Washington Dulles to Seoul Flights (IAD to ICN): Nonstop, Flight Time and the Train into Seoul

Korean Air flies it nonstop, and that is the flight to beat

As of recent schedules, Korean Air operates a daily nonstop between Washington Dulles and Seoul Incheon, leaving in the early afternoon and landing in Korea the following afternoon or evening. Korean Air is a SkyTeam member and a close partner of Delta, so Delta sells seats on it and you can credit the miles to either programme. As a SkyTeam flight it uses Incheon's Terminal 2 at the Seoul end.

If the nonstop does not fit, the one-stop routings are plentiful. Delta connects through Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis or Seattle, all with Korean Air or Delta flights to Seoul. United connects through San Francisco, and ANA and United through Tokyo. Japan Airlines and American connect through Tokyo as well, and Air Canada through Toronto. Asiana, now part of the Korean Air group, flies from several US gateways and appears in search results with a connection.

The nonstop saves three to six hours over any connection, and on a fourteen hour flight that matters.

Flight time and distance

The straight-line distance between IAD and ICN is roughly 6,900 miles (about 11,100 km). The route arcs far north over Canada and near the Arctic rather than following a straight line on a flat map. Westbound, Washington to Seoul typically takes 14.5 to 15.5 hours in the air because you are flying against the prevailing winds. The return from Seoul to Washington is shorter at about 13 to 14 hours.

You cross the International Date Line heading west, so you land in Seoul the day after you leave Washington. Coming home, you can land in Washington on the same calendar day you leave Seoul, a few hours after your departure time on the clock.

Leaving from Washington Dulles

Dulles has a main terminal with check-in and security and four concourses, A, B, C and D, reached by the AeroTrain or, for parts of Concourse A, a walkway. Korean Air has used Concourse A or B in recent schedules; confirm on your boarding pass. Check-in for the nonstop opens about three hours before departure, and arriving three hours ahead is sensible, because the early-afternoon bank of international departures makes the security lines long.

The Silver Line Metro now reaches Dulles directly, with the station a short covered walk from the terminal; it is the most reliable way to arrive during the Northern Virginia rush hours. If you drive, the economy lots are far out and the shuttle adds time, so build that in.

Arriving at Incheon and getting into Seoul

Incheon has two terminals. Terminal 2 handles Korean Air, Delta, Air France, KLM and other SkyTeam carriers; Terminal 1 handles Asiana, United, ANA and most others. The terminals are on opposite sides of the airfield and linked by a shuttle bus and the AREX train, so check which one your flight uses before arranging a pick-up. Immigration for foreign passport holders includes fingerprinting and a photograph, and the lines are usually efficient.

The airport is on an island about 50 km west of the city:

• AREX express train: nonstop to Seoul Station in about 45 minutes from Terminal 1 and a little over 50 from Terminal 2, with reserved seats. Seoul Station connects to the subway and to the KTX high-speed trains for Busan and the rest of the country.
• AREX all-stop train: cheaper, calls at every station and takes about an hour, with useful stops at Hongik University and Digital Media City for the west side of Seoul.
• Airport limousine buses: comfortable coaches to most major hotel districts, including Gangnam and Myeongdong, in 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. The easy choice with heavy bags.
• Taxi: 60 to 80 minutes to central Seoul, more at rush hour. Use the official ranks and pick a regular rather than a deluxe taxi for the best value.

Buy a T-money transit card at a convenience store in the arrivals hall; it works on the subway, buses and in taxis across the country.

When to fly and when to book

Seoul's best seasons are spring, from late March to May, when the cherry blossoms open in early April, and autumn, from late September to early November, when the hills turn red. Those are also the most popular periods for US visitors and fares rise accordingly. Summer is hot and humid with a rainy season in July, and winter is cold and dry with occasional heavy snow.

Two Korean holidays move flights and trains: Lunar New Year in January or February and Chuseok in September or October, when Koreans travel to family across the country. Flights to and from the US are busiest around those dates and in the late July and early August summer break. Fares from Washington tend to be softest from mid-January to early March outside Lunar New Year, and in June and November. For spring or autumn travel, start looking three to five months ahead.

Entry requirements and documents

As of recent rules, US passport holders can visit South Korea for tourism for up to ninety days without a visa. Korea introduced the K-ETA electronic travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors and then temporarily exempted US citizens and several other nationalities from it; that exemption has an end date that has been extended more than once, so check the official K-ETA website before you fly to see whether you need one on your dates. Your passport should be valid for your whole stay.

South Korea also uses an electronic arrival card for foreign visitors that can be completed online before travel, which saves time at immigration. Check the current guidance from the Korea Immigration Service.

Time zones and jet lag

Korea does not observe daylight saving time, so Seoul is fourteen hours ahead of Washington in winter and thirteen hours ahead in summer, almost a full reversal of day and night. The nonstop lands in the afternoon or evening Korean time, which suits most people: eat dinner, sleep and start fresh. Expect three to five days to feel fully adjusted. The return lands in Washington in the afternoon after a short day; stay awake until a normal bedtime and get morning light the next day.

What travellers on this route get wrong

The most common mistake is going to the wrong Incheon terminal for the return, because Korean Air and Delta are in Terminal 2 while United and Asiana are in Terminal 1. The second is not checking whether the K-ETA exemption is still in force on the travel dates. The third is assuming US cards and apps work everywhere; many Korean restaurants and taxis prefer local payment apps or T-money, and some maps apps do not work well there, so download Naver Map or Kakao Map before you land.