After the reopening following the end of the pandemic, the KAL Lounge at Kansai Airport has moved to the airside (security area), making it more convenient. Now located near Gate 3 in the North Wing, you can wait for your boarding while watching the parked aircraft, which is a new experience. The menu remains unchanged, offering items like Cup Noodles and onigiri. Although they no longer have a partnership with Priority Pass, the lounge now has a more relaxed atmosphere.

Due to the coronavirus, there were no other customers besides myself. Another group arrived when I was leaving, but I had the place to myself for over an hour. They had a good selection of cup ramen, soups, bread, and sweets, and alcohol was all-you-can-drink! I love tomato juice and ended up drinking about three bottles.笑

KAL Lounge at Kansai Airport. It's a valuable lounge where you can use Priority Pass even for domestic flights. I was flying with a low-cost carrier (Jetstar) and decided to visit this lounge after visiting Boteyu Lounge. The location of the lounge has been mentioned by other reviewers, but using Uniqlo as a landmark is helpful. I flew with Jetstar and due to the impact of COVID, the one-way fare was just over 5,000 yen. I had a Priority Pass and was able to enjoy additional benefits. First, I went to Boteyu Lounge and enjoyed a meal and drinks for almost 3,400 yen. Then, I visited KAL Lounge. It was surprisingly small. I was planning to have onigiri, cup noodles, and drinks here since I had a light meal at Boteyu Lounge, but to my surprise, they didn't have onigiri! So, I started with mini cup noodles and beer. Having Cup Noodles available is great. They even had mini-sized ones, so I tried the seafood and soy sauce flavors. I'm not a fan of bread, so I didn't try it, but they had steamed buns. I was amazed by the alcohol corner. I was surprised by the unlimited beer at a lounge in Chubu Centrair Airport before, but as expected from a Priority Pass lounge, they had not only beer but also brandy, whiskey, wine, and more. Is all of this unlimited...? However, I refrained from drinking too much as I didn't want to feel sick on the plane. I had a little brandy. It was 40% alcohol. Oh, strong. Just in case, I neutralized it with tomato juice (laughs). The canned tomato juice is great. I only had one but it was easy to drink and delicious (especially after drinking alcohol). After enjoying the meals and drinks at Boteyu Lounge and KAL Lounge, I boarded the plane feeling just right, and surprisingly, I didn't need to use the restroom during the flight to Sapporo. Is this the power of 40% alcohol...? I was charmed by the free meals and drinks at Kansai Airport and decided that if I'm flying somewhere from Kansai Airport with a low-cost carrier, Jetstar is the way to go.

Feel free to stop by when you have time before your flight. If you can't wait until the in-flight meal, why not try some light snacks here? They offer cup noodles and rice balls. The snacks are enough to satisfy your hunger. It's a bit of a walk to the security checkpoint, so take your time. Among the snacks, the cream cheese from Belcube is the most delicious. It's a great choice as a snack with red wine.

Now, it's time for another domestic lounge review. It's time to say goodbye to smartphone users for a while. After leaving the security check, I hurried over to the KAL LOUNGE as I didn't have much time. I presented my Priority Pass at the entrance and entered the lounge. It was around 8:10 AM. Oh no, I only spent about ten minutes at the security check. As always, things are a bit too rushed. The lounge was relatively empty. I placed my bags on a sofa and quickly looked for some food. I picked up my usual three types of bread on a tray: croissant, cheese steamed cake, and red bean mochi. I grabbed a cold glass from the fridge and poured myself a Kirin Lager from the beer dispenser. It was delicious. But since I didn't sleep much last night, I decided to just have one beer here. I quickly finished my meal. I had a salmon rice ball and a cup noodle. I poured hot water into the cup noodle and waited for a bit. I finished the noodles first, then wrapped the seaweed around the rice ball and dipped it in the remaining soup from the cup noodle. This ritual started when I visited this lounge two visits ago in the fall. It's time to head to the security check (baggage inspection area). I spent about 15 minutes in the lounge. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time at the KAL LOUNGE.

Now, it's time for the last domestic lounge review. It's time to say goodbye to all the smartphone users for a while. We have about 1 hour until boarding starts, so let's hurry to the usual lounge on the same floor as the Botteju. It's the KAL Lounge of Korean Air. It's a bit inconvenient that it's before the security check (bag inspection), but it's quite a cozy lounge. Around a little before 8 am, I showed my Priority Pass and boarding pass at the reception and entered the lounge. Alright, time is short, so my goal is to have two beers. You pour the beer yourself from the beer dispenser. For the first beer, I had salmon flaked rice balls, sesame red bean mochi (bread), and croissants while eating eagerly. For the second beer, I got rice balls with bonito flakes and a mini cup of Kitsune Udon (Japanese noodles) on my tray, and because it was a mini size, I finished the noodles in no time. After that, just like last time, I dipped the rice balls in the remaining broth. Usually, I rarely buy instant noodles, but occasionally when I do, I end up doing things like this. Today, there are quite a few guests in the lounge, but being a little tipsy, I don't hold back at all. But it tastes so good. Once my flushed face calms down, I'll leave the lounge and head to the boarding gate. This time, the layover destination is a country where we'll be greeted with "Annyeonghaseyo" just like in this lounge.

Before departing, this will be my last post. It seems we will be parting ways for a while with smartphone users. (；∀；)/ Bye-bye After filling my stomach with a bottle of beer and harami bowl, let's savor Japan for the last time at the <KAL (Korean Air) Lounge> as we did last time. ^^ The lounge is located in the general area before the baggage inspection. Unfortunately, I don't have much time today as I was unlucky to encounter a new employee training at the exchange office. (-_-) A little after 8 AM, I showed my Priority Pass and boarding pass to enter the lounge. (Boarding starts at 9:20) Despite the limited time, I quickly indulged in: ★1 glass of beer ★croissant ★dorayaki ★cheesecake-like bread ★Ruvan classical ★salmon rice ball ★Donbei Kitsune Udon (mini) ...Huh? Did I eat too much?? (￣∇￣) This long journey is not a solo one, so I can't get drunk. (´д｀) Sigh, so I limited myself to one glass of beer here. I usually don't eat instant noodles, so I didn't know that "New Nishi's sweet and delicious fried tofu" is written on the lid of Donbei. I was surprised. Although the soup was questionable, the fact that they differentiate even the fried tofu in the noodles these days shows the dedication of Nissin. ( ﾟдﾟ) Since it was a mini size, I quickly finished the noodles, and then I dunked the salmon rice ball into the remaining soup.♪(←Is this rude? lol) When I tried eating the crushed rice of the rice ball, it was... (´～｀)Mogu mogu. Yeah, it's tasty♪ I realized once again that I am just a commoner during my stay in the lounge. (≧▽≦) I want to thank KAL Lounge once again for their hospitality. It would have been great if they were located after the security gate (in the restricted area), so I could relax until the last minute before departure. ===========

Alright, let's move to the lounge on the same floor where other customers are. I headed to the <KAL (Korean Air) Business Class Lounge>, which I can enter with my Priority Pass. It's located before the security gate, so I can't stay too long, but I decided to check it out because I heard they serve beer. It's just before 4 pm. Since it's Kansai International Airport, the staff are Japanese♪ There are not many customers, so the lounge is very quiet. And it's really clean. This is a comfortable space♪ The food available includes bread, rice balls, cup noodles, and instant miso soup, along with familiar fast food items in Japan. It's not luxurious, but it's free so I'm grateful♪... However, I'm already full from eating yakisoba (laughs). I'll just stick to having four pieces of bread. Alcohol is served from a self-serve beer dispenser with Kirin Lager. Oh, unlimited beer in the lounge is just too tempting♪ But since I have security check and a flight coming up, I'll just have two drinks as a pre-flight closure! I was impressed by how quickly the Japanese staff cleaned up. In many lounges overseas, the used dishes are left out for a long time, and there are crumbs of bread and snacks all over the floor, so it's generally not very clean. But here, the staff quickly clean up after customers leave, similar to the level of cleanliness in domestic eateries♪ I stayed for about 40 minutes. It was so comfortable that I ended up staying longer than I expected. Some may find it lacking as a business class lounge, but for me, a "economy" traveler (=commoner, haha), it was more than enough to satisfy me♪ Alright, feeling good with some alcohol in my system, let's head towards the security check now♪

Kansai International Airport, 1st Terminal, 3rd floor, just before the security checkpoint, there is a Korean Air lounge right next to the Card Lounge Hiei. You can enter for free with a Priority Pass and a boarding pass. The lounge is quite spacious and comfortable. There are shelves with Goryeo celadon, creating a luxurious atmosphere. There are several TVs, newspapers, and magazines available. The fridge is stocked with juice, cheese, etc. The shelves have crackers, persimmon peanuts, rice balls, pastries, cup noodles, miso soup mix. Wine, beer, and whiskey are also available. I realized that the lounge outside the security checkpoint is quite convenient and I would like to use it again when flying.

I arrived at Kansai International Airport after a long time. Today, I am traveling to Busan on a codeshare flight with JAL. Although I could use the JAL Sakura Lounge, I decided to visit this lounge instead. There were no freshly made dishes available, so I had a cup noodle (mini) as a substitute for onigiri and soup. It was surprisingly delicious and satisfying. I also had a croissant, which was the type that can last for a while, so it was decent. There were several drink options available, so you can choose according to your preference. I filled my stomach lightly and decided to have the in-flight meal later.

I found lounges that accept Priority Pass even for domestic flights at Kansai International Airport. There are two lounges on the 3rd floor of Terminal 1. One is the KAL Business Class Lounge (for KAL flights only from 7:00 am) located at the back of the Uniqlo passage. The other is Botteju (up to 3,400 yen worth free from 7:00 am) for specific flights. Both lounges are located outside the restricted area, so they can be used for domestic flights. However, a boarding pass is required and E-tickets are not accepted. Botteju allows entry with a reservation confirmation, which worked fine for my PEACH flight. The KAL Business Class Lounge is a nice place with free Wi-Fi, beer, wine, whiskey, soft drinks, bread, onigiri, ramen, and miso soup. I enjoyed a cup of ramen and onigiri in the morning. It was a relaxing and elegant experience. You can find more details on my blog.

The onigiri tasted similar to convenience store ones, with options like salmon flakes, bonito flakes, and kelp. They also had bread items, and I tried a mini croissant as well. The KAL Korean Air lounge at Kansai Airport has time restrictions, but Priority Pass members can still use it. It's located at the end of the 3rd floor, so it took a bit of searching to find. The lounge was not crowded. I did not use the free alcohol and drink service, but they offered brandy, whiskey, wine, and beer. I would rate this lounge between 3.0 to 3.5.

Cup noodles, rice balls, and bread only. Suitable for in-flight use.

The KAL Lounge at KIX is located in the general area, so it can be used even when flying domestic. It is located at the north end of the 3rd floor, but it can be hard to find so it's best to look it up online beforehand. It is usually not crowded, probably because it is far from the gates, so you can relax on the sofa seats. The meal options are limited, with no hot meals available. If you want something warm to eat, there are cup noodles available. The drink selection is average for a business class lounge, with a beer dispenser also available. You can only use it when departing, and you need to show your boarding pass. Note that it is closed from 14:00-15:30, so be careful. (In that case, you will have to go to the adjacent card lounge, but it is very small so it is not recommended.)

At the end of the year, I went to Kansai Airport. I used the KAL Lounge with my Priority Pass. It's located before the departure inspection, so surprisingly many people with large luggage use it. I wonder why it's on this side of the airport? Maybe so even LCC passengers can use it... It's located in the back of the second floor, a spacious area with cup noodles and alcohol available for a light meal. The cup noodles were from Nissin, so the taste was reliable! They were in mini sizes. There are a few TVs as well, so you can freely watch TV if you sit near one. The lack of people is also appealing. Thank you for the meal.

Priority Pass can be used at this lounge. They offer about 5 types of alcohol, with a draft beer server available. Food options include pastries, cup noodles, and for some reason, Morinaga caramels always seem to be available. There is wifi and charging outlets, making it a great place to pass the time before a flight. However, as someone who has used lounges all over the world (boldly with an annual fee of 10,000 yen), I must say that while this lounge has the basics covered, it is not particularly luxurious. There are no showers or proper meals, and overall, Japanese lounges, including this one at Kansai Airport, still feel lacking compared to lounges around the world. (Well, even though it's Korean Air, not a Japanese company) It's great that it can be used before check-in, but I hope for a bit more luxury!

I was able to take a sudden break, so I went on a bullet trip to Vietnam! I wanted to relax in the lounge, so I checked in a little early. This lounge can be used for free with a Priority Pass, even if you are not in business class. It is located in a corridor at the back of Uniqlo, not in the security zone, so the location is a bit hard to find. You show your card and boarding pass at the entrance to enter. When you hear the word lounge, you may imagine elegance and luxury, but this one doesn't quite fit that image. The food is a bit disappointing. Well, you can't complain since it's free. The selection of alcoholic drinks is decent, so it might be good for those who can drink. I had onigiri and green tea for breakfast. If it wasn't free, I might not have used it. Thank you for the meal.

I used the Korean Air lounge at Kansai Airport. Even though my airline is DELTA, I was able to enter by showing my boarding pass and card. This lounge is located landside, so I haven't gone through security yet. I need to leave soon to make sure I don't miss my flight. After checking in, the lounge was quite crowded. I felt a bit hungry, so I had some onigiri. Of course, beer is self-service and all-you-can-drink. The staff kept replenishing various foods, but they disappeared quickly. After rushing to get ready and finally making it to Kansai Airport, it's a small comfort.

I checked in for my Kaohsiung flight (EVA Air) at the ANA counter and before going through security, I visited the Korean Air lounge with a friend. We were able to enter using the Priority Pass, which was convenient as it can be used for domestic flights departing as well. The lounge is located in the outer corridor on the 3rd floor, and it can be quite difficult to find if you don't know the location in advance. It was quite crowded around 10 am, but the inside was spacious with comfortable sofas, although there were limited food options. After going through security and immigration, I visited the ANA international lounge where I only had coffee and snacks. After finishing up with my friend who was flying to a different destination, I headed to the security checkpoint for my flight.