Frequent flyers who hold elite status with a oneworld airline have undoubtedly set foot in many oneworld member airlines’ lounges worldwide. But the alliance’s extensive lounge network now includes two oneworld-branded lounges, the first of which opened in Seoul’s Incheon Airport with Amsterdam following shortly after.
Unveiled in early 2024 and coinciding with the alliance’s 25th anniversary year, the oneworld Alliance Lounge in Seoul caters to high-tier frequent flyers of seven (soon to be six) oneworld member airlines operating from Incheon.
With Qantas currently flying out of the South Korean capital, I take the opportunity to venture into the new oneworld Alliance Lounge before an overnight leg to Sydney.
Lounge details and location
After clearing the automatic passport control in Terminal 1 of Seoul’s Incheon Airport, I don’t need to trek far to the oneworld Alliance Lounge. Signage directs me down the hallway immediately ahead, where an escalator takes me to the first floor. You can’t miss the bright, inviting entrance of the lounge.
The oneworld Alliance Lounge in Seoul is open every day between the hours of 7:30 am and 12:50 am.
Conveniently, the lounge is located in the centre of the terminal near Gate 28, so you’re never more than a 10-minute walk from the departure gate of your oneworld flight.
Lounge layout and seating
Saunter through the luminous arches and into the colourful space of the oneworld Alliance Lounge. Drawing from South Korean culture and featuring oneworld’s vibrant branding, the interior seamlessly blends traditional and contemporary elements to form a warm space. Separately, the colours, shapes and textures can seem like a mismatch of sorts. But I’m genuinely impressed at the level of cohesion here – everything just seems to work.
The lounge occupies a modest pocket of Terminal 1, with large windows that lend to natural lighting and tarmac views. Unfortunately, my visit falls during nighttime, but the dim lighting signals a wind-down. Indeed, this lounge is a respite from the buzz of the terminal below.
Evidently, careful consideration has gone into building distinct zones throughout the lounge’s open-plan layout. There are desks ideal for catching up on emails and dedicated dining tables beside the buffet area. Couches are great for those travelling in a small group, and you’ll find solo pods on the far end of the lounge.
Food & beverage in the oneworld Alliance Lounge, Seoul
Dinner is served during my visit, with the hot buffet housing a rotating selection of Korean and Western dishes. Among the choices are seafood soup tteokbokki, beef bulgogi, pork short ribs, lasagna, rice, curry, and mushroom soup. Staff are attentive, promptly replacing empty trays with new choices. By the time I return for seconds, there’s a new range to choose from. Prefer a snack instead? Small bites are aplenty, with a selection of biscuits, crackers and muffins.
Of course, no lounge is complete without a bar. Here, you’ll find ‘The 25’, a signature cocktail crafted by Ago Perrone from London’s renowned The Connaught Bar in celebration of oneworld’s 25th anniversary. If the cocktail’s global flavours don’t tickle your fancy, you can ask the bartender to craft your favourite tipple. Self-serve spirits are also available by the buffet.
Uniquely – and, perhaps, as a nod to its South Korean identity – the oneworld Alliance Lounge has a cup noodle station. If, like me, you’ve ever traversed the neon-lit streets of Seoul hunting for a quick late-night feed, you’ll be familiar with the cultural significance of the humble instant noodle. Sometimes, that comfort in a cup is all you need before a long flight.
Amenities in the oneworld Alliance Lounge, Seoul
The basics are covered in terms of amenities you’d expect to find at an international lounge. There’s a small meeting room and workspace, a handful of showers, a baby change room, and lockers at the entrance to store personal items.
As far as connectivity goes, powerpoints are plenty in supply. Oh, and the Wi-Fi here is fast – I clock a whopping 419 Mbps download speed. To put that into perspective, that’s about 6-7 times the average internet download speed in Australia.
How to access the oneworld Alliance Lounge, Seoul
The guest list for the oneworld Alliance Lounge in Seoul is slim, with access only granted if you meet one of the requirements below:
- By status: oneworld Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers travelling on any oneworld airline.
- By class of travel: Business Class and First Class passengers travelling on any oneworld airline.
It’s worth mentioning that my visit to this lounge was prior to my Seoul-Sydney flight with Qantas. From mid-2025, Qantas will no longer fly this route, instead handing the reigns to Jetstar. This leaves no direct oneworld routes between Australia and South Korea. Though Jetstar has a partnership with Qantas, the low-cost carrier itself is not part of the oneworld Alliance. So, you can’t use your Qantas Gold/Platinum status (or corresponding oneworld Sapphire/Emerald status) to gain access to the oneworld lounge before a Jetstar flight.
While your opportunity to experience this lounge on a direct flight to Australia is limited, you can still gain access before flying any of the below oneworld airlines out of Seoul Incheon Airport:
- American Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- SriLankan Airlines
Earn Qantas Points towards your next flight!
Our verdict
Previously, passengers departing from Seoul Incheon Airport on non-Korean carriers mostly had the option of third-party lounges, the bulk of which are accessible with Priority Pass. So, the addition of the oneworld Alliance Lounge is welcome for passengers of the many oneworld member airlines that operate out of Seoul.
Visually, the lounge is stunning. I love upscale neutrals as much as the next person, but it’s refreshing to see a vibrant palette for a lounge done well. All the standard amenities are on offer, including a hot buffet with a good variety of dishes, showers, workspaces and a bar. The Wi-Fi is notably speedy, and the lockers at the entrance are a convenient touch.
With that being said, there’s nothing that particularly stands out about this lounge. In the same regard, there’s nothing overly terrible about it, either. The space functions as intended – to be a quiet sanctuary for eligible passengers to escape the bustle of the terminal. It’s a clean, modern lounge – and sometimes that’s enough.
Would I make a special trip to Seoul to visit this lounge? Probably not. And with Qantas withdrawing from the Seoul-Sydney route, it’s even harder to justify the detour. But if you find yourself in this neck of the woods, for whatever reason – be it K-pop, K-drama or, in my case, stocking up on Korean skincare – then it’s worth poking your head in. Even if only to say you’ve visited the world’s first oneworld-branded lounge.
Also read: Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-300 Economy (Seoul-Kuala Lumpur-Perth)
Photography by Victoria Kyriakopoulos, who visited the lounge as a guest of oneworld while flying at her own expense.
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I was on the QF night flight to SYD. I was one of the first to check in for my flight and then get to the lounge but it was already busy as the JQ flight commences check-in before the QF flight so all of the eligible JQ passengers (Business Max fares as Henrus points out above perhaps?) were in the lounge before any QF passengers. Once the QF contingent arrived is was overcrowded.
The shower amenities are too few. When I arrived there was already a list of over 15 names waiting for a shower. 2 hours later they had barely got through 10 people on that list. Very disappointing not to be able to freshen up with a shower after a full day in the Seoul heat and before an overnight flight. the problem is that they have only a couple of shower rooms.
The food offerings were quite weak. As described by the reviewer there were choices on offer but my experience was that they often ran out and were left empty before being refilled – perhaps a sign of the crowding in the lounge.
Some of the chairs are very poorly designed. There is one set of pedestal style seats along a wall/partition that are a bit higher than normal and on more than one occasion I saw a person almost lose their balance and tipping over the seat while seated on it simply because they were trying to adjust their position (no alcohol involved!).
If this is the best OneWorld can do in pulling off a lounge experience I do hope they stop here and make no further attempts.