Incheon Airport Terminal 2 to facilitate check-in process

Passengers using Incheon International Airport Terminal 2, which opens this Thursday, will be able to complete their departure process in 30 minutes via automated check-in services such as Self Check-in kiosks. A new airport check-in terminal will also open at Gwangmyeong KTX Station, where passengers can check in their baggage and go straight to the airport, making departure easier and more convenient.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Sunday that 62 automated check-in kiosks and 34 self-service bag drops are installed at Incheon Airport Terminal 2. “Self check-in” refers to a system where passengers get their flight tickets through the automated check-in kiosks without having to go the airliner’s check-in counter. A passenger just needs to enter flight reservation number and attach passport to the barcode scanner, then can he or she not only choose seat but also earn mileage.

The new self-service bag drop system allows passengers to directly check in baggage without going through the counter. Just by entering the flight ticket and passport information with the automated baggage consignment kiosks, passengers will have the baggage tag printed out. Passengers can simply attach this tag to baggage and then put it on the conveyer belt next to the kiosk.

There are 92 automated check in kiosks installed at Terminal 1. However, the number of kiosks available per 10,000 passengers at the second terminal nearly doubles that of the first terminal. (Terminal 1 has 147,900 passengers per day on average and Terminal 2 has 49,300.) As for self-bag drop kiosks, the second terminal has more than seven times the number of kiosks the first terminal according to the Transport Ministry.

If a passenger uses these automated service kiosks installed at Terminal 2, it will take about 30 minutes to complete check-in process. This is 30 percent shorter than Terminal 1’s 43 minutes.

“Terminal 2 will also introduce newest screening devices, which can detect both metal and non-metal materials at once, to enhance the security process and save time without additional screening by security personnel,” said Yoon Jin-hwan, chief of the aviation policy department at the Transport Ministry.

Seven airline companies – Korean Air, Asiana Air, Jeju Air, and T’way Air, Air Seoul, Eastar Jet and Jin Air – have now moved to the new airport. However, due to new security screenings for all passengers on U.S.-bound flights, they won’t be able to check in at City Airport Terminal located in southern Seoul.

Ho-Sung Cheon thousand@donga.com