One of our go-to-airline of choice because of its many promos is Cebu Pacific. Our flight to Incheon last year was through this airline. The only direct flight of Cebu Pacific from Manila to Incheon is scheduled to depart at NAIA by past 5PM and will arrive at Incheon Airport at past 10PM. That was our schedule when we flew to South Korea last year.
Upon arrival at Incheon Airport, you will have to wait to disembark the aircraft, go through South Korean immigration, and finally get your luggage. This will take 30 minutes to an hour depending on the number of passengers arriving. If you will be renting a pocket wifi, which we did, you can pick it up to the airport. The line for wifi pick up can take at most 30 minutes. With this timeline, we were able to finish everything we need at the airport by past 12 midnight.
There are several public transports from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station. But most of them stop operation by 12 midnight, such as our preferred public transport: Airport Express or AREX. We had the option to ride a taxi to our Airbnb, which we know would cost so much and so we decided to spend the night at Incheon Airport.
There are no flight arrivals at Incheon Airport from 12AM to 5AM. With this, businesses inside Incheon Airport are closed during this time and thus, there are no activities inside the airport too. Just like us, some tourists and travelers stay overnight at Incheon Airport. There are a lot of empty chairs where you can lounge or lay down at the arrival area. There is also a convenience store that is open for 24/7 inside the arrival area of Incheon Airport. This is where we bought our T-money card.
We ate a midnight meal (not snack, as we ate a lot) before we slept in one of the many benches. The only activity during this time is the cleaner guy who made sure to clean beside my area (therefore, no nice sleep for me as I’m a light sleeper). ☹ However, when I checked my little boy, he was not disturbed by the slight noise and got a good night sleep at Incheon Airport!
By 5AM, we woke up to people arriving at the Arrivals area of Incheon Airport. There are now flight arrivals. So, we decided to have a quick wash and change at the Incheon Airport restroom (which is clean and spacious). We also drank coffee before going out of the airport.
We rode the Airport Express (AREX) All stop train. This AREX type stops in many stations (unlike the Express Train that stops only at Seoul Station), one of which is the station near our Airbnb. We deposited our luggage in our Airbnb and started our South Korean journey.
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