View Full Version : How worried should I be about non-compliance with ICAO standards?
My October itinerary to South Korea includes Korean Air Lines overseas and within the country. I see the U.S. FAA recently designated the Korean air authority Category 2 -- not in compliance with ICAO standards. Should I change my plans? Apparently, U.S. carriers are still flying into Seoul. What's the deal?
http://www.faa.gov/avr/iasa/
ExSimGuy
7th Sep 2001, 11:30
Nobody seems to be responding to this so I'll chuck in my own not-very-informed opinions:
Based on their recent record and other "Rumours & News", I'd fly "Western" carriers in preference if and where it were feasible. With the "cultural aspects", I can understand the reasons behind suspecting their CRM
However, let's get it in perspective and remember that the vast majority of their pax arrived in one piece at their destination, and the vast majority of their flight sectors manage to achieve one landing for each take-off ( ;) )
So if it a choice between Korean Air and a bus or taxi, then I'd go for the aircraft - I strongly suspect that Korean bus and taxi drivers are going to put you at far greater risk than Korean pilots and maintenance crews :eek:
Have a good trip! :)
stickyb
11th Sep 2001, 12:33
Don't start me on Korean Taxi Drivers!!!!
They must rate as the worst I have ever come across. Lots of them pick and choose the fares/destinations they want, and when you do get in the cab, and are prepared for the language problem by having your destination address all written out neatly in Korean,
First the guy pulss out a pair of glasses, and tries to read it. Then he pulls out a magnifying glass, still to no avail. Finally he winds down the widow, grabs a passer-by, and gets the passer-by to read the address to him.
Turned out he couldn't read the road signs, either!!!
I appreciate the tips. I have an itinerary now on KAL but half code-shared with Air Canada. My destination is Jeju Island (CJU). For some reason, my flights into and out of Seoul are at Incheon (ICN) Airport. The flights to and from Jeju are out of Kimpo (GMP) Airport at Seoul. Those taxi tips may come in handy! Thanks again.
christep
19th Sep 2001, 10:21
Eboy: all flights in Seoul used to be Kimpo, but a few months back Incheon was opened for international flights. Unfortunately it is (I think) 75km from Seoul - it may be a bit closer to Kimpo which is where you need to go to Cheju from. The best way between the two is probably by Airport bus - these are extremely cheap, frequent and reliable. The people at the bus counters seem to be amongst the few in Korea who can speak English. (In my experience even the check-in staff for international flights on Asiana really struggle in English. CX is pretty good as always though.)
I've flown to Cheju myself - it was an A300 which was a bit tatty inside, but the cabin crew were friendly (one of them even spoke passable English :-) ). Don't expect more than a drink and a biscuit though.
Have a good trip!
Paul
HKGpax, I appreciate your insights. Thanks!
stickyb
24th Sep 2001, 05:12
Eboy, when you get outside of the customs area at Incheon, look for the counters advertising bus (limousine) information. They will speak reasonable English and be able to sell you a ticket for the bus service to Gimpo. They run fairly frequently, and take around half an hour. Price will be under 10,000 KRW, so quite cheap.
If you do have to use taxis in Seoul, there are 2 types. The "normal" ones look like ordinary cars (corolla type) with taxi sign on top. They are the cheapest, min fare 3,000 KRW, from Incheon to Seoul about 60,000, but the drivers don't usually speak any Enlish and the driving standards are hopeless (see my previous post).
The others are big black limo type sedans, drivers usually speak good english, but fare is double the others.
Good luck.
Thank you StickyB! That will save me a lot of fooling around trying to get from one airport to another.
I flew Korean Air from Seoul to SFO recently with no trouble -- in fact, above average service in my U.S./Asia experience. Also some short hops in Korea while there. In Korea I read in the local paper that the air authority plans to seek recertification as Cat 1 within the month -- ahead of schedule -- pending FAA preoccupation with other matters. My sense now is that Korean Air and the air system is relatively safe (as I shake my mail to see if any anthrax puffs out), but that is just based on externals -- I have no clue what's going on on the inside. I'd swear there is some taxiing at 50 miles per hour, and I wish they'd make everyone sit down before the planes push back. Oh well -- U.S. bias maybe. Triple carry-on bag check at Incheon, at the ticket counter, at the standard security station, and at the gate -- I haven't seen that in the U.S. yet. And dozens of young adults performing their mandatory military service by strolling the airports with automatic weapons -- a new feature since Sept. 11. The bus service between Incheon and Gimpo works well. Leaving each way every 5 minutes or so -- 4,000 Korean Won (about 3 U.S. dollars). Thanks again for the bus tip.