Asiana Economy Smartium Review: Seoul to Porto

Porto Travel

Seoul (Incheon) - Barcelona - Porto Flight

From Incheon to Porto via Barcelona Airport

Since there are no direct flights from Korea to Porto, a layover is a must.

To keep things budget-friendly, we booked a round-trip to Barcelona and then booked a separate Vueling Airlines flight from Barcelona to Porto!

How to book on the official Vueling website & check-in review ↓

[Honeymoon] How to book Barcelona-Porto Vueling Airlines & check-in reviewblog.naver.com

First things first upon arriving at Incheon Airport: heading straight to the counter...

to drop off our checked bags!

Since this is our honeymoon after all, we treated ourselves to some extra legroom and booked

Asiana Economy Smartium seats.

With Economy Smartium,

priority baggage handling is included.

So when you check your bags,

they attach a special tag sticker like the one pointed out by the arrow.

These days, baggage drop is mostly self-service,

but to get this priority tag sticker,

you should let one of the staff members standing nearby know

that you booked Economy Smartium.

Priority baggage delivery service? Yes, please! 👍

After dropping off our luggage, we headed straight to the departure gates.

Even though it was early morning, it was incredibly crowded.

(And it was a Tuesday!)

Still, we managed to get through security pretty quickly.

(Maybe 20 to 30 minutes?)

Side note: after returning from our honeymoon, we heard news

that the airport got even crazier.

(Taking over an hour just to get through the gates!)

Once we cleared security and entered the duty-free zone,

we skipped the duty-free shops

and headed straight to the Asiana Business Lounge.

[ Asiana Economy Smartium Perks ]

1. Priority baggage handling

2. Free Business Lounge access (Incheon Airport only)

3. Priority boarding (just like Business Class)

4. Extra legroom compared to standard Economy

Inside Terminal 1 at Incheon Airport,

there are three Asiana Business Lounges.

We visited the one in the Central area,

and it was pleasantly uncrowded—perfect for relaxing.

It was my first time visiting the Asiana Business Lounge,

and I loved that they had a nice selection of light bites

as well as drinks to enjoy.

For breakfast, we loaded up on bread, salad, scrambled eggs,

and, of course, the mandatory airport cup ramen.

We felt super fueled up and ready to go!

In addition to draft beer, they offered various wines and whiskies,

making it easy to grab whatever fits your vibe.

After a cozy break in the lounge,

we headed to the gate just in time for boarding.

As expected, the regular Economy boarding line was massive.

But thanks to our Economy Smartium tickets,

we boarded right away through the Business Class lane!

As you can see in the photo, the entrance splits into Business and Economy.

You just walk through the priority line and head into the Economy section from there.

Snapped a quick photo of the plane that would take us all the way to Barcelona! ✈️

As soon as we boarded, I took a quick photo of our seats.

Each seat was prepped with a cozy blanket, slippers,

an eye mask, and a toothbrush/toothpaste kit.

(Standard essentials for long-haul flights, but always appreciated!)

Standard Economy seats have red headrests,

while Economy Smartium seats have purple headrests.

Just looking at the seat pitch with my own eyes,

it was instantly clear how much roomier they are.

With a seat pitch of over 90cm (approx. 35 inches),

it was absolutely ideal for my tall husband.

When I sat down (average female height), there was so much room,

and even for an adult male over 180cm (5'11"), there was plenty of space to spare.

As soon as we sat down, we both thought, "Upgrading to Smartium was definitely the right choice!"

Since it was a Tuesday, we secretly hoped

for an empty row to lie down, but unfortunately, the flight was full!

I swapped my shoes for the provided slippers right after boarding.

The soles weren't super thin and had a decent

thickness, making it very comfortable to walk to the restroom.

An eye mask was also included, though I didn't end up using it.

Pro tip: there's an outlet right between the seats!

Shortly after takeoff, the famous Ssambap (Korean lettuce wraps) arrived!

I tried the ssambap, which is the most famous

inflight meal on Asiana, and wow—

the veggies were incredibly fresh and the meat was seasoned perfectly.

Honestly, it was amazing for airplane food!

Probably the best inflight meal I've ever had! 😋

They gave us a surprisingly great variety of greens to wrap with,

which made it fun to eat,

and the portion of meat was generous enough to leave me completely full.

I asked for some beer and wine,

dozed off nicely, and after

killing some time with a movie,

it was suddenly dinner time already!

I forgot to snap a photo of this meal,

but since I don't really remember it, it must have been just average—

(Ssambap reigns supreme! 👑)

After eating, I asked for some pretzels and another beer,

and put on another movie to help me sleep.

Just before landing, they served

a tomato pizza as a snack.

It was surprisingly tasty, so I finished it all!

(Careful though, it's super hot at first!)

Snapped one last photo of the view before landing.

Floating above the sunset-lit clouds felt absolutely magical.

And we have arrived at Barcelona Airport! 🇪🇸

Passport control was a breeze—no questions asked,

just a quick stamp and we were through!

As soon as we got our bags,

we stepped outside to catch our first feel of Barcelona, haha.

(Got our bags instantly by checking the luggage tags!)

[Vueling Airlines]

Following the screens, we took the escalator

up to the departure area and spotted Vueling right away.

The Vueling counters are located right in the center of the airport,

just to the right of the boarding gates, making them super easy to find.

Since we had checked in online beforehand,

we used the kiosks to drop off our bags ourselves.

Vueling has tons of self-bag drop kiosks,

so we didn't have to wait at all.

(If you get stuck, just ask the nearby staff for help!)

At first, I wasn't sure how to use the machine,

but once you scan the QR code from your boarding pass

and follow the on-screen prompts, your baggage tags will print right out.

Just wrap the tag around your suitcase handle

and place it on the conveyor belt—easy peasy!

And straight to the boarding gates we go!

Scan your QR code at the gate entrance,

pass through baggage screening, and boom—you're in the duty-free area!

(Being Barcelona Airport, there were so many shops to browse).

As expected from a budget airline, we boarded the plane from a spot slightly further out, haha.

(We took a short shuttle bus ride and walked a bit.)

It's been a while since I boarded a plane directly from the tarmac!

When booking Vueling Airlines, because of the checked baggage...

Since I chose the FLY fare, I was able to select my seat for free.

Plus, the exit row seats were also free, so I grabbed exit row 12!

It was super spacious, almost like Asiana's Economy Smartium!

The seats were made of leather, which made them

feel extra plush and comfortable to sit in.

Since it was only about a one-hour flight, we arrived in no time!

We've arrived at Porto Airport!!

After being in the massive Barcelona Airport, Porto Airport felt so cute and charming.

Vueling Airlines is notorious for baggage issues,

so I was a bit worried that our luggage

might get lost or delayed. But as soon as the conveyor belt started,

our suitcases came out almost immediately, so we breezed right through!

There are so many horror stories about Vueling's delays and lost baggage, but we experienced absolutely no delays

and zero baggage issues. A flawless experience for us!

Before leaving the airport,

keep an eye out for a green sign with a discount code.

If you enter this promo code in Bolt

(the most popular ride-hailing app in Portugal),

you'll get 70% off your first ride!

HELLOPORTO

Since both of us had tons of luggage, we took

a Bolt taxi straight from the airport. Thanks to the promo code,

we made it to our accommodation for an absolute steal at just €4.36!

(It took about 22 minutes to get to the city center)

Planning to take taxis in Portugal?

Downloading the Bolt app is an absolute must!

(If you're traveling with someone, you can both sign up and use the first-ride discount twice!)

Even after the 70% discount, they automatically apply a 20% discount on subsequent rides.

I brought my Travellog card and tried to

withdraw some Euros from the ATMs at Porto Airport.

However, both bank ATMs I tried charged a fee,

so I decided not to withdraw cash there.

One was €3-something, and the other was €4.95.

Tip: Don't withdraw cash using your Travellog card at Porto Airport!

There are fee-free ATMs in the city center.

(I'll share details about this in a future post!)

Besides, since we took a Bolt straight from the airport to our place,

we didn't need any cash anyway

(as our credit card was linked to the Bolt app!).

It was drizzling when we arrived in Porto, but looking out at

Porto's nightscape from the taxi window was absolutely magical.

We caught our first glimpse of the famous Dom Luís I Bridge and safely arrived at our accommodation!