The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 23rd that passengers of Korean Air Lines and Delta Air Lines will be able to transfer without baggage when traveling from Incheon International Airport to a third country via Los Angeles (LA) and Seattle in the United States. Until now, travelers had to retrieve their checked bags at the transfer point, go through customs inspection and security screening, and then recheck them with the airline.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will expand the International Remote Baggage Screening (IRBS) service, implemented in cooperation with U.S. aviation security authorities starting the same day, to Los Angeles and Seattle airports. Transfer time is expected to be cut by at least 20 minutes (about a 22.2% reduction). Under IRBS, X-ray images of checked baggage taken at Incheon Airport are sent to the United States, and while the aircraft is in flight, local airport staff remotely complete screening and, if no issues are found, load the baggage directly onto the connecting flight. The system is currently in place at airports in Atlanta, Detroit, and Minneapolis in the United States.
The new remote screening system applies to passengers of Korean Air Lines and Delta Air Lines that meet U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) standards. Transit passengers departing from a third country and heading to the United States via Incheon Airport can also use it.
A total of 421,000 passengers used the Incheon–Los Angeles and Incheon–Seattle routes last year, with 127,000 (30.1%) transferring locally. Arrival passengers who are not transferring are also expected to receive their baggage more quickly as customs inspection times decrease.