Korean Job Discussion Forums

[paperbag princess]

why is there only 1 international airport for 46,000,000 people??? does anyone know of any flights to anywhere (outta korea) that are left for the long weekend?

[inthewild]

Long weekend? Surely there isn't a holiday on Monday that I don't know about.

And sorry, can't help ya. At least I bumped it.

[Wangja]

What dates?

Technically, there are 3 international airports in Korea.

[desultude]

[huck]

I had the same problem with Arbor Day back in April/March? I tried to make reservations to Guam or Thailand 5 weeks before the actual date, but everything had long since been booked up. I got put on the waiting list, and then found out the day before that there was an opening - which was too late for me to plan for....

I think a lot of Koreans make reservations way in advance because they think they might want to go somewhere, which ends up blocking people like me who don't like to plan more than 2 weeks in advance....(except now I'm already making reservations for my vacation at the end of July, since I don't want to get screwed out of a vacation outside of Korea)

[Swiss James]

you can fly to Japan from Gimpo too

[hellofaniceguy]

[jaykimf]

[Gord]

The airport itself does not have a capacity problem, it's simply not enough planes flying into the place to meet demand on a long weekend. The Incheon airport can handle up to 30,000,000 people annually but is currently serving less than that. When phase two is finished in 2008, capacity will exceed 1000 flights a day and up to 45,000,000 people annually.

Should it need to be expanded even further, it can be expanded up to a capacity of 100,000,000 million people a year and would be one of the busiest airports in the world.

[sheba]

There are several international airports, but I think direct long-haul flights only go to Seoul (I could be wrong). I flew from New Zealand into Busan but I had a stopover in Japan.

[Real Reality]

[Homer]

NWA and Delta fly to Gimhea.

So does Japan airlines.

As for tickets on holiday weekends...here (more then at home) you just have to...(drum roll) book early as in a long time in advance

If you wait to the proverbial last minute you will get shafted because Koreans have a limited time to travel, hence when they get time off its travel fest.

There should be more then one international airport (well Gimhea is one but really now).

Then again there is the "airport hub" bug going around world wide.

You want to fly abroad from Canada and don't live in TO...well if you use Air Canada you are more and more likely to have to go through good ole Pearson.

NWA...thats Detroit baby.

JAL..in the states thats O'Hare...

Bad tendency if you ask me.

[desultude]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

A friend I work with bought a combination ticket last year, and has a free flight to Vancouver this year. She tried to book six months ago, and has been on a waiting list since. Six months? She believes, and I think rightly, that she's being shafted in favor of paying customers.

I've experienced the same. I've tried to book flights months in advance at early-bird rates, to be told that flights and fares "haven't been posted yet". But if I call later, those flights are "full". My conclusion also is that there is serious fraud going on in the way the industry is run here. These cheap fares seem to be a bait and switch trick to me.

It makes things much worse that flights work the same way KTX seats are booked; you can book without committing yourself until the last second, and so people hog seats that they think they might maybe perhaps possibly need.

So don't feel bad about yourself if you haven't booked long ahead. Try to find a cheapie deal at the last second, and be prepared for alternatives. There's always Jeju...

Ken:>

[The Lemon]