Anyone??

It is possible. But there are many things that can derail your plan. Let's assume your GMP-PEK flight starts boarding at 8:55am. That leaves you almost 2 hours to get to GMP.

I believe someone mentioned either in the TG or OZ forum that one of TG flights coming from BKK to ICN (I am assuming you are coming from BKK?) usually runs late. Late takeoff and late landing. You may want to find that post as I believe they recommended the later flight. Or check the flight history on Flightaware.com.

Upon landing at ICN, you will want to move with a purpose. Get on that tram and get over to immigration as quick as you can. I recently arrived in the Concourse terminal and made it through baggage claim in the main terminal in under 20 minutes. So it is possible to get through everything quickly. Have all your paperwork ready. The biggest time killer may be the Immigration line. Just depends if there is a crowd that early in the morning. Unfortunately it is entirely possible. Someone mentioned to get into Foreigner line closet to the Korean citizen line. Korean citizen line usually moves quickly and if they free up, they start helping out the foreigner line.

Once you've collected your bag, what option will you take to Gimpo airport? Bus? Taxi? Train? Taxi probably the fastest but will be a bit pricey. Bus, I've never tried but I heard it goes to Gimpo. Train would be the Airport Commuter train. I think it takes approximately 30 minutes to get to Gimpo. But then if you take the train you will have to walk approximately another 5-10 minutes to get to the Intl terminal.

Let's say 45 minutes at ICN, 30 minutes in transit between the two airports, then another 20 minutes at GMP checking in, security etc. That is just about 95 minutes.

Good luck!

I am in a similar situation where an illegal connection was created when my departing OZ flight to HND was changed from departure airport ICN to GMP. My ticket gives me a 1:50 connection time. I am arriving in first class so I should be first off the plane and have no checked luggage. I figure if I sprint to immigration and take either the AREX train or bus, I can be at GMP within about an hour of landing at ICN. The arriving flight is usually 10 min early and departing flight is 15 min late according to EP, giving more time to transit airports. I'm on an UA award ticket, and while UA has offered other options to avoid this transit, I didn't like the options (have two TG F flights following HND to SYD), and have left it as is, hoping that OZ can provide better rerouting options either at my starting point airport at LAX or at a ICN or at GMP if thing really go ugly. Purely a mile-burning trip. Am I insane or what?

I would recommend taking a taxi instead. It may cost a bit more but it will be faster. If you take the AREX, you will be doing a fair amount of walking just getting to and from the train platform over to the terminal. Taxi can take you from the street directly to the departure hall whereas the AREX train will drop you off several levels underground with a good long walk to the check in desk.

Also, taxi drivers seem to know that if a passenger gets into their taxi and you say Gimpo Airport, I think they know it is because you are in a rush. Just be sure and tell them International terminal or Domestic.

I think 1 hr 50 mins is doable.

Update: Transit from ICN to GMP in 1:10!
 

UPDATE: I actually completed the connection from ICN to GMP in 1:10 last night (Nov 13, 2013 at ICN/GMP) from walking off the plane at ICN until I entered the plane at GMP. Not an easy proposition. The outbound flight from LAX was 30 minutes delayed, which caused me a lot of anxiety on the flight to ICN - even sitting in first class. Before I boarded the plane, I let the LAX OZ ground staff know that I had a tight connection from ICN to GMP. They said they would let the staff at ICN and GMP know. They seemed a little skeptical that I could make such a tight connection but I wasn't deterred.

As we were about five minutes away from touchdown, I could see very heavy traffic on every major street and road in Seoul. I made up my mind that I would not take a taxi or bus for fear of getting stuck in a traffic jam; the train was the way to go for my situation.

INCHEON ANXIETY: Upon touchdown at ICN, the big 747 pulled up to the gate but it took at least five minutes to get the jetway to the plane. I was the second person exiting the plane, and the flight attendant explained my situation to the ground staff waiting at the gate. Big mistake! He told me that I should not try to make the connection but to rebook on another flight, and I explained to him that I could not do that because United was being unkind to me ("unkind" used loosely here, and there's a whole long story about how I went about booking a 10 segment award trip from LAX to SYD via Asia in First Class) about any further changes, and I just started running as fast as I could to the immigration counter. Had that little fiasco with the ground agent not occurred, I would have saved another five minutes. I just walked away from this guy and left him in my running dust. He was stalling my big and well-planned transit plan! However, he caught up with me at immigration and explained to the immigration staff that I was running late to Gimpo. To the credit of immigration, the process looked very efficient. However, they did not give me any cuts in line, but fortunately, the line moved and I waited no more than 5 minutes. All lines were about 5 minutes deep and took about 45 seconds to a minute per passenger for processing. I'm sure rear cabin passengers had a much longer wait because they do not run as fast I can through airports.

From immigration at ICN, I ran down the escalator through baggage claim (I had no luggage to claim) and down long corridors to the AREX station. I only knew sort of the layout of the airport and train station via maps that I had read, but being in the actual corridors and train station area are confusing when you're in a rush. The Express train direct to Seoul has one ticket area to the immediate right and the local service that services Gimpo International Airport, has another ticket machine area to the left. I got through the ticket machine menus ok, but I tried to put my Korean Won in the wrong slot that wasted a precious minute or two. (I had exchanged my USD for Won at LAX just to save time at ICN/GMP.) I remember the cost of the train as being around 3300 Won plus a small card deposit of maybe 500. You get a plastic orange card with a chip in it and you need it to enter the gates and to exit the gates at the other end (GMP). The train takes 33 minutes, but it seemed forever. I had to wait a good five minutes for the next train, and that seemed forever and a day.

GIMPO WORK OUT: The train arrived and once on board, the train was clean and comfortable. It makes about five stops before Gimpo International Airport Station. Upon arriving, here is where my fun really began. People on FT have said how far the distance was from the train station to the International Terminal (and not sure how far it is from the Gimpo train station to the Domestic Terminal), and they were not kidding! Suffice to say, you have to go up two sets of escalators, turn right, and down a very long corridor with moving sidewalks. Turn left and up another ramp and I thought another set of escalators. All I can say was that it was a blur, and I was running the entire time, excusing myself past people on the escalators and sidewalks. My running through these corridors and up escalators was like something out of a movie. To be fair, the signage is excellent, but not when you're running and severely jet lagged. I'm not sure of the total distance from train station at GMP to the check-in terminal but it seemed like it was just shy of half a mile but maybe I'm exaggerating as it took forever, and I was running out of breath and stamina. I had to stop and take some deep breaths and continue. (As a result of the lovely sprint through two airports, I got a terrible charlie horse cramp in my right calf this morning while in the slumber room at the Thai Royal FC Lounge).

When I finally got to the international terminal, I saw Korean Air ticket counters and they were empty and desolate. To the far right was the Asiana counters, and they, too, seemed empty and desolate. My heart sank. I thought for sure I was going to be stuck in Seoul overnight. Lo and behold, there was a single agent at the very end of the counter who asked if I was Mr. rodjune. And yes!, they had been expecting me. They quickly asked for my passport, provided me a boarding pass, and I was escorted by a nice young lady all the way to the gate of the plane. Even once I got past the gate agent at the boarding pass scanning kiosk, there was another long corridor to actually get to the plane, which seemed like 300 feet. Will this distance marathon ever end? I was the very last passenger to board, and about five minutes later, the door closed and we were off to Haneda.

TIME MILESTONES: Here is an account of the time milestones, the way I remember it as I looked at my trusty watch every minute (so it seemed). The OZ flight landed on the ICN runway at 6:27 pm local time according to my watch (which might have been off by a few minutes). Flight Aware might have the exact time of arrival, which I have not checked yet. The scheduled arrival was 6:10 pm, which would have been a blessing had it actually occurred but it didn't, but that would be asking for too much from the sky gods, and I knew that the flight was going to arrive late while still at LAX.

The plane arrived to the gate at ICN at 6:35 pm, but then the jetways took five minutes to connect to the plane, so the door to the plane opened at 6:40 pm. The plane parked at the main terminal but all the way at the west end of the terminal where OZ seems to make their presence. I ran to immigration (after my one minute wasted fiasco with the ground agent who only hindered my mission) and arrived at the immigration line counters just after 6:45 pm. I had caught up with those who passed me during my little fiasco.

I was processed and through the immigration formalities by 6:57 pm, and ran to the AREX station, which by then, was 7:05 pm. I was down at the train platform, and the train arrived around 7:10 pm. Figure somewhere around 33 minutes to Gimpo Station. From the point where I alighted from the train, I ran as fast as I could and reached the check-in counter of Asiana at 7:45 pm (guessing, maybe it was a little later). From the counter, where I received my board pass, it was around 7:48 pm. It's about two minutes to get through immigration and security check, which was very empty at the time I came through, and then a run down the long corridor which takes you to the farthest gate (naturally). When I got to the plane door, it was around 7:55 pm. As you can expect, I drank about six glasses of water upon getting to my seat, as I was completely spent and dehydrated from this long sprint through ICN and GMP airports.

A BETTER WAY: A connection from ICN to GMP of 2 hours and 30 minutes will allow a comfortable transit at a leisurely pace. Not great but very do-able. Three hours minimum would be ideal since you may encounter long immigration lines and a wait for baggage. This would give you enough time to also use the appropriate airline lounges at GMP if you have access or shop at the Lotte shopping mall at the GMP airport.

CONCLUSION: I think a bus would be better for the transit if you are doing it during non-peak hours. Taxi if you want to be solo. (I think a taxi driver tried to solicit me during my run to the ICN AREX station.) During rush hour, I'm not so sure I would want to be on the roads in Seoul. I have never seen so many red tail lights on roads as observed from a plane. I live in the Los Angeles area, and upon landing at LAX, Seoul traffic (as viewed at night by red tail lights) makes Los Angeles look like an afternoon tea party. However, due to the very, very long walks, and to account for luggage you may have, I would not do the train unless you want a little workout between airports and have the luxury of time. I like taking trains when I travel, but I can't help but believe that the distance between the train station and GMP check-in terminal was planned by a cross country or marathon runner. Think of distances like three of the numbered street city blocks in New York City between the north/south avenues. It isn't a short cakewalk like what you find at Atlanta, Newark, Boston, and Philadelphia airports. Think several O'Hare terminal to train station distances going up an slight incline not to mention the several long escalators.

I hope my post will help others who are so "fortunate" to have to make this transit from ICN to GMP. I am sitting in the Thai lounge in Bangkok on my way to Sydney, and thankful that I did not take United's sole offer of putting me on the UA non-stop to LAX-SYD in Global First when I told them that I was given only 1:50 minutes to make the connection on my existing routing at ICN/GMP. While this was a big risk on my part to attempt the transit at GMP in just over an hour, I was ready to deal with the misconnect consequences. Had I taken UA up on its non-stop offer, I would have missed out on the new LAX Star Alliance Lounge (F and Biz), OZ F, the transit between two OZ flights and airports!, OZ C, TG F, TG F, and the benefit of the Royal First Lounge at BKK. And, yes, a 1:10 minute ICN-GMP transit is do-able but not something I recommend. (By the way, on my way back to LAX from SYD tomorrow night, all of my transits at BKK, HKG, ICN, and KIX are five hours or more).

According to Naver Maps (the Google of Korea), a taxi is 7,600 W from Incheon to Gimpo. For what it's worth, I just searched (5 PM here in Korea) and it also says it's 40 minutes and 42 km.

Once you exit onto the arrivals floor, it's about a 5-10 minute walk to the train station through the airport (well marked). Once you get on said local train to Gimpo, it's 30 mins from departure and costs 3,300 W.

Round of applause to another ICN to GMP runner!

Wow, that sounded intense. Thank you for following up and sharing this! I will be doing something similar next March. I will be arriving at ICN on OZ115 and then departing at GMP on KE1219. I have about a 2:45hr connection, so hopefully I won't be rushing.

Having 2:45 is sufficient but I would still work quickly on making the transit. One important key is to walk faster than others around you upon deplaning. also, You surely do not want a flight delay on your first outgoing segment. OZ uses the main terminal at ICN, which is an advantage for you. For those arriving in the satellite terminal at ICN, I would add on another 20 to 30 minutes minimum. It helped that I was the second passenger off the plane at ICN. Had I arrived in the satellite terminal, I'm not so sure OZ would have been able to hold the GMP-HND flight for me. (I failed to mention that upon landing at HND, but before passengers deplaned, the FA announced - apologetically - that the arrival delay was due to late connecting passengers - that would be me.)

It looks like OZ115 will be using A321. I'm currently booked in 2F and I won't be checking in any bags so hopefully I will be one of the first to deplane. Should I change my seat to an aisle seat? I had plan on power-walking straight to immigration/customs. And then hoping onto a KAL limo bus to GMP.

Thank you for your advice!

If me, I would keep the seat and enjoy the view out the window.

I agree with nme7: keep your window if you like the window. You're talking about a few seconds difference on deplaning. Like a previous poster said: Move with Purpose. I had to actually say numerous times on my sprint: "excuse me, I need to get by" in English to mostly Koreans on the escalators and travelators to gain precious seconds. I think most people understand that when you're moving fast through an airport, you're late for a plane, and they are forgiving and understanding. I'm back at ICN today passing through on my way to KIX, SFO, and finally, LAX, and no one has given me stink-eye here at the airport :').

Thanks for the advice guys!

I actually like the aisle seat when traveling long haul cause I like to get up and walk around; but on short haul I like to look out the window. I rarely have to make a connection when I travel or I usually have a long layover so I normally take it easy. But this connection is sorta tricky because of the change in airport. (My fault for not having enough United miles and no- status).

According to Korean Air, their minimum connection time is 3:30. Allegedly.

Update: http://www.koreanair.com/local/kr/gp.../eng_aa_wa.jsp

ICN-GMP Minimum Time is 150 Minutes, so yeah, 3.5 hours.