After dispatching the five Priority Pass Lounges in the Main Terminal during a six-hour layover at ICN, it was on to the remaining lounges in Concourse A, the satellite terminal.
Other posts in this series cover Terminal 2’s new Korean Air Prestige Lounge East, Korean Air Prestige Lounge West, and Priority Pass Lounges. Also, ICN is an airport with so many options that visiting a lounge is actually unnecessary to pass the time on a long layover.
Concourse A features three Priority Pass lounges, A Sky Hub Lounge, a KAL Lounge and an Asiana business-class lounge (for now). As with the Main Terminal, the best of the lot is the Asiana Business Class Lounge. To access Concourse A, one must be on a flight departing from that concourse.
Asiana Business Class Lounge
The lounge is near Gate 119 on the 4th floor of Concourse A one level up from the gates. The hours of operation are 06:00 – 22:00 daily. The lounge offers the same services and amenities as the Main Terminal lounge, including wifi, TV, alcohol, snacks and hot food and showers.
The assortment of alcoholic beverages is the same as the Main Terminal lounge.
The lounge is ultra comfortable and relaxing.
It is a large lounge although low dividers break up the space so that it seems more intimate.
Some parts of lounge resemble a luxurious library.
Update – Effective January 1, 2018, Priority Pass members will be able to access the Asiana lounges at ICN only when flying Asiana.
Sky Hub Lounge
The Sky Hub lounge on concourse A is also located near Gate 119 on the 4th floor. It is open from 07:00 – 21:30 daily. Sky Hub admits passengers without a Priority Pass membership for a $35 fee.
This lounge is smaller than the Main Terminal lounge.
The buffet is a variety of fruit, salads and entrees.
The lounge has a small business center with fax, copier and computer.
Other facilities include showers, conference facility, flight info, and newspapers and magazines as well as wifi.
KAL Lounge
Unlike the Main Terminal Korean Air Lounge, the KAL Lounge on Concourse A is in the Priority Pass network.
The lounge is also located on the 4th floor of Concourse A. The hours are 06:30 – 23:30. Twenty years ago this was a Delta (Northwest) lounge. Then SkyTeam took it over before Korean Air adopted it.
Through all the ownership changes the decor stayed the same. The lounge is bright, clean and modern. I prefer the look and feel of the Asiana lounges but this is not bad for a change of pace.
The food offerings have improved since the Delta days; however, the buffet at the Sky Hub and Asiana lounges looks better.
The lounge is essentially one large space. For a little more privacy one can retreat to the TV lounge or smoking room.
A unique feature of this lounge is a lockable cell phone charging station.
The KAL lounge has the best airport views of the Concourse A lounges without a doubt.
The KAL lounge also has standard features like fax and copier, newspapers and magazines, flight info and wifi.
Final Thoughts
Eight lounges in two terminals in less than six hours was a challenge gladly accepted. The Asiana lounges are (were) the best of the bunch although all are good. One thing is sure, no matter where your flight is departing from at ICN, finding some decent food, wifi, and beverages in a Priority Pass lounge will be a piece of cake. It is truly unfortunate that, as stated above, effective January 1, 2018, the Asiana lounges are withdrawing from Priority Pass (unless flying Asiana),
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