A Visit to UA's Seoul, South Korea City Ticket Office
Jan 7, 2011, 10:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: DL DM, AS MVP 100K, Amtrak peon, Colbert Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 4,534
A Visit to UA's Seoul, South Korea City Ticket Office
Ahead of my flight home today (ICN-SFO in UA XF), I wondered the other day if XF availability might have opened up on SQ's flight on the same route. To be sure, I'm perfectly content on UA, but SQ would have been a bonus.
From the guest house I was staying at in Seoul, I called UA's local number listed a my UA ticket jacket that was printed a year ago. No dice, got an error message in Korean. I did not have an internet connection at the house, except via my PDA. I found UA's worldwide contacts page via Google, but couldn't access it due to all .bomb pages automatically forwarding to the UA mobile home page on a mobile browser (even since a Full Site link has been added, which I only noticed yesterday).
Fortunately, this doesn't always happen with UA's foreign sites, and I found (via the Hong Kong site, IIRC) that the new South Korea number is 02-751-0300. This supercedes the other number you may find printed on various materials.
I called the local number and got a recording (first in Korean, then in English) stating that the local office is only open from 9a to 6p on weekdays, outside of when I was calling. There was no option to transfer to a different call centr. I then attempted to call the USA-based 1K line, which unfortunately didn't work with the toll-free number. An old FT thread suggested that one try area code 880 instead of 800 when dialing from outside of the country, but that still didn't work.
Instead of attempting to call UA in yet another country from South Korea, I took this as a sign that I should do something I had never had the opportunity to do as a young-ish frequent flyer who came of age in a time of airline austerity: Visit a UA city ticket office! With a lack of information from FT, and my inability to visit .bomb, I relied on mobile Google Maps to tell me that UA's Seoul office is located at 87 Euljiro (1)il-ga, Jung-gu, in Downtown Seoul. I later saw "UAL" marked on a tourist map at the same approximate location.
I took the Metro Circle Line 2 to Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, wending my way through the long underground plaza and eventually finding daylight. I came upon an office building with this sign out front:
It sure seemed like UA belonged there, but they weren't. Even friggin' AS has an office there, apparently! As it turned out, I overshot Euljiro-ga while underground and, after finding my bearings, made my way back to the right block. I walked up and down the block once each way before finally finding the right building, the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Building. The location is very central, across the street from the esteemed Lotte Hotel and Lotte Town (mega department store) and down the block from Seoul City Hall.
The building's address is very easy to miss. There are no obvious signs that the building is 87 Euljiro (1)il-ga. UA doesn't have a street-level storefront; the only indication that UA is a tenant is their small listing on this sign:
I walked into the lobby, only to see security guards and RFID card-controlled access gates to the elevators. A sign of tenants behind the security desk indicated that UA is on the 15th floor. After some gesticulative back-and-forth with one of the guards amidst language barriers, I eventually figured out that I had to go around the corner to see a concierge. When I told her I needed to visit UA, she cheerfully handed me this visitor access pass to the elevator gates:
The office was immediately obvious when I emerged from the elevator on the 15th floor:
To the right of the front door is a corridor marked by a bronze sign in the classic Saul Bass font:
Once in the office, the agent at the desk asked me to wait a moment as she and her colleague were troubleshooting on the phone. On the right is a door leading to a back office where the call center appeared to be located. In front of the desk sits a 777 model. Destination posters like the ones behind it are numerous in the front and back office. There was not a new globe logo in sight.
On the other side in front of the desk is a magazine rack, which had Hemispheres, some literature of local interest, and a UA USA destination guide brochure for foreigners. Behind the desk were the ubiquitous dot-matrix printers and the "Customer Service Center" backdrop. There were thick stacks of colored ticket stock sitting on the desk.
The agent was very friendly and helpful. Unsurprisingly, there was no XF availability on SQ. But I relished the mere opportunity to visit UA in a city center. I told her I appreciated the service and their presence very much, and made my way back down to the lobby to return my visitor pass to the concierge. Exiting out the back side of the building, I noted this more prominent sign, which really should be out front:
I found it remarkable that successfully visiting UA's Seoul office as a foreigner amounted to solving a puzzle, or discovering hidden treasure. With no ground-level storefront office, it's almost as if UA doesn't want visitors to drop by, except those who are in the know or who are rather motivated. It was a far cry from the UA office I fondly remember as a kid on the ground floor of the Beverly Hilton, proudly facing Wilshire Blvd. and calling out to me every time I passed by. But that was another era, when the rent could probably be justified.
And today, I hope this post can be helpful for anyone who might need to avail themselves of UA's off-airport services in South Korea.
From the guest house I was staying at in Seoul, I called UA's local number listed a my UA ticket jacket that was printed a year ago. No dice, got an error message in Korean. I did not have an internet connection at the house, except via my PDA. I found UA's worldwide contacts page via Google, but couldn't access it due to all .bomb pages automatically forwarding to the UA mobile home page on a mobile browser (even since a Full Site link has been added, which I only noticed yesterday).
Fortunately, this doesn't always happen with UA's foreign sites, and I found (via the Hong Kong site, IIRC) that the new South Korea number is 02-751-0300. This supercedes the other number you may find printed on various materials.I called the local number and got a recording (first in Korean, then in English) stating that the local office is only open from 9a to 6p on weekdays, outside of when I was calling. There was no option to transfer to a different call centr. I then attempted to call the USA-based 1K line, which unfortunately didn't work with the toll-free number. An old FT thread suggested that one try area code 880 instead of 800 when dialing from outside of the country, but that still didn't work.
Instead of attempting to call UA in yet another country from South Korea, I took this as a sign that I should do something I had never had the opportunity to do as a young-ish frequent flyer who came of age in a time of airline austerity: Visit a UA city ticket office! With a lack of information from FT, and my inability to visit .bomb, I relied on mobile Google Maps to tell me that UA's Seoul office is located at 87 Euljiro (1)il-ga, Jung-gu, in Downtown Seoul. I later saw "UAL" marked on a tourist map at the same approximate location.
I took the Metro Circle Line 2 to Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, wending my way through the long underground plaza and eventually finding daylight. I came upon an office building with this sign out front:
It sure seemed like UA belonged there, but they weren't. Even friggin' AS has an office there, apparently! As it turned out, I overshot Euljiro-ga while underground and, after finding my bearings, made my way back to the right block. I walked up and down the block once each way before finally finding the right building, the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Building. The location is very central, across the street from the esteemed Lotte Hotel and Lotte Town (mega department store) and down the block from Seoul City Hall.
The building's address is very easy to miss. There are no obvious signs that the building is 87 Euljiro (1)il-ga. UA doesn't have a street-level storefront; the only indication that UA is a tenant is their small listing on this sign:
I walked into the lobby, only to see security guards and RFID card-controlled access gates to the elevators. A sign of tenants behind the security desk indicated that UA is on the 15th floor. After some gesticulative back-and-forth with one of the guards amidst language barriers, I eventually figured out that I had to go around the corner to see a concierge. When I told her I needed to visit UA, she cheerfully handed me this visitor access pass to the elevator gates:
The office was immediately obvious when I emerged from the elevator on the 15th floor:
To the right of the front door is a corridor marked by a bronze sign in the classic Saul Bass font:
Once in the office, the agent at the desk asked me to wait a moment as she and her colleague were troubleshooting on the phone. On the right is a door leading to a back office where the call center appeared to be located. In front of the desk sits a 777 model. Destination posters like the ones behind it are numerous in the front and back office. There was not a new globe logo in sight.
On the other side in front of the desk is a magazine rack, which had Hemispheres, some literature of local interest, and a UA USA destination guide brochure for foreigners. Behind the desk were the ubiquitous dot-matrix printers and the "Customer Service Center" backdrop. There were thick stacks of colored ticket stock sitting on the desk.
The agent was very friendly and helpful. Unsurprisingly, there was no XF availability on SQ. But I relished the mere opportunity to visit UA in a city center. I told her I appreciated the service and their presence very much, and made my way back down to the lobby to return my visitor pass to the concierge. Exiting out the back side of the building, I noted this more prominent sign, which really should be out front:
I found it remarkable that successfully visiting UA's Seoul office as a foreigner amounted to solving a puzzle, or discovering hidden treasure. With no ground-level storefront office, it's almost as if UA doesn't want visitors to drop by, except those who are in the know or who are rather motivated. It was a far cry from the UA office I fondly remember as a kid on the ground floor of the Beverly Hilton, proudly facing Wilshire Blvd. and calling out to me every time I passed by. But that was another era, when the rent could probably be justified.
And today, I hope this post can be helpful for anyone who might need to avail themselves of UA's off-airport services in South Korea.
Jan 7, 2011, 10:35 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Programs: AS MVP 100K, UA PremEx-MM
Posts: 3,335
What an adventure! City ticket offices and printed timetables: I don't think they'll be coming back. 
I'll bet that classic, tulip-laden bronze sign would be proudly displayed by a lot of folks around here.
I'll bet that classic, tulip-laden bronze sign would be proudly displayed by a lot of folks around here.
Jan 7, 2011, 10:43 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,600
Reminds me of my visits to the city ticket offices in Denver. Very helpful agents, especially when we had to get bereavement fares.
Jan 7, 2011, 11:42 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,272
I wonder how long this city office can last !
Even Hong Kong is a bigger station than Seoul, they still have to close.
Even Hong Kong is a bigger station than Seoul, they still have to close.
Jan 7, 2011, 11:53 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
Programs: UA 1K/MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Something, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 8,147
Yup, that sounds exactly like Seoul! Not only are the building normally poorly labeled, but they are numbered in the order that they are built, not in any form of sequential order! So the two buildings next to 87 were likely to be something like numbers 16 and 485, whilst 86 and 88 were probably both several blocks away. Not exactly an easy city to find your way around in.
Jan 8, 2011, 12:18 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Thailand
Programs: TG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 132
Your post reminded me of the same adventure I had back in 2004 during my first visit to ICN! Tried to get to the UA office and was informed that they were in the Samsung Building. So I hopped on a taxi and told him to go to the Samsung Building only to realize there were many Samsung buildings in Seoul. After half the morning crisscrossing the city I finally got to the Samsung Insurance building where UA was located.
Jan 8, 2011, 12:38 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: DL DM, AS MVP 100K, Amtrak peon, Colbert Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 4,534
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9650/5.0.0.975 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)
Thanks for the reminder, docbert! I actually have that listing on my laptop for times like this, but completely forgot that it existed (blame it on the jet lag). A reminder on the back of the 1K card -- or better yet, a regular 1K toll number -- would be nice.
Thanks for the reminder, docbert! I actually have that listing on my laptop for times like this, but completely forgot that it existed (blame it on the jet lag). A reminder on the back of the 1K card -- or better yet, a regular 1K toll number -- would be nice.
Last edited by GoAmtrak; Jan 8, 2011 at 12:39 am
Jan 8, 2011, 12:39 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,438
Wow, I didn't know UA had any city ticket offices left anywhere. Go figure. The loss of city ticket offices not just by UA but by most airlines is one my biggest pet peeves of the modern travel world. Plus I also miss walking past all those shops with the big planes in the windows
Jan 8, 2011, 2:24 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Programs: 1MM BIS. Former 18-year segment 1K, 1997-2014...now just a distant memory.
Posts: 1,200
Similarly, I recall visiting the city ticket office in Bangkok on several occasions, during several visits there in the later 1990s. Also was located up a number of floors in a rather large office building. By my last visit the office had moved.
I enjoyed the glass of ice water they offered me as I waited, since I had usually walked quite a distance in the BKK heat/humidity to get there. During my visits I usually carried a city map, and preferred to walk to most places, but later was assisted by the overhead train. I also appreciated the UA flight history printout the agent provided me the last time I visited. Know I still have it somewhere here in the house, as that's the sort of thing you just don't throw away.
I enjoyed the glass of ice water they offered me as I waited, since I had usually walked quite a distance in the BKK heat/humidity to get there. During my visits I usually carried a city map, and preferred to walk to most places, but later was assisted by the overhead train. I also appreciated the UA flight history printout the agent provided me the last time I visited. Know I still have it somewhere here in the house, as that's the sort of thing you just don't throw away.
Jan 8, 2011, 3:01 am
#10
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: IST - NYC
Posts: 776
Wow, I didn't know UA had any city ticket offices left anywhere. Go figure. The loss of city ticket offices not just by UA but by most airlines is one my biggest pet peeves of the modern travel world. Plus I also miss walking past all those shops with the big planes in the windows
Jan 8, 2011, 2:29 pm
#11
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SJC
Programs: UA 1K, AA ExecPlat
Posts: 820
Nice little adventure there! I remember the first time I was in Seoul trying to find a place that I got completely lost and ended up wandering around until eventually I wound up back where I started!
As an aside, I'm pretty sure SQ uses the 77W on ICN-SFO, so you won't find XC or XF on that route. If you do, book it immediately since it would be a glitch.
As an aside, I'm pretty sure SQ uses the 77W on ICN-SFO, so you won't find XC or XF on that route. If you do, book it immediately since it would be a glitch.
Jan 8, 2011, 5:11 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 268
the CO logo still says skyteam!
Jan 8, 2011, 7:01 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: (SJC)
Posts: 2,198
Slightly OT, but I had a similar adventure locating the NH office in Singapore, what if funny about that is, I had the USA support number and called multiple times and no one could help me (Changing an eticket)
The NH office in SIN, once located downtown, changed my ticket without much trouble.
Even more OT, I was talking to a local Singaporean about a year ago, who claimed she worked for UA, excited to bump into someone like that, I asked in what capacity, which was followed by a "I got fired when they closed the ticketing office"
It is shocking ICN has this office.
Is there a definitive list of these locations? I wonder if people in Corp, even realize they still exist. (seriously)
The NH office in SIN, once located downtown, changed my ticket without much trouble.
Even more OT, I was talking to a local Singaporean about a year ago, who claimed she worked for UA, excited to bump into someone like that, I asked in what capacity, which was followed by a "I got fired when they closed the ticketing office"
It is shocking ICN has this office.
Is there a definitive list of these locations? I wonder if people in Corp, even realize they still exist. (seriously)
Jan 8, 2011, 7:57 pm
#14
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Richmond, VA - primarily using UAL out of RIC/IAD
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Silver
Posts: 195
has the AREX started to run from Seoul Station to ICN yet?
Hi, Great story, do you know if the AREX express has started running from ICN to the main train station in Seoul?
Doomed to Coach
Doomed to Coach
Jan 8, 2011, 8:13 pm
#15
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K / CO PLT
Posts: 539
UA may need to maintain its ticketing office for various reasons - one that I can think of is, UA's 'contract' with Samsung conglomerate. Whenever a Samsung employee (of any variety) flies on ICN-SFO in Y, when there's a space in C, they may request for an upgrade to C at ICN. Apparently doesn't work for SFO-ICN though.