Incheon Airport

Large and clean airport not much to do or see though just shop after shop after shop and not many seats to sit down or beds etc if you have a long stop over. Doesn't compare to Singapore airport which is my favourite! Not much else to say really. One thing which was odd I thought was they search your bag before you board at the gate.

An excellent airport if you are not transferring. The idea of transfer passengers to go through another security check after they land is extremely inconvenient time-consuming and downright unnecessary; too few transfer-security spots too few attendants and considering that Seoul aims for a major transfer hub it makes absolutely no sense. Once that hurdle is over the departure areas is spacious lots of amenities shopping/eateries alike people speak English and service is good.

Beautifully designed very clean but the "throughput" side of handling transit passengers has not been thought through very well. The very size of the facility and the near necessity of switching airlines when transiting through Seoul make it necessary to handle large volumes of passengers descending on the transit gates and security. Unfortunately the transit arrangements are awful - some of the worst I have seen internationally. Every time I come through Incheon there are 1 or 2 security teams at the transit security checks so when 300 people show up at once off an arriving flight the lines immediately form for 1+ hour waits. Its like it never occurred to anyone in Security that a lot of people might show up even though this has been going on for the 2 years I've been flying thru Incheon especially now that the direct Singapore - Newark flight has been cut. I've tried commenting on this directly to some of the Security personnel however they are all government types and couldn't care less especially if its close to break time or the end of their shift.

I have arrived and departed ICN now 5 times in last year and I can say that it's the best of the "big airports" I've ever been to. The airport is very clean the staff friendly and helpful and everything is well organised. You find everything you need and the connection to downtown Seoul is better than before since the new Airport Express Train opened (costs now only 8000KRW).

My first experience was shortly after a typhoon and delays at transfer counters were over 3 hours (there was just no management of the queues). At 9pm I needed to send an email to let my hotel know I would be very late but no Internet terminals available as all had closed - by 9pm at an international airport. No international sockets to plug PC into and had to buy adapter plug. But of course no plugs near seats so ended up sitting on floor near a wall. On return several days later I had purchased a the transit hotel stay for my long layover of 9 hours. After the first experience with huge delays I decided to get my ongoing boarding pass early and then relax. I went from main terminal to terminal A got the pass but then found out your cannot go back - no one was on duty when I left the main terminal to let me know this was the case. So missed out on my prepaid pass and all the other great experiences at the main terminal (sleeping on airport benches is no fun). Overall a disaster in every respect and I will avoid in the future if at all possible.

Thank goodness we flew though this Airport to and from Manila. On our return home I needed urgent medical attention. When we found out that this airport has a small emergency medical centre with excellent medical facilities it was a great comfort. They managed to sort out the health problem I had within 2 hours. Then I was taken to a small lounge to recover fully before getting back on the plane to London. Great service just when I needed it.

Only used the concourse terminal during a transit. I had 2 hours to kill and I found that there is nothing to do. The shops and restaurants options were limited. I asked an airport staff how to get to the main terminal and he said that it was not possible. It is not a good airport for transit unless you're flying with Asiana or Korean which operate from the main terminal.

I am a frequent business traveller and find this one of the most annoying and inconvenient airports. I just completed a return trip from Bangkok to Ulaanbaatar via Seoul. The return KE flight from ULN arrives at 04.00. . My connecting flight to Bangkok was at 09.35 so I had 5.5 hours at Incheon. The flight from ULN is only 3 hours so I had only about hours sleep and needed some more. The first time I did this trip I went straight to Terminal A from where Thai flights depart. However on arrival at the Asiana Business lounge I found a sign saying that it did not open until 6 am. I decided I would take a hotel room. However there are no transit hotel rooms in Terminal A (only in the Main Concourse) and once you are there you cannot get back to the Main Terminal. I was therefore forced to lie down on a row of to wait for the lounge to open. I do not believe I should have to do this at my age (60) especially when flying Business Class. I decided I would go to the transit hotel in Concourse A to get a few hours sleep. (Even in the Main Concourse the Asiana Lounge does not open until 5 am). However I needed a boarding pass (cannot be issued in ULN) so I asked at an information desk and was told that I get one at Transit Desk C which opened at 5 am. This meant that although I was checking into the transit hotel at 04.15 and was desperate for some sleep I could not go to sleep until I had obtained the boarding pass. At 5 am I went to the Transit Desk but was told that boarding passes for Thai flights could be issued at the Transit Desk F in Terminal A (not the information I was given previously). However if I went to Terminal A for my boarding pass I would not be able to get back to the Transit Hotel – backward trips not allowed for departing passengers. I was therefore forced to take the risk of not getting my boarding pass (and confirmation that luggage had been checked through) until just before the flight. I slept until 08.15 rushed to terminal A at 08.40 and got boarding pass about 50 minutes before flight departure. An airport should be judged on how it handles unusual travel arrangements not by the masses or travellers who pass through with uncomplicated plans.

Been travelling through this airport 10 times in past 10 months and always feel welcomed by both customs and security staffs with great facilities both inside and outside of immigration. The downside of this airport is that there is only ONE VAT/GST claim place and it was a nightmare to see a such a long queue. Didn't bother to claim as I would have to wait easily 30 minutes.

I've been using this airport at least 20 times for the past 12 months and I have to say it is a real pain. Extremely far from the city only one "express" train that goes to the former city centre and takes almost an hour (excluding the escalators). At the departure the security check is very unfriendly understaffed and not aware of the latest regulations making you usually wait for ages. At the arrival if you are Korean you will have to wait about 30 seconds at the immigration. If you are not you will have to queue usually for at least half an hour. As much as possible avoid check-in luggage even if you are in business / Gold etc. And finally unless you are flying with a local airline you will be directed to the Concourse with a slow and inconvenient train and where the only reasonable place is the KAL lounge.