Flying First to Seoul: the route landscape
Seoul's First Class picture requires a current timetable, not a rule of thumb. Korean Air still operates true First Class — one of the few carriers to keep faith with the cabin — but only on select US routes and aircraft, and the pattern shifts with schedules and fleet swaps. On the right day from New York or Los Angeles you may find a First cabin on the nonstop; on another day, the same flight number is business-led. If Korean Air First aligns with your dates, it is a serene, deeply Korean product and a fine way to arrive. Just verify the aircraft before you count on it.
The routings you can plan around run through Northeast Asia's other hubs. ANA and Japan Airlines both fly First Class from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to Tokyo, where Seoul is a two-and-a-half-hour hop — and both carriers' First cabins rank among the best in the world. Cathay Pacific First via Hong Kong works from JFK and, on select schedules, the West Coast, with a three-and-a-half-hour leg up to Incheon. Either way you land at one of Asia's great airports, an hour from the city by car or forty-odd minutes by express train.
The best First Class airlines for Seoul
'The Suite' to Tokyo from JFK, ORD, LAX, or SFO, then a short codeshare hop to Incheon.
JAL First to Tokyo with its celebrated Japanese catering, connecting smoothly onward to Seoul.
First via Hong Kong from JFK — a longer arc, but two legendary cabins and The Pier lounge en route.
When to go
April brings cherry blossoms along the Han River and October sets the palaces against fall color — these are Seoul's two perfect months. May, June, and September are close behind. Late June through August is hot, humid, and punctuated by monsoon rain; winter is genuinely cold but crisp, with the city's food culture at its most warming and premium fares at their lowest.
Arriving well
Incheon consistently ranks among the world's best airports, and arrival is efficient even without assistance — though a booked car for the hour's drive into the city beats wrangling the train with luggage. Seoul's luxury hotels cluster usefully: the Four Seasons near Gwanghwamun for the palaces, Josun Palace in Gangnam, and Signiel occupying the top floors of Lotte World Tower with views that reset your sense of the city's scale. Book tasting-menu restaurants two to three weeks ahead, and let your concierge arrange a private early-morning guide at Gyeongbokgung.
