Skip to content
Go to Home Page
News

Korean Air to Launch Nonstop Service to Boston in 2019

Emily McNutt
Articles
Emily McNutt is The Points Guy's Global News Editor and is based in London.
Aug. 06, 2018
•
4 min read
Korean Air 787-9 Dreamliner Tour Business First Economy
Korean Air to Launch Nonstop Service to Boston in 2019
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.

Korean Air announced on Monday that it's adding another East Coast US destination to its route network. Beginning spring 2019, Korean will launch nonstop service between Seoul (ICN) and Boston (BOS).

According to One Mile at a Time, the 5x weekly service will launch on April 12, 2019. However, at this time, the new nonstop flights are not showing on Korean's site. The route will operate on the following schedule on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays:

  • KE89 Seoul (ICN) 9:30am Departure ⇒ Boston (BOS) 10:30am Arrival
  • KE90 Boston (BOS) 1:30pm Departure ⇒ Seoul (ICN) 4:50pm (+1) Arrival

The 6,828-mile flight will be operated by one of Korean's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Korean's 789s featured a three-cabin configuration — first, Prestige (business) and economy. Interestingly enough, the carrier's 789s feature the same seat in both first and business — an APEX seat. The only major difference between the two seats is that the in-flight entertainment screen in first class is considerably larger.

More specifically, in the first-class cabin, you can expect to find one row of six lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. Each of the seats features 82 inches of pitch and is 20.8 inches wide. Check this guide for information on which first class seats are best.

First class on Korean's 789. Photo by Zach Honig.

In Prestige class, you can expect the same 2-2-2 configuration. However, in this business-class cabin, there are a total of 18 seats, with each offering 75 inches of pitch and the same 20.8 inches of width. Check this guide for information on which business class seats are best.

Business class on Korean's 789. Photo by Zach Honig.

The economy cabin features 247 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each offers a generous 33-34 inches of pitch and 18 inches of width. Check this guide for information on which economy seats are best.

Sign up for our daily newsletter
Economy on Korean's 789. Photo by Zach Honig.

Delta and Korean recently finalized a joint venture agreement, allowing passengers to connect seamlessly to each other's route network. In addition, Delta flyers can now earn elite miles when flying with Korean, as well as being able to use Delta global upgrade certificates when flying with the carrier. Once the BOS route launches, Korean will serve a total of 11 US destinations — Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Honolulu (HNL), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA) and Washington, DC (IAD).

As of time of publication, the flights are not yet loaded on Korean's site and are therefore not bookable. However, Korean's SkyPass program is known for offering some great award sweet spots. A round-trip award between BOS and ICN will cost 160,000 miles in first, 125,000 miles in business or 70,000 miles in coach. (During peak season, those rates jump to 240,000 miles, 185,000 miles or 105,000 miles for first, business and coach, respectively.) Check out this guide of five things to know about the SkyPass program so you're ready to book when the tickets do become available.