I look forward to my annual trip to Seoul with great anticipation — the food, the museums and a little bit of shopping between meetings. This trip was off to a great start, as I was able to fly Asiana’s Business First Suite on its Airbus A380 out of LAX. As Asiana is part of Star Alliance, you get access to the Star Alliance lounge in the Tom Bradley Terminal, which has lots of seating and even an outdoor space with fire pits. I ate a small lunch of create-your-own ramen before heading to my gate.

The 1-2-1 configuration of the Business First Suite allows you either windows and private space or shared experiences in the middle if you are traveling with a friend or spouse. But don’t worry, a full private divide goes up as well. Upon boarding the A380 I was shown to my suite, 1K, where my friendly flight attendant and cabin manager helped me put my coat in the suite’s small cabinet and placed my bags above. The first thing I noticed was how big the suite was; I couldn’t wait to explore. I was offered fresh juice or water before take-off, but, unfortunately, Champagne or a small snack was not given.

Once we reached cruising altitude, I was able to stand and really get to know my suite space for my 12-hour flight. The suite is large with a full, wide seat and ottoman on the opposite end. The cream and yellow color theme with wood trim is a bit bland but keeps the aesthetic clean. My seat at 1K sat against three windows, providing excellent views and lots of natural light. Alongside the windows are built-in storage spaces in different sizes where I was able to store my tech gadgets, beauty products and glasses. I closed my privacy door and started to explore the entertainment system, which started off great due to the large, 32-inch screen, one of the largest I have seen during my travels. The actual movie and TV selection was limited, but the suite offered lots of USB and electrical outlets, so I was able to plug in my iPad to watch some Netflix shows and get some work done on my laptop.

The amenity kit was filled with Salvatore Ferragamo products that were clean-scented, something I am picky about, alongside socks, comb and all the usual needs.

Asiana’s menu always has a great selection of western or Korean cuisine to choose from; I went for the Korean meal of ssambap with its steamed rice, bulgogi beef and lots of veggies to wrap in big leafy greens — this is by far my favorite airline meal across all my travels.

After meal services wrapped up, our attendants offered to get me settled in and prepared my suite for rest, moving my seat to a full 180 lie-flat bed, placing a thin bottom cushion, plush comforter and an extra pillow. They asked if I wanted to be woken up for any mid-flight tea or snack service or to just press the call button for anything needed.

I changed into something more comfortable in the forward bathroom, very spacious with lots of bright lighting and included a small sitting couch and full-length mirror.

As the lights went fully dark, the biggest surprise of the flight appeared: Tiny lights across the entire ceiling of the cabin imitate a night sky, the perfect way to rest and catch some sleep.

The flight was smooth, and the cabin prepared a small snack about two hours before arrival into Incheon Airport. I chose to keep the snack light, with fresh fruit and green tea, as I had a dinner scheduled upon arrival in Seoul.

Overall, my flight was a delight! The flight attendants were attentive, the food was amazing, and I was actually able to sleep for about five hours — a record for me!

— Carly Allen, executive vice president, associate publisher