Korean Air to Tokyo

Took a morning flight out of LAX on Korean Air. This was our first time flying with Korean Air and I was curious about how the experience would be. Upon check-in Lisa had the foresight to ask for an exit row, and we were able to secure some amazing seats for the long flight, with plenty of room to strech our legs. I spent most of the flight sleeping. I put in some earplugs, covered my eyes with a sleeping visor, tucked my head into a neck pillow, and it was like I was in a sensory deprivation chamber. If you don't have a neck pillow yet, I'd highly recommend purchasing one as soon as possible to make long flights more comfortable.

Overall the flight on Korean Air was very good, and I would definitely enjoy flying with them again. The flight was on time, the seats were comfortable, and the staff was friendly. Not to be unpatriotic or anything, but the service on Korean Air was far better than anything I've experienced on an American airline. Whenever I fly with an American carrier, it always seems like the staff is performing you a great favor just to carry out the normal functions of their jobs. If they aren't downright apathetic or depressed-looking, they overcompensate like on Southwest, and their bubbly friendliness seems forced and almost insincere. The Korean Air staff was friendly without being obsequious, smiling without being intrusive. There were even little stickers you could put on your blanket that said things like "Wake me up for Meal Service", "Wake me up for duty free", "Do not disturb", etc. Contrast this approach with Ryan Air, where it seems you can't go 10 minutes without some person shouting at you to buy something.

The in-flight movie was National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, a film I can only recommend if you are strapped to a seat in a metal container 40,000 feet from any other source of viable entertainment. Actually, that is a bit severe. The movie is both highly insulting to one's intelligence, but also vastly entertaining. It is insulting in the sense that its plot twists are so ridiculous as to be unbelievable - "The only way we can get this last clue is to...kidnap the president!!!" - but is entertaining for the very same reasons. It served the useful function of helping to pass two hours in the air.

We landed at Narita and took a train into Tokyo. By this time it was already Friday evening, and we were both tired from jet lag, so we had a quick but delicious sushi dinner at Lisa's parents' house and then went to bed.