BKKflyforfun

Hi there,

I am booked in business with Asiana, flying at the beginning of September from BKK-HNL. I have an 11h layover at ICN, from about 9am to 8pm. I figured that is not a problem since there is a transit hotel in terminal 1. Turns out this transit hotel will close for renovations starting Sep 1 (and lasting several months). The transit hotel's website also states that passengers departing from terminal 1 cannot use the transit hotel in terminal 2.
I called Asiana and they told me that I could go to a hotel outside the transit area but I would have to enter thhe country and this is only possible with a Covid test (PCR or antigen) plus visa plus whatever else is required. And there are no exceptions for transit passengers. I don't think I want to go through this just for spending a few hours in a hotel.
So what else is there inside the transit area? I don't think I want to spend all this time in a lounge or in a public rest area.
I also can't imagine that Asiana would not make alternative arrangements for its passengers. I don't think I am the only one affected by this.
Any other ideas? Suggestions?

sol95

Hopefully, testing requirements to enter Korea will have been lifted by September.

but in your situation, since you don’t want to go through with the testing requirements for whatever personal reasons, there aren’t a whole lot of other options…
OZ lounge, or a paid lounge if you don’t qualify with status or class of travel is the only thing I can think of

and, tbh, as the STPC program is on hold, it’s not OZ’s responsibility to provide arrangements for you.

waribai

Ditto same situation. Well not me but my sister-in-law who is a Japanese passport holder. Flying LHR-ICN-FUK with a 15hr overnight in ICN as due to a schedule change, the LHR flight now arrives after the ICN flight has departed.My understanding is that to enter South Korea, she has to go to a consulate in Japan and get a visa. No K-ETA for Japanese is my understanding. So, I am guessing that her options are limited if the Matina hotel is being renovated? And why can't passengers go and use the T2 matina hotel?

BKKflyforfun

According to the website of the ICN transit hotel

※ Please be advised that T1 to T2 is one-way.

Customers departing from T1 are not allowed to book T2 hotel.
That's all I know. So one can go from T1 to T2 but seemingly not from T2 to T1. Why this is the case I have no idea. Maybe somebody who is familiar with ICN transit procedures can chime in.
It's really too bad since OZ has comparatively cheap business class fares between BKK and the US, most of which require a long layover at ICN. Not being able to use a transit hotel is a deal-breaker for me. I know I could use the lounge and public rest areas but 11h between overnight flights is just too long, especially since I am based in HNL and the flights to HNL feature the intra-Asia business seats AFAIK, i.e. they are not lie-flat.

waribai

Yes. The airport website does not say anything about T2 to T1 being an issue. It almost sounds like the hotel's rule!

BKKflyforfun

I reached out to the transit hotel via their web site and got a prompt reply:

>>
Dear, Sir or Ma'am

Thank you for the email.
The available hotel you can stay depends on your departure terminal.
Because upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, you will be divided and moved by airport staff according to the terminal departing from Incheon Airport.
So, if you are scheduled with fly out from Terminal 1, you can't come into Terminal 2.

However I'm afraid to say that there is no solution we can give you because the movement between terminals is not done by our authority due to airport's legal problems, but by the authority of immigration staff.
We're sorry we couldn't give you any solution to this problem.

Best Regards,
Front Clerk
SUGI JEON
<<

So it's immigration - they want you to stay in the terminal from which you will depart.

mikesaidyes

You can't go from T2 to T1 either.

Even though there is a train connecting passengers, it's not free to use in both directions to get on and off and hop around between terminals. So, if your connecting flight at ICN is in T2, you've gotta do the T2 hotel. If it's Concourse or T1 - then you go to T1 transit hotel.

It's always been this way even when it was just T1 and Concourse, they were very much separate and you couldn't move freely between terminals. My friend did this once and didn't know...it was a HUGE PAIN to get them to let you back through, like an investigation haha and they had to personally escort her blah blah....so don't try it.

Chang11

I bought a business class RT ticket on Asiana, my return from BKK has 11-hour layover in ICN November 2023. This thread was started 7 months ago, and the T-1 Transit Hotel and Capsule Rooms are still not available. Even though 2 Septembers (original re-opening date) will have passed by the time I arrive at Inchon. I cannot make reservations at the T-1 Transit Hotel for November 2023. I do not want to spend 11 hours in the Lounge.

What are my options? US Passport Holder. Are Covid restrictions in force? How easy is it to go to hotels near the airport? What are the procedures?
Thanks in advance.

Gasolin

COVID restrictions? Don't think there are any in particular except maybe for public transports. Someone living in Korea will have to confirm but that's what I hear.

Chang11

This is the earliest thread on this topic found and the Transit hotel was supposed to open last Sept. In early posts the option of leaving the airport was not a viable alternative.

sixcolours

Does anyone know if STPC (transit hotel paid by Asiana in Business) is back on yet? Couldn’t get an answer from them online

Chang11

From scanning/reading the forum it was canceled some time ago permanently.