Asiana Club - ICN Concourse A

Having flown out of ICN today and noticing the crowds getting worse and worse, and with the new Concourse A coming online next year, with many more passengers, imagine the situation will only get worse, being they will still be using the same terminal. I read that they won't be adding an additional terminal until Phase 4, whereas Concourse A and the additional runway are only Phase 2.

Anyways, wondering if the new construction will affect Asiana or more broadly the Star Alliance carriers once Phase 2 is complete. I'd imagine that they'll all stay put and that Concourse A will be used by some of the smaller / less prestigeous airlines, being it will require quite a trek (via moving walkways I presume) from the terminal building.

ICN used to be a lovely airport with seldom any crowds but those days seem to be over, especially during the peak travel months. I'm hoping the new runway will help reduce taxiing time, which it seems to me is generally much longer than at similar Asian airports, but the added planes and passengers are sure to put a heavy burden on the existing terminal facilities.

Interested in hearing from anyone that knows any more specifics about the expansion and specifically any plans Asiana may have with regard to the airport expansion or their own airline expansion.

I had a flight out of ICN on the 21 and asked the lounge agent who escorted us to the gate about the new terminal, which is scheduled to open in 2008 and will be used by Star Alliance exclusively. Like in NRT all Airlines of Star Alliance should move there. I was told it is not yet decided how the terminal will be connected with the main terminal (which seems to be a bit strange in my eyes, if this is correct)

I was really hoping that they didn't do that, being I use Star Alliance carriers most of the time. I think the only way possible for them to connect the new concourse with the main terminal building is via an underground passageway. No way to do it on the surface because planes cross over that point. No way to do it above unless they build some super high bridge which would be ridiculously expensive and impractical. I suppose SQ and OZ will be building new lounges there, unless they keep there existing lounges and then you have to make the long trek to the concourse for your flight, but that would be very inconvenient for transiting passengers.

I don't think the agent was correct on terminal A (not that I have a correct definitive answer). But from my observation of A380 gates being built on concourse A at ICN, it's hard to think that it will be exclusively for *A as OZ does not have any A380 on order. I would assume that those gates will be for KE because of their hefty order for A380. But I think we will never know until there is a official announcement on this matter.

As for connection between the main terminal and the concourse A, I would assume that there will be a underground passage.

As for connection between the main terminal and the concourse A, I would assume that there will be a underground passage.

I have asked concret, if they will built a tunnel, since I did not see and thus related construction work. But the agent told me not decidec. I assume, she did not know it, but told me not this way. But this is my personal oppinion, which might be wrong.

The airport operator actually planned to kick all non-Korean carriers into the new concourse/terminal but they have opposed the move very loudly: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/05/119_2292.html

Here is the official plan. Only KE and OZ will remain in the PTB (the current pax term building). KE will occupy the east (right) side gates and OZ will occupy the left (west) side gates. ALL other airlines -- including Star, SkyTeam, etc will move to Concourse A gates, of which several are A-380 capable. Many of the existing PTB gates are already configured/sized for A-380 aircraft.

Carriers always complain when they have to move so as to put (public) pressure on the airport operator to compensate them for the costs of the move.

An underground tunnel was constructed as part of the initial development of the airport (obviously, so that they wouldn't have to dig up the airfield to put in later) -- even BKK Suvarnabhumi did this correctly. The IIA stations will be accessed from the center of the PTB and Conc A, which is sked to open in June/July 2008.

OZ will develop new lounges at the west side of the airport, but will not use the current SQ lounge, which instead will be converted into a food court (restaurants). The new OZ lounges will occupy the spaces currently occupied by the CX/NW/OZ lounges and the JL/KE lounges -- all are at the west end of the airport. The new OZ lounges will be configured in the same way as are the current KE lounges at the east end of the airport.

SQ will be developing a new quite large lounge at the center of Conc A to serve all Star carriers.
Hope that clarifies.

This sounds a very good plan. But I was told, that Seoul will be another airport will all Star Alliance Airlines under one roof like Narita. This would be then definitively not the case, since OZ is in another terminal. You see me even more confused :confused: