Incheon International Airport (RKSI/ICN)
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The ICN crew card
| Fastest into town | AREX Express Train runs nonstop to Seoul Station in 43 min from Terminal 1 and 51 min from Terminal 2; adult fare KRW 13,000, child KRW 9,500 |
|---|---|
| First / last run | Late-night bus N6701 reaches Seoul Station in 60 min and Dongdaemun Design Plaza in 70 min from Terminal 1, adult KRW 18,000, departing 23:50, 00:40, 01:40, 03:45, and 04:40 |
| Payments | Prepaid transportation card covers the subway, the city buses, and the AREX All Stop train; tap on entry and tap again on exit. Adult base subway fare is KRW 1,550 up to 10 km with a card, KRW 1,650 on a single journey ticket |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 119 (The 119 ambulance service is provided free of charge, and interpretation is available for callers who do not speak Korean) · non-emergency 110 |
| Solo & at night | Use the designated taxi stands outside the terminals; the airport warns that illegal solicitation and overcharging by call vans posing as taxis are common |
| Crew knows | The express fare buys 16 minutes, not a better route. Terminal 1 to Seoul Station is 43 min for KRW 13,000 nonstop, against 59 min for KRW 4,750 on the all stop train with a transportation card. So those 16 minutes cost KRW 8,250. And the slow train stops at eight transfer stations on the way, so unless the hotel sits at Seoul Station itself the fast one still ends in a transfer |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · ICN crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Getting from Incheon Airport to Seoul: which of the two AREX trains, and when the bus or the taxi beats both
Both terminals have a train station underneath them, and two AREX trains leave from it. The Express Train goes to Seoul Station and nowhere else. The All Stop train is slower and much cheaper, and it is the one that hands you the rest of the subway network. Limousine buses pick up the districts the trains skip, while metered taxis wait at stands outside each terminal.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| AREX Express Train (nonstop to Seoul Station) | 43 min from Terminal 1, 51 min from Terminal 2 | adult KRW 13,000, child KRW 9,500; the operator lists the normal fare as KRW 18,500 from Terminal 1 and KRW 19,100 from Terminal 2 | Nonstop between Seoul Station and the airport, with nothing in between. You get an assigned seat, cabin attendant service, and free onboard Wi-Fi on the AREX Free Wi-Fi network. The ticket is separate and you buy it before boarding: look for the Express Train customer centre on B1 of the transportation centre in each terminal, and on B2 at Seoul Station. |
| AREX All Stop Train | 59 min from Terminal 1 and 66 min from Terminal 2 to Seoul Station, with some trains 2 to 6 min longer | adult with a transportation card KRW 4,750 from Terminal 1 and KRW 5,350 from Terminal 2 to Seoul Station; a single use card costs KRW 100 more and carries a KRW 500 deposit refunded at the destination station | Eight transfer stations on the way in, Gimpo Airport, Digital Media City, Hongik University for Line 2, and Gongdeok among them, which is what makes this the cheap way to reach anything off the Seoul Station axis. Hongik University is KRW 4,650 from Terminal 1. Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 costs KRW 1,200. |
| Airport limousine bus (Seoul routes) | route 6015 to Myeongdong leaves Terminal 1 between 05:39 and 23:19, at intervals of 9 to 20 min | adult KRW 16,000 to KRW 18,000 depending on the route; route 6015 to Myeongdong and route 6001 to Dongdaemun are both KRW 17,000 | Seoul routes cover the districts the trains skip, 6015 to Myeongdong and 6001 to Dongdaemun among them. Fares are set per route, so check yours before you pay. Leaving the airport you buy the ticket first and ticket holders board ahead of everyone else; heading back out of town you can pay the driver in cash or tap a transportation card. Booths inside Terminal 1 sit next to exits 4 and 9, with more outside near exits 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 13. At Terminal 2 the bus terminal is on B1 of the transportation centre. |
| Standard taxi | metered from a base fare of KRW 4,800 for Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi; night surcharge of 20 percent from 22:00 to 23:00, 40 percent from 23:00 to 02:00, and 20 percent from 02:00 to 04:00 on Seoul journeys | Check the plate before you check the meter. Seoul-bound standard taxis use pickup points 5C, 6C, and 6D at Terminal 1 and 7C at Terminal 2, while Incheon-bound sits at 5D and Gyeonggi-bound at 6D. A Gyeonggi taxi runs a flat 30 percent night surcharge from 23:00 to 04:00 instead of the Seoul pattern. Deluxe and jumbo start at KRW 7,000. International Taxi and Smart Taxi charge a flat fare within Seoul and pick up at 4C at Terminal 1 and 3C at Terminal 2, and pre-booked app taxis use 1C and 14C at Terminal 1 and 1C and 10C at Terminal 2. Nothing extra is added for crossing into Seoul, Incheon, Goyang, Gwangmyeong, Gimpo, or Bucheon. | |
| Late-night bus to Seoul | N6701 reaches Seoul Station in 60 min and Dongdaemun Design Plaza in 70 min from Terminal 1 | adult KRW 18,000 on N6701 and N6703, adult KRW 17,000 on N6000 and N6002 | Terminal 1 has four Seoul night routes. N6000 reaches Gangnam Express Bus Terminal in 70 min; N6002 runs to Cheongnyangni in 90 min by way of Hongdae in 45 min; N6701 goes through Mapo and Seoul Station to Dongdaemun Design Plaza; N6703 through COEX and Jamsil to Gwangnaru. One thing to know before you queue: staff tickets and discount tickets are not accepted on these routes. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Seoul, starting at Jung-gu and Myeongdong and ending across the river in Gangnam
Jung-gu and Seoul Station: Both airport trains end here. Palaces, old city gates, and covered markets sit within a short walk or one subway hop of the terminus.
Myeongdong: Shopping streets and street food stalls packed into a dense grid in the middle of town, and the limousine bus from the terminals ends right here.
Hongdae: Student quarter: cafes, record shops, live music, and food that stays open late, sitting directly on the all stop train line back to the airport.
Gangnam: Business and shopping south of the river, a longer run from the airport. When the trains stop, the night buses still come out here.
Yongyu and the airport island: Coast, resort development, and open sky, all on the airport’s own island. You get there without crossing a bridge into the city.
What to Do on a Layover in Seoul, after the immigration buffer takes its cut at both ends
Under 5 hours: Stay on the airport side. Immigration on arrival plus the ride in and back swallows the window whole. If you want daylight anyway, the airport island runs its own short maglev line, with a station in the Terminal 1 transportation centre.
5 to 9 hours: One district, and pick it on ride time rather than ambition. Seoul Station and the Jung-gu streets around it are the shortest realistic run on the express train. Hongdae is the other call, if you would rather ride the all stop train and keep the fare small.
9 hours plus: Now a real Seoul day fits. Palaces and markets in the centre, then Myeongdong or Gangnam for shopping and food. If the evening runs long, the last express train or a night bus brings you back.
Crew Tips for Seoul and Incheon Airport: the second tap that saves your transfer, plus the free maglev on the airport island and the left luggage counters in the city stations
Public transport payments: Buy a prepaid transportation card and use it on the subway, on the city buses, and on the AREX All Stop train. Tap it going in, then tap it again going out. Skip that second tap and the free transfer is gone. Transfers between modes are free within 30 minutes, stretched to 60 minutes between 21:00 and 07:00, up to five transfers per trip. A single journey ticket costs KRW 100 more than the card fare, plus a KRW 500 deposit you claim back from a refund machine at your destination station.
Build in the immigration buffer: The airport tells arriving passengers to allow 1 to 2 hours for immigration before counting on any onward public transport. On a layover you pay that twice, once on the way in and once on the way back to the terminal. So book the ride back earlier than the timetable makes it look like you need to.
Taxi safety: Take taxis from the designated stands outside the terminals and nowhere else. The airport warns that illegal solicitation and overcharging by call vans posing as taxis are common. Between 22:00 and 04:00, expect a night surcharge of roughly 20 to 40 percent. Seoul plates, Incheon plates, and Gyeonggi plates all work this airport, and the surcharge rules are not the same on all three, so what the meter does depends on the cab you got into.
Luggage storage: Seoul Metro runs T-luggage storage counters inside city stations, Seoul Station at B1 around exit 1, Myeong-dong at B1 around exits 9 and 10, and Hongik University at B1 around exits 3 and 4 among them. Reception is open 09:00 to 22:00. The basic four hour rate on weekdays is KRW 3,000 for a case up to 20 inches, KRW 4,000 up to 23 inches, KRW 6,000 up to 27 inches, and KRW 9,000 above that, then KRW 1,000 for every extra hour. Weekends cost more.
Connectivity and SIM: All three Korean carriers run roaming centres in both terminals. The KT, SK Telecom, and LG U+ desks near Arrival Hall F, west side of the first floor of Terminal 1, are the ones listed as open 24 hours. The desks near Arrival Hall A on the east side and the departure hall counters on the third floor keep shorter hours, mostly 06:00 to 22:00. Prepaid SIM and eSIM both turn up in the airport’s own facility records as key products sold at these counters.
Free maglev on the airport island: From the second floor of the Terminal 1 transportation centre, a maglev line runs out past the government office, Paradise Hotel and Resort, and the water park to Yongyu. It is free to ride. Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00, closed on Mondays and on the day of Chuseok and Seollal. When the layover is too short to leave the island, this is the one thing that still gets you outside.
Emergency Numbers for Seoul, Incheon Airport, and South Korea
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| Fire, rescue, and ambulance | 119 |
| Police | 112 |
| Police reporting with interpretation (National Police Agency) | 82-2-313-0842 |
| Public service and non-emergency requests | 110 |
| Seoul Call Center (Dasan 120) | 120 |
| Seoul Call Center from abroad | 82-2-731-6800 |
| Travel assistance service, 24 hours | 1330 |
| Incheon Airport customer service, 07:00 to 22:00 | 1577-2600 |
| Incheon Airport customer service from abroad | 82-2-1577-2600 |
| Airport medical centre, Terminal 1 | 032-743-3119 |
| Airport medical centre, Terminal 2 | 032-743-7080 |
| Republic of Korea country code (calling from abroad) | +82 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Incheon Airport to Seoul?
Four options are worth your time. Fastest is the AREX Express Train, nonstop to Seoul Station in 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 minutes from Terminal 2, at an adult fare of KRW 13,000. Cheapest is the AREX All Stop train: same run, 59 minutes from Terminal 1, KRW 4,750 with a transportation card, and it touches eight transfer stations on the way. Limousine buses to Seoul districts cost KRW 16,000 to KRW 18,000 depending on the route, with route 6015 to Myeongdong and route 6001 to Dongdaemun both at KRW 17,000. Taxis run on the meter from a base fare of KRW 4,800.
How long does the AREX Express Train take from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station?
43 minutes from Terminal 1, 51 minutes from Terminal 2, and it stops nowhere in between. Terminal 1 gets 26 departures a day between 05:24 and 22:48, spaced 25 to 65 minutes apart, so check the gap before you bank on the next one. The adult fare is KRW 13,000. Buy the ticket before boarding at the Express Train customer centre on B1 of each terminal’s transportation centre.
How do I get from Incheon Airport to Seoul after midnight?
Take a late-night bus. N6701 reaches Seoul Station in 60 minutes and Dongdaemun Design Plaza in 70 minutes at an adult fare of KRW 18,000, leaving Terminal 1 at 23:50, 00:40, 01:40, 03:45, and 04:40. For the south side, N6000 runs to Gangnam Express Bus Terminal in 70 minutes; N6002 goes to Cheongnyangni in 90 minutes. Both are KRW 17,000. One catch: staff tickets and discount tickets are not accepted on these routes.
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Crew Discounts in Seoul: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit right below this guide. Bookmark it before you head down to the train under the terminal. Then the next Seoul rotation starts on the rates instead of a search box.
