OVERVIEW
Ground transportation Incheon’s location 56 kilometres south west of Seoul and 20km from neighbouring Incheon city means that good ground transportation to both cities is vital. The Incheon Airport Expressway, which connects with
Seoul’s Gangbyeon and Olympic motorways, ensure that it is around a one-hour road journey by private car, bus or taxi away from downtown Seoul. However, the December 2010 opening of a new
train service to Seoul Station means that it is now possible to travel between South Korea’s capital city and the airport in 42 minutes.
Airline desks at Seoul Station also now allow passengers to check-in for flights before leaving for the airport. And the opening of a new 180km/h KTX Express Service in 2012 will cut journey times between Incheon and downtown Seoul to 30 minutes.
All trains, and the planned new monorail system that will
serve various points around Yeongjong Island, will operate to the gateway’s impressive 250,000sqm Transportation Centre. The Transportation Centre, one of the first of its kind when it opened, is built over six levels and features an assortment of shops, restaurants and a newly opened 229-seat cinema. Public buses currently offer services to over 90 destinations up to a four-hour journey times from Incheon. Before the launch of last year’s direct train service to Seoul, the gateway’s only rail service was the short hop to Gimpo International Airport, the nation’s former main hub before the 2001 opening of Incheon.
Customer service
Despite its relatively short existence, if an airport was rated purely on its popularity with passengers, Incheon would already be one of the most successful airports in the history of aviation.
Sounds like a bold claim for an airport that only celebrated its 10th anniversary on March 29, this year? Well, no other airport in the 20-year lifetime of ACI has been named Best Airport in the World for six successive years in its annual Airports Service Quality (ASQ) passenger satisfaction survey. It has also won IATA’s prestigious Eagle Award (2008), the
Skytrax World Airport Awards (2009) and a host of honours from organisations and publications ranging from Time magazine, Air Cargo World and the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
The network ensures that the Seoul gateway accounts for 83% of all international visitors to South Korea. Among the airport’s most popular routes are Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, London and Los Angeles. The top five airlines at Incheon in terms of market share are Korean Air (36.6%), Asiana (26.1%), China Southern (4.2%), China Eastern (3.3%) and Air China (2.8%).
As if that wasn’t enough, South Korea’s ‘passenger friendly’ gateway to the world is frequently named as the best airport in the world for backpackers due to its host of free facilities in the transit lounge for passengers facing long layovers.
These ‘freebies’ include cultural attractions such as museums, shower rooms and WiFi access, while strategically hidden away lounge-type chairs allow users to lie flat out and get some sleep if they wish.
27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104