Incheon pickup, with your name on a sign

How a pickup works

1. Before you fly Send me the flight number

   Not the landing time — the flight number. I track the actual arrival, so a two-hour delay costs you nothing and there's nobody to phone about it from the air.

2. On landing Immigration and bags

   Usually forty minutes to an hour at Terminal 1 or 2, longer on a heavy morning. I'm already parked and waiting; the clock isn't running against you.

3. At the gate The sign with your name

   T1 exit gate 5 or 6, T2 exit gate 2, unless we've agreed otherwise. If your phone has no signal yet, just walk out and look — I'll be standing where I said I'd be.

4. The drive 70 to 90 minutes into Seoul

   Longer in weekday rush hour. Free Wi-Fi in the car, and chargers at every row so you can message home before your SIM is sorted.

5. One stop SIM card or cash, if you need it

   The airport SIM counters and the ATMs that take foreign cards are worth five minutes before we leave. Tell me and we'll stop; it's easier here than in the city.

6. Arrival Your hotel door

   Not the corner, not the nearest station. Bags out of the boot and up to the entrance, then payment in cash or by transfer — whichever suits you.