At the moment I am enjoying my stay at Incheon International Airport in Seoul (as far as you can enjoy waiting at an airport for your departure).
I checked in in Seoul at the City Air Terminal, got rid of my luggage, received my departure stamp at the immigration center there and bought my ticket for the airport shuttle bus. The very comfortable bus ride takes about 1 hour. After my arrival at the airport it took about 5 minutes to get to my gate, I just had to get past the security check at a special entrance for passangers of the City Air Terminal. Then to the Asiana Airlines Lounge and later, after one cup of coffee, to the internet lounge (which is for free, unlike many other airports I already visited).
Just a short comparison to Frankfurt Airport:
Incheon Airport construction started in 1992 and the airport was opened officially in 2001. The airport is about 60 km away from Seoul, easy to reach by subway, taxi or with the shuttle bus. Since 2006, the airport was elected best airport in the world – every year. In my opinion a well deserved title.
The numbers: Frankfurt and Incheon
Frankfurt is the 3rd largest airport in Europe, has 2 times more passengers per year and 2 times more employees. Incheon has more tonnes of cargo per year as Frankfurt. Incheon is the 3rd largest airport in Asia, worldwide no. 11, Frankfurt is no. 5 if you count the international passengers.
The “felt comfort”, comparison between Frankfurt and Incheon:
In Frankfurt, getting from the entrance to the gate takes hours and feels like several kilometers of walking through a mace. In Incheon it takes a few minutes only. Incheon has free internet lounches, big TV-screens which have more to offer than only boring news. The employees are very helpful, the airport is clean (ok – we are in Korea, things are supposed to be clean there) and somehow designed more logically. Incheon is were Frankfurt will probably never get to.
But probably its a bit unfair to compare those 2 airports. Incheon was constructed 10 years ago at one go, Frankfurt in several steps (more runways, more buildings over several decades since the 1960s).
Anyway, maybe at the customs in Frankfurt they have a better sense of humor, it was funny when I had to pay my tax for the imported notebook last time I went there. They had very old equipment but it was really fun to listen to their comments. A few years ago they needed each form in triplicate. Now they can save the data in their computer but have to print it 5 times, computers don’t really help them to protect any forests). I felt so sorry that I even thought about giving them my new notebook.
Anyway, my departure is at 12.30 in Seoul, I will arrive in Frankfurt at 17.00.