whether individual farewell greetings are given to passengers as they disembark. The airline’s response to this complaint could not be confirmed from publicly available materials.