MANILA, Philippines - Will 45 minutes ever be long enough for a transit passenger to catch a connecting flight, having to go through all the long queues in check-in counters, waiting to be cleared by immigration and customs officers, and running from one terminal to another?
While it would usually take at least an hour to complete all these steps before reaching the boarding gate, South Korea’s Incheon Airport makes it possible to free passengers of Korean Air from all the hassle of airport layovers and allows them to enjoy shopping and other attractions at its world-class airport terminal.
With its extensive network of 88 airlines currently connecting more than 183 destinations in 56 countries, the recently launched Incheon-Korean Air Smart Transfer promises its passengers a simple and easy airport transfer experience at the Incheon Airport.
Having the world’s shortest minimum connecting transfer via the Incheon Airport is now much faster as passengers need only 45 minutes for onward transfer via Korean Air, and 70 minutes for transfer between Korean Air and other carriers.
Earning international recognition such as the Best in the World for Airport Services by the Airport Council International (ACI) for eight consecutive years — from 2005 to 2012 — Incheon Airport has the most remarkable services among other airports all over the globe.
Last year, the airport serviced 41 million passengers, including 7.7 million transfer passengers. While an ordinary transfer process in other airports would require passengers to the normal processes such as immigration, baggage claim, customs, changing terminals, and another check-in, the transfer check system in Incheon Airport would save passengers a lot of time as they would only need to go through security check and skip the rest.
If the transfer takes less than 24 hours, passengers would no longer have to recheck-in their baggage, which can be claimed at the destination airport.
Given a lot of free time from all the airport transfer process, passengers may explore the state-of-the-art facilities of Incheon Airport. From shopping at its luxury boutiques, which boast of the most preferred brands, to watching cultural performances and a lot of entertainment attractions, Incheon Airport has almost everything that passengers need while waiting for their departure.
Incheon Airport prides itself of being the No. 1 airport in airport duty free in the world. It houses 80 stores with more 500 brands, including cosmetics and perfumes, fashion, electronics, liquor and more. It also has the world’s first Louis Vuitton airport store opened in September 2011.
The airport also allows passengers to have a restful stay and freshen up while waiting for their connecting flight. It has free shower rooms, 24-hour free Internet zones, a movie zone, and 24-hour snack bar and rest area.
Kids may also enjoy the kids’ zone and there’s also the nursing room. For a more relaxing stay, passengers may also avail themselves of massage and nail art services.
Incheon Airport also has the Hub Lounge where passengers may enjoy great meals and transfer passengers using Korean Air may get 40-percent discount.
For passengers who wish to have a more private and restful stay, there is also the Incheon Airport Transit Hotel.
The airport also provides great entertainment where arts and cultural events happen every day. The Korean Traditional Cultural Experience Center also allows passengers from all over the world to experience Korea’s rich culture and heritage through different works of art such as what are showcased at the Traditional Craft Gallery, as well as culinary arts and performances.
Incheon Airport also provides Free Korea Transit tour with a professional tour guide via tour bus for passengers to have a quick tour around the iconic temples in Incheon and other attractions in the area.
Transfer passengers are also given more discounts at the different shops and services at Incheon Airport.