Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
No more baggage claim: Korea, US expand ‘luggage-free’ transfers to LA, Seattle
A traveler walks past Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport during ongoing construction at the facility, May 15, 2026. Yonhap
By Jhoo Dong-chan
People flying from Korea to the United States will soon experience a vastly simplified layover.
Starting Tuesday, transit passengers flying from Incheon International Airport to Los Angeles and Seattle will no longer have to collect and recheck their bags during transfers, slicing at least 20 minutes off connection times.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Monday it is expanding its International Remote Baggage Screening (IRBS) program to Los Angeles International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The initiative, built on an aviation security partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, allows for a seamless, "luggage-free" transfer to connecting domestic flights.
Under the current system, travelers transferring through Los Angeles or Seattle face a logistical hurdle: They must clear immigration, go to the baggage carousel to claim their checked bags, pass through customs, and then drag their luggage to another check-in counter to re-verify it for their next flight — a process that typically takes 90 minutes.
The remote screening program bypasses this bottleneck entirely.
When a passenger checks a bag at Incheon, high-resolution X-ray security images of the luggage are digitally transmitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While the flight is mid-air, U.S. officials review the images remotely. Cleared bags are automatically routed to the connecting aircraft, allowing passengers to head straight to their next gate.
The service will initially be available to Korean Air and Delta Air Lines passengers who meet CBP criteria. It applies to both direct travelers from Korea and transit passengers utilizing Incheon from third countries.
According to ministry data, the two routes handled 421,000 passengers last year, with nearly a third transferring to other U.S. cities.
"This expansion leverages advanced technology to tighten aviation security while drastically improving passenger convenience," said Lee Sang-heon, director-general for airport policy at the ministry. "Based on mutual trust, we plan to gradually expand this service to other major U.S. airports and involve more airlines."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.