HDQDD

Coming soon to a theater near you: "The Terminal 2 - aspenedelen's adventures in ICN."

HDQDD

Years ago after a friend's wedding where I was grossly "over served", I woke up and couldn't find my flip phone. For many hours I looked and eventually went and bought another. Brought it home used it for a few hours. Later that day, I picked up my shoes that I had divested on the porch (#alcohcolisahulluvadrug), and low and behold my old phone was in the shoe... Thankfully I was able to return the new phone.

aspenedelen

First and foremost I want yo thank you all for the responses. Passport is gone. I'm currently sitting in my seat headed back to Seattle.

Back story

​When I landed at Seoul it didn't even dawn on me to check my bag for the passport as it's always on one particular place in my backpack. After I deplaned and was going to transfer to my gate I was asked for the passport which I could not procure. I was able to run back to the plane and hot lucky that a DL agent was walking g by the closed doors. I told him I had left my passport back on the plane. He opened the door to the jet bridge and went to my seat but didn't find it. He then came out and let me go onboard to my seat and unfortunately still did not find it. I was escorted off the plane where I'm in full panic mode because my turnaround time is 1.25 hours. I just so happen to meet a exceptionally caring DL rep by the name of xxxxxxxxxx She took me to the transfer station and somehow worked magic. I gave her my Global Entry card and ID and she made a call and spoke with someone who I presume was CBP. I was granted access thru the transfer station and she ran me to my gate as the plane leaves in 1 hour. At the gate I was asked to sit and she made another call and informed me I will not be allowed back onto the flight that now leaves in 45 min and I'd have to leave the airport and go to the American Embassy for a emergency passport. It's 4:40pm or so Seoul time and I presume the Embassy closes at 5 so I'd be stuck at least thru the weekend. When she told me that my heart sank and I honestly thought I was having heart palpitations and was going to get sick. This is the point where I reached out to you all. About 45 minutes later and as everyone has boarded she came back to me and on her phone she was speaking with a CBP agent. She asked me some detailed information and by the grace of everything holy I was cleared to fly.

As I sit here I'm wondering what's going to happen in Seattle once I land. Like I said I do have my Global Entry card and ID. I have a three hour window before my flight to Chicago leaves so I do have time. I gave torn my bag apart every which way till tomorrow and the Passport just isn't here. Like I said, I took a pic of it with the ticket against the backdrop of Seoul on the gate monitor so I had it to get on the plane but when I landed it wasn't on me. I have no idea if it was potentially stolen on the plane or slipped down into the seat somewhere (the original DL rep took the seat apart to try and locate it)

​​​​​​​Once again, thank you all who posted. I'll post how the experience unfolds once I reach CBP in Seattle.

exwannabe

US is fine. Might be a pain, but you are clearly allowed entrance. (assuming you are a US citizen)

Kagehitokiri

thanks for update, hope it goes as smoothly as possible !

would korea really have allowed entry without passport ?
cant recall, did korean system partner with global entry ?

interesting >

zoqfotpik

Scary situation, I would've died of heart attack if this happened to me.
I think, in someway, OP's GE probably helped here. Korean citizens are eligible to apply for GE. The Korean CBP probably thought that would be enough to confirm OP's identity.

aspenedelen

That is what I am expecting when I get to Customs. Born and raised in South Dakota

nutwpinut

This is my biggest fear flying international. When I fly international, I always have cargo pants or cargo shorts. My passport is on my leg the entire flight and I feel for it when getting up, sitting down, going to the bathroom, going to sleep, and waking up.

I'm glad the OP got on the flight. Should be able to get through, but it may take some extra time. Good luck in Seattle!

exwannabe

The OP never entered Korea. He turned airside on a miles run right back to the US.

As pointed out, DL is allowed to fly him back home to the States. Actually, they would be required to if he could not enter S. Korea. The GE certainly might have helped prove citizenship at that point. That is why I carry a passport card as a backup, not valid for international flight, but would have worked here.

This is likely not the first time in history a passport has gone lost in transit.

aspenedelen

I am dead set that GE helped to get me onboard this plane. Originally when she had told me I would be refused re entry onto the plane I handed her my GE card and things started to look a little brighter.

KDCAflyer

I always make a few color copies. One in every bag, and my wallet.

zoqfotpik

I understand that part, what I meant was DL ran OP's credentials to the Korean immigration which cleared OP to fly back to the US.

formeraa

You will eventually get into the US. It might take 2-3 hours, possibly longer these days. You will probably be taken to some sort of room for processing, where they will verify multiple pieces of information. The plus is that you have your global entry card. That should be a major help in verifying your identity.

I have had this happen several times to friends over the years. Eventually they got everything straight -- just took time.

That said, please get a travel passport holder and put it around your neck while traveling. I even put my passport in a ziploc bag inside the passport holder in case of accidental spills.

And good luck! I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible.

rylan

Glad to hear you made it on the flight. Any luck with that GUC upgrade by chance?

Since you have GE, aren't you able to just go to the machine scan that and go right through and not actually have to pull your passport out? Maybe you'll get lucky there... I forget if you have to have the machine scan your passport or not. Either way you should be ok since they can verify your info as you're a citizen. Just may take a little time there.

aspenedelen

Actually yes and it was at the gate. I'm currently sitting in Delta One as I type this. Yay for me