THE FLIGHT YOU WANT TO BOOK
If you will be teaching on Jeju Island, then you will want to book a one-way ticket to Incheon International Airport (ICN) with a connection from Gimpo International (GMP) to Jeju International (CJU). Why one way? Because it’s actually pretty common for guest teachers to quit before their contract ends and it’s also pretty common for guest teachers to do some traveling with their new found fellow foreigner friends around asia, where flights are pretty affordable on a teacher’s salary.
WHEN TO BOOK YOUR EPIK FLIGHT
Honestly, my situation was a little unique. Because I hit multiple road blocks with my application (with the FBI rejecting my fingerprints and EPIK rejecting one of my letter of recommendations) I ended up having to waitlist for the mid-school year intake. It got down to the wire and I had almost given up hope, but I managed to get a placement on Jeju (which was my first choice) on the very last day of placement offers. Here’s the thing–the later you receive your placement, the more you’ll have to scramble. As soon as you receive your placement confirmation in the mail, you need to drive immediately to the consulate and apply for your visa. You can't apply for a visa at the consulate until you receive the official employment offer (NOA). Only after the Consulate has issued you a visa, should you book a flight. I booked mine only a week before the flight and paid around $710.
Luckily, EPIK will provide some kind of flight reimbursement or “entrance allowance”. Upon arriving to Korea, if you submit your original boarding pass (yes, the actual hard copy) to your designated office of education, EPIK will reimburse your flight up to 1,300,000 KRW ($1,200 USD).
KOREAN AIR PROS
I flew with Korean Air Lines and I’m so glad I did. Although I flew economy, it was a somewhat comfortable 13-hour flight. Here are the reasons why I flew Korean Air Lines:
If you’ve ever had airplane food, you know it can be awful, but Korean Airline food is delicious. Get the bibimbap! The gochujang (red chili paste) gives the bibimbap so much flavor. The one they serve with your meal is mildly spicy, salty, and savory.
The seats are have plenty of leg room, but the 13-hour flight from California to Incheon was uncomfortable for me. My back and butt were definitely feeling it by the sixth hour. But, then again, what 13-hour flight isn’t uncomfortable?
Every passenger gets their own personal movie screen with free movies
Every passenger seat has a USB charge port so you can charge your devices
If there are horrific delays, they are very apologetic and do provide some kind of food voucher or air line credit
The flight attendants are attentive and friendly
KOREAN AIR CONS
The worst thing about my flight experience was transferring from an international flight to a domestic flight. When you arrive in Korea and transfer to another Korean domestic flight, there is NO AUTOMATIC TRANSFER. You will need to claim your baggage and check it in again for your next flight. Domestic Baggage allowance and overweight fees DO NOT APPLY if you are connecting from an International Flight. However, if you have a connecting itinerary to Busan with a Korean Air transit domestic flight, then your baggage will automatically be transferred.
MY ITINERARY
LAX > ICN 11:30 PM - 4:40 AM (13 hours)
GMP > CJU 7:20 AM - 8:30 AM (1 hour)
TANSFER RECOMMENDATION
If you are not Korean or your Korean is limited, I highly recommend at least a 4-5 hour transfer window! I know that sounds long, but listen... I had almost a 3-hour window, but somehow the stars aligned against my favor.
My flight from LAX to ICN was delayed about an hour. Then upon arriving in Korea, I was detained by customs. Apparently, I have the face of a criminal. A customs official kept looking at me as if he was struggling to read my polygraph while conducting a nonverbal interrogation. After waiting in the long “I’m a Foreigner” line, the customs official who conducted some failed telepathic lie detector test on me, had me kindly escorted to a restricted room. As I sat there patiently awaiting to miss my connecting flight, I was asked some very basic questions by a different customs officer. “Where are you from? When is your birthday? Where are you going? Who is your employer?” It was more like a survey than an interrogation if you ask me. If I was a criminal, I’d still pass with flying colors. When they realized they had no reason to detain me, they decided to conduct some digital fingerprinting (eye roll). Another 5 minutes wasted. By the time they let me go, I had less than 40 minutes and let’s be real, I’m no speedster.
I ran down the nearest escalators and sprinted to baggage claim to find that it had already stopped running. “Uhhh… great. Where’d my bags go?” The baggage conveyor belt was empty. My baggage was MISSING! I figured it had been dragged off on some trolly, because no one had claimed it. I ran around the airport until I found some guy hauling my luggage away. Thank GOD I got my 80 pounds back. It was really a lose lose at this point. I was in Korea for less than an hour and already, I knew, we had started on the wrong foot. But there was no time to panic, I was ready for this, “Bring it on SK.” But then I couldn’t find the train (which is the faster route to Gimpo), so I had to take a 40-minute bus ride from Incheon to Gimpo. Definitely, didn’t make the connecting flight. Luckily, while I was waiting patiently for the wrong bus to appear, a Korean flight attendant struck a conversation with me. She spoke a little English and I explained to her my situation. She quickly directed me to the right bus line and boarded with me. She told me the airport was on her way home, so she didn’t mind helping me get my flight changed. I felt such gratitude towards her. I couldn’t believe her kindness. We arrived at Gimpo and she helped me exchange my ticket for the next flight. It was literally departing in 10 minutes. I swear, everything was one exhausting rush from one place to another. It’s like one of those days where you’re late to EVERYTHING because the universe is toying with you.
KOREAN AIR BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
The most up-to-date baggage policy can be found directly on their website:
Flying to/from America
Flying to/from Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania
If your flight has a transfer where you’ll need to transfer your baggage manually, I highly recommend packing only 1 large check-in luggage and 1 large carry-on bag. I had 2 check-ins and 1 large carry-on. It was so ridiculous trying to transfer my baggages myself. As soon as the flight attendant let me go off on my own, I fell down the escalators at in Gimpo Airport. With all of my strength, I was trying so hard to balance 2 pieces of luggage and my carry-on up the escalator. As soon as I got half way up, the weight of the luggage and the wheels caused me to lose balance. It felt like I was free falling in slow motion. Probably the most humiliating that’s happened to me in public. Don’t do it. Pack lightly. You can have things shipped to you later. Yes, it’s expensive, but missing your connecting flight is not worth the trouble.
