Korean Air Skypass - Schedule change

I just received notice that my flight next week from DFW to ICN has been changed and now arrives 30 minutes later than originally scheduled. This means I now have a 75 minute connection in ICN instead of 105 minutes. I'm told the legal connection time at ICN is 70 minutes, so I'm OK. I wonder if this has anything to do with this story that came out today...

SEOUL — South Korean airlines are rerouting their flights away from North Korean airspace, hours after the North threatened Seoul's passenger planes amid heightened tensions on the divided peninsula.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-03-06-south-korea-airline-threat_n.htm

It might have something to do with that. But North Korea has long been a no-fly zone for South Korean aircraft. The latest tut-tutting from the Hermit Kingdom just expands the no-fly area to include some nebulous bubble around the north. On one flight USA-ICN, we did fly very far north, way up over the Berring Straight, over eastern Siberia, then into the flight channels of China behind North Korea, ultimately looping around and landing at Incheon from the west and south. To deal with the latest threats, that route would have to get longer somewhat. But I've only flown that route once. All other times, we've come in over Japan and across the width of the Korean Peninsula. The latest threat would have little effect on that route.

Still, 75 minutes at Incheon is easily do-able. You won't need to clear immigration on an international-international connection, just transfer security. No big deal.

According to CNN, "The rerouting will add about 15 to 40 minutes to flights to the United States and to Russia." My upcoming IAD-ICN-BKK flight has - or should I say HAD - a 40-minute layover at ICN.

It might have something to do with that. But North Korea has long been a no-fly zone for South Korean aircraft. The latest tut-tutting from the Hermit Kingdom just expands the no-fly area to include some nebulous bubble around the north.



Not quite true. While I doubt South Korean aircrafts ever fly over North Korea territory, they do use North Korean airspace.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1z_8FNT7LrpDuiu3p117Pw?feat=directlink

The route effected by this measure is B467. Non-Korean carriers such as Singapore Airlines utilize G711 as well.

Flew DL from ATL-ICN on March 4. We came in over Russia, but made a big loop to go around N. Korea and then flew in from the west to land at ICN. So I think US airlines avoid N. Korea as well.