Based on a survey of Global Traveler’s luxury reader, this award underscores the airline’s ongoing commitment to elevating the inflight dining experience.
Korean Air's premium catering seamlessly blends traditional Korean flavors and modern culinary refinement. Building on a comprehensive overhaul of its inflight dining program last year—the first major refresh in over a decade—the airline introduced exclusive menus developed in collaboration with Chef Seakyeong Kim, owner of Cesta in Seoul. Featuring seasonal ingredients and innovative techniques, these new dishes bring a true gourmet experience to the skies.
First Class passengers enjoy an immersive fine-dining experience at 35,000 feet. The elevated menu features an expanded selection of amuse-bouche and appetizers, alongside new main courses and desserts like papillote and petit fours. These additions complement signature Korean dishes, such as bibimbap, and an exclusive sommelier-curated wine program. To complete the luxury experience, meals are elegantly presented on Bernardaud china with Christofle cutlery and Riedel glassware.
“Being recognized for the third consecutive year at the Leisure Lifestyle Awards is a testament to Korean Air’s unwavering commitment to service innovation.” said David Pacey, Executive Vice President and Chief of In-flight Service and Lounges at Korean Air. “We will continue to sharpen our competitive edge across all service areas, including our world-class in-flight dining, to ensure an unparalleled journey for our global passengers.”
This latest accolade adds to Korean Air’s growing list of global honors. The airline was named Best Cabin Service at the APEX Best Awards 2026, earned the APEX Five Star Global Airline rating for the ninth consecutive year in 2025 and was named Airline of the Year 2025 by Airlineratings.com. Korean Air also holds a SKYTRAX 5-star Airline rating for the fifth consecutive year and was named Asia Airline of the Year by CAPA in 2025.
Tags: Leisure Lifestyle Awards APEX Best Awards 2026 David Pacey, Korean Air
