Incheon Airport, The Best Airport in Asia
Written: Aug 04 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: There's a great, free transit lounge for crashing between flights
Cons: Koreans, food
The Bottom Line: Simply the best airport in Asia.
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| Darkmistress's Full Review: South Korea |
I ended up spending an ungodly amount of time in Incheon airport. After 2 years teaching in Korea and four vacations, all international, I hung around a lot waiting for flights, for immigration, for bags, for buses. In fact, I even stumbled across a documentary on the English language Korean station about the building of the airport.
It is referred to as the new airport, built to replace Gimpo. The location had to be close to Seoul and yet not on top of it. The perfect location was a small island about an hour outside the city that wasn't any where near large enough so they made it bigger. They literally filled in the strait between the island and the main land. Going to or from the airport you pass through a lot of salt flats and very (un)attractive industrial complexes. Some of the salt flats are beautiful to look at so get your fill because the rest of Seoul looks more like the industrial complexes mixed with Bladerunner.
The airport is surprisingly compact considering how many flights move through there on a daily basis. Incheon is a major Asian hub and more of the planes using it are the big intercontinental jobs. It was designed in a convex shape so you don't have to walk miles to get to your gate. I didn't appreciate this until I had traveled more, and hiked for miles with my carry on luggage.
If you are staying in Korea, you will have to endure Immigration. I used to think Korean Immigration was a big, disorganized pain. Then I dealt with American Immigration a couple of times. In comparison they are a paragon of virtue. Everyone lines up normal style, but they process everyone very quickly and efficiently. Photocopy of passport, digital picture, why are you coming to Korea? and you're done. They do have one peccadillo. Only one person can come to the counter at a time. They get a little hyper if more than one person crosses that yellow line. I haven't seen them deal with parents who have children in tow, but two adults are never allowed at the counter at the same time.
Customs is also a breeze. They pretty much trust you to be telling the truth. I have gone through Korean Customs more than six times and never had a problem. In contrast, I have been through American Customs four times and pulled aside for a long traumatic search once. (In fact, the only place I have been searched was American Customs, but that's another story.)
OK, so you've gotten off the plane, gotten through Immigration and Customs and now you need to get into Seoul. In most airports you will wander around for twenty minutes looking for an Info desk only to find it closed. I never had that problem at Incheon. No matter what time it was or what state I was in, I found a helpful, English speaking girl at the desk. Seoul has a system of airport limo buses to whisk you to any part of the city for about $8. The girl at the Info desk (I suppose there could be a male there, but I never saw one) will tell you which bus you need for your destination and will give you a map to show you exactly where to pick it up. And chances are good, once you get outside, if you can't find the exact right spot, you'll be able to find am English speaker to help you out.
There is some Duty Free shopping at Incheon, but not as much as at an American airport of the same size. This is really surprising when you consider that the Korean national past time is shopping. It tends to be of the designer label variety, but there is some local craft stuff thrown in.
Food is where Incheon really falls down. There used to be a Burger King on either side of security, but the last time I was there they had been replaced by Loteria, the Korean burger chain. Trust me, if you never eat Loteria you will be happier for it. You can, if you search hard enough dredge up an overpriced cinnamon roll, but it's not going to taste very good. There are a number of Korean food outlets, but Korean food is generally accepted as atrocious. The Koreans only like it because they are stubborn and it's about the only thing the Japanese left them of their culture.
Now, here's the tip you really need to know about Incheon. If you have several hours to kill, there is a really nice transit lounge on the second floor toward the front of the building. Lit with indirect lighting, there are several couches and a television that is normally turned all the way down because there's half a dozen people sleeping. This is free and open to the public, but should you happen to fall asleep there, you will be quite safe. Koreans just don't steal and they frown on anyone attempting to do so.
Incheon Airport is an near a perfect airport as I have seen and I have seen a few. If you need to travel to Asia, a layover at Incheon is not a bad thing. You have a place to stretch and rest in a horizontal position. Can't eat very well, but that's not a surprise in Korea. It's a hard place to eat.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Darkmistress
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