ICN arrival and departure security lines and arrival processing times
May 27, 2018 | 8:38 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,265
ICN arrival and departure security lines and arrival processing times
I haven’t been to ICN since the opening of T2 . There had been numerous posts about long arrival and departure processing times PRIOR to the opening of T2. Has the opening of T2 alleviated the problem ? Specifically , I will arrive at T2 at 430 pm - how are the lines for passport control ? I depart from T1 a few days later - have the security lines gotten more manageable for morning departures - 930 am departure. Any info is appreciated.
May 27, 2018 | 10:11 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea
Programs: KE Skypass Morning Calm Member, OZ Club
Posts: 2,381
I have not departed in the early morning since T2 opened, BUT I would say absolutely 100% yes....because:
Korean Air is of course a HUGE tenant at the airport. And in the morning, they had alllll of their American flights. At 4:30 PM for you, that's Southeast Asia departure time.
Even then, specifically at T2, there are four airlines operating.....BUT basically, Delta/KLM/Air France just have 1-2 flights a day each, so that whole terminal is for Korean Air. They have introduced self bag drop, more kiosks, etc., so I strongly believe you can breeze through check in in under 5 minutes. Also, if you do self bag drop and kiosk, you get expedited security clearance at the auto gates (that's what I see advertised at least).
T1, still, again, KE is gone. OZ is still big and every other airline is there, but again, all these smaller airlines are not the massive operation KE is. They took a giant chunk out of the reason for slow processing.
Korean Air is of course a HUGE tenant at the airport. And in the morning, they had alllll of their American flights. At 4:30 PM for you, that's Southeast Asia departure time.
Even then, specifically at T2, there are four airlines operating.....BUT basically, Delta/KLM/Air France just have 1-2 flights a day each, so that whole terminal is for Korean Air. They have introduced self bag drop, more kiosks, etc., so I strongly believe you can breeze through check in in under 5 minutes. Also, if you do self bag drop and kiosk, you get expedited security clearance at the auto gates (that's what I see advertised at least).
T1, still, again, KE is gone. OZ is still big and every other airline is there, but again, all these smaller airlines are not the massive operation KE is. They took a giant chunk out of the reason for slow processing.
Jun 16, 2018 | 9:29 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Somewhere in Y class
Programs: Soon-to-be-gone OZ Plat
Posts: 1,263
Just fyi, leaving Seoul on a Sunday morning from T1 can be a bit hectic. Lots of Chinese airlines use T1 and typically most China bound flights are in the morning. During the peak summer months, you can expect to wait in line for security and immigration. Good news is the wait is not as long as before. Highly recommend trying the offsite check-in if possible (Seoul station and COEX).
Jun 17, 2018 | 3:38 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: ICN / 평택
Programs: AA, DL Gold, UA Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 8,713
I've never waited longer than 5 minutes in inbound passport control in T2, even after getting off the rear of a DL widebody. Departing through T1, both before and after KE moved to T2, the waits tended to be quite a bit longer pre-move. Now, unless you leave on a super busy day, such as a Korean or Chinese holiday, the process doesn't take too long (at least much shorter than it was pre-move). I've learned to avoid flying out any day of a Korean holiday if I can help it.
Jun 18, 2018 | 4:54 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,512
Girlfriend flew out from T1 on Sunday morning in economy and from joining the queue to clearing all security and immigration it took about 15 minutes (arrived at about 8:30am). On the same flight last November on a Tuesday morning it took me a bit over an hour to do the same and that was flying business/using priority queue. I’m far from a ICN expert as I only fly through there a few times a year but it certainly seems a lot better than it used to be.