I wonder which airport you had travelled allow you to do this ?
Most airport in the world, international arrivals and departure are totally separate, even if they are at the same level, they are always separate by a wall, absolute no way to get out once you are inside the departure hall, especially those you have to pass through immigration first.
From personal experience, SIN and LHR T3 do not segregate departing/arriving passengers. If you have an onward boarding pass, you can use the lounge freely in those two airports/terminals and then go into the city.
But ICN is definitely segregated between departing/arriving passengers.
"Edit: So I called OZ, gave the CSR my record locator, and asked her if I could use the OZ lounge in ICN for a shower, then depart the airport, returning to catch my flight that evening. She asked me if I was a US citizen (I am) and she said I could indeed leave the airport."
I PMed with Chapel Hill guy and he said that on his trip he didn't try the lounge before his transit tour.
I would be interested to know if any US citizen has tried this yet because I'm debating getting a hotel room for a couple of hours and would rather not do so.
If you want to take an actual transit tour, take a look at this page: http://transit.freedom.co.kr/
It's from the transit tour link on the official ICN airport site. They have an email address listed so you can email them with any questions you might have.
If you just want to leave the airport on your own, that FT thread about the transit tour seems to suggest that you can do that also if you just retrace your steps back down to the immigration level.
I don't think Asiana will really have anything to do with this. As long as you are airside and have your boarding pass, they will allow you into the lounge provided you are qualified to enter the lounge. I doesn't matter if you're planning to go out of the airport and then back in or not. The reason they asked if you're a US citizen or not is probably because a US citizen does not require any visa to enter Korea. Some countries' citizens do require a visa and so would not be allowed to exit the airport without it.
I don't think Asiana will really have anything to do with this. As long as you are airside and have your boarding pass, they will allow you into the lounge provided you are qualified to enter the lounge. I doesn't matter if you're planning to go out of the airport and then back in or not. The reason they asked if you're a US citizen or not is probably because a US citizen does not require any visa to enter Korea. Some countries' citizens do require a visa and so would not be allowed to exit the airport without it.
I agree, if you get out for a transit tour, come back in a few hours, that is fine. On the other hand, does it worth the trouble and time, go through the immigration to get in seoul, then get out immediately through immigration to order to get into the OZ lounge for a shower, then go through immigration 2nd time to get into seoul, go to a transit hotel, then come back 2nd time for immigration for your flight. How would someone explain to the immigration officer you go in and out twice in the same day just for a shower ? I would really suspect what is really your intention to do this. Are you trying to smuggle something into seoul or into ICN ?
I don't think adomatic wants to go out twice. Just wants to use the lounge first to relax, then go out on a transit tour and come back. Recently I haven't had much problems with long waits at immigration at ICN. A year or so ago I was often stuck in some long waits but none recently. Early mornings entering Korea and early evening leaving Korea seemed to be the worst times. Leaving later in the morning and coming back in the afternoon there shouldn't be any significant immigration delays unless you happen to be unlucky.
I did think of that last night...leaving the airport and then going back in!
The issue is that I land at 5:30 in the morning and most transit tours start at 8, so I'm going to have to sit somewhere/do something in the meantime. A shower might also be nice. I wouldn't do the hotel if can get into the lounge.
I have a question after reading this link about transit tours/transfer process: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/...EN_3_5_2_1.jsp
When would i follow the signs that say "transfer"? If i want to take a tour or only if i'm going directly to the lounge/staying in the airport?
That map says 2nd floor which is the arrival area, NOT the departure area. If anyone wants to take transit tour, proceed to transit tour desk on arrival floor. Don't follow that "tranfer" signs which leads you departure area via transfer security point.
I don't think adomatic wants to go out twice. Just wants to use the lounge first to relax, then go out on a transit tour and come back.
All in all, would they allow anyone already inside the immigration and the departures area to get back out, what kind of reason do you tell them ? I believe there is no way out either unless you work in the airport with the proper airport employee identification.
US airports you can get out and come back in through security, but with immigration, you just can't.
That map says 2nd floor which is the arrival area, NOT the departure area. If anyone wants to take transit tour, proceed to transit tour desk on arrival floor. Don't follow that "tranfer" signs which leads you departure area via transfer security point.
Sorry, I got a bit confused on that, mixing up 2nd and 3rd floors. But anyways, I'm in Seoul right now and so I called the Freedom Transit Tour number listed on their website. Here's what they said.
It's no problem if you want to go to the departure area first to take a shower. Simply go through the transit checkpoint and up to the third floor. When you're ready to go on the tour, simply go back down to the second floor the same way you came and go through immigration. From there go downstairs and out through customs.
There are no barriers preventing the passage from Transit to the Immigration area on the lower floor. I simply retraced my steps around the inspection area, and no individual was escorting me. There was a whole tour group coming in from Manila that day, using the hotel, before boarding my flight to San Francisco, that did the very same thing. Here's the Incheon Airport site: http://tinyurl.com/56yrlz
I also was surprised about this because I doubted previously it could be done as this is not something commonly acceptable in most airports. But at ICN it is apparently no problem based on Daawgon's first hand experience and what Freedom Transit Tour said.
Yes, both have showers. The ones in the main concourse lounge have toilets and I think are ever so slightly larger than on concourse A. Other than that their virtually identical. The lounge on concourse A generally seems to be less crowded than the main concourse, especially during peak times, so it's always been easier for me to get a shower on concourse A without ever having to wait.
Sorry, I got a bit confused on that, mixing up 2nd and 3rd floors. But anyways, I'm in Seoul right now and so I called the Freedom Transit Tour number listed on their website. Here's what they said.
It's no problem if you want to go to the departure area first to take a shower. Simply go through the transit checkpoint and up to the third floor. When you're ready to go on the tour, simply go back down to the second floor the same way you came and go through immigration. From there go downstairs and out through customs.
I also was surprised about this because I doubted previously it could be done as this is not something commonly acceptable in most airports. But at ICN it is apparently no problem based on Daawgon's first hand experience and what Freedom Transit Tour said.
I really appreciate your post. This will work very well for my wife and I. We will be doing this in April. I now have a clear picture of how this can be done. Thanks to everyone who posted.
It's no problem if you want to go to the departure area first to take a shower. Simply go through the transit checkpoint and up to the third floor. When you're ready to go on the tour, simply go back down to the second floor the same way you came and go through immigration. From there go downstairs and out through customs.
Any ideas if this will work if you're terminating in ICN? Will they let you through the checkpoint with no connecting boarding pass? It would be nice to use the "arrivals lounge" before heading into Seoul.
Any ideas if this will work if you're terminating in ICN? Will they let you through the checkpoint with no connecting boarding pass? It would be nice to use the "arrivals lounge" before heading into Seoul.
No way. Have you seen any airline/airport that allows you to do this except where there is a designated "arrival lounge"?
