Korean Air and Delta Simplify Transfers from Seoul to the USA: How Remote Baggage Screening Changes Things

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Marta Skylar
Aviation News Editor
28.07.2026 00:40

Korean Air and Delta Simplify Transfers from Seoul to the USA: How Remote Baggage Screening Changes Things

Korean Air and Delta have expanded the remote screening program for checked baggage on flights from Seoul Incheon to Los Angeles and Seattle. For passengers with subsequent domestic connections in the USA, this could mean less manual handling of suitcases, a shorter path through the airport, and more realistic transfers after a long transpacific flight.

The news is important not only for those flying directly from South Korea. Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN) is one of the key Asian hubs for routes between East and Southeast Asia, the USA, and Canada. Travelers from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and other destinations often build their journeys through it. If the route is booked as a single ticket and includes a corresponding Korean Air or Delta flight to the USA, the new scheme can reduce one of the most unpleasant stages of a US transfer: collecting checked baggage, going through baggage procedures, and re-checking baggage before the next flight.

According to Delta, the Seamless Baggage Transfer service became available on the ICN-SEA and ICN-LAX routes from June 23, 2026. The industry publication Aviation Week reported that Korean Air flights from Incheon to Los Angeles (LAX) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) were added to the International Remote Baggage Screening, or IRBS, program at the end of June. Korean Air also notes in its transfer rules that the program operates on the Incheon - Atlanta, Incheon - Los Angeles, and Incheon - Seattle routes, and for passengers with a further connection, baggage can be collected at the final destination if there is no separate requirement for additional screening.

What Exactly Changed for Passengers

The classic arrival scheme in the USA from an international flight is well known to travelers: after landing, the passenger goes through passport control, waits for baggage on the carousel, collects the suitcase, goes through the customs part of the route, and then hands the baggage back to the airline or to a special belt for connecting flights. Even when everything is well organized, this stage adds stress: one must navigate an unfamiliar terminal, monitor connection times and not get lost between queues, controls, and re-screening.

IRBS changes the baggage part of this procedure. Instead of waiting for a suitcase after arriving at the first US airport, a passenger on a corresponding route can leave it in the transport system. Baggage images obtained during X-ray screening in Incheon are transmitted for remote screening by US authorities before the plane lands. If the baggage does not require additional screening, it is directed further to the connecting flight after arrival without the passenger's involvement.

This does not mean that the passenger completely avoids formalities in the USA. Entry procedures, passport control, customs rules, and document requirements remain in effect. Also, the passenger may still undergo TSA security screening before a subsequent domestic flight, depending on the airport, route, and specific procedure. The main change is that checked baggage does not necessarily have to be physically collected and re-checked.

Which Routes the Program Covers

After expansion, the program covers several key destinations between Seoul Incheon and the USA. Delta and Korean Air materials mention routes to Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Los Angeles. For passengers, this is important because it is not about one test flight, but about the gradual formation of a network of large US hubs through which it is easy to continue the journey to other cities.

Los Angeles is one of the main gateways on the US West Coast, and the LAX online board shows a dense schedule of domestic and international flights. Seattle-Tacoma also plays a strong role for transfers to the US Northwest, Alaska, and part of the Delta and partner internal network. Atlanta, Detroit, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, which are already part of a wider scheme, add coverage for the eastern, central, and northern parts of the country.

For travelers from Asia, this can make the route via Incheon more attractive. If previously the difference between several hubs was determined only by ticket price and connection duration, now the quality of the transfer after arrival in the USA becomes an important factor. Fewer baggage operations mean fewer chances of missing the next flight due to slow baggage delivery or long queues for re-checking.

Who Benefits the Most

The biggest winners are passengers with a single ticket who fly via Incheon to the USA and then have a domestic flight on the same day. These could be tourists heading to cities without a direct Asian flight, families with large amounts of baggage, business travelers with short connections, or passengers flying to a cruise, conference, sporting event, or educational program.

Passengers with several suitcases deserve separate mention. For them, re-collecting baggage in the USA is often the most difficult part of the route: they need to find all bags, move them to the re-check zone, sometimes move between terminals, and at the same time not lose time. If the system works on a specific flight and booking, it removes exactly this physical stage.

There is also benefit for those planning journeys with limited time, but caution is needed here. Even if the baggage procedure has become simpler, one should not intentionally choose an overly short connection. In the USA, connection times can be affected by passport queues, additional questioning, terminal changes, arrival delays, document checks, or security screening. IRBS reduces one risk, but does not cancel all others.

What to Check Before Buying a Ticket

Passengers should view the new scheme as an advantage, but not as an automatic guarantee for any route via Seoul. Before buying a ticket or before departure, it is advisable to check several details:

  • whether the specific Korean Air or Delta flight is part of the IRBS program on the date of travel;
  • whether the route is booked as a single ticket, not as separate bookings;
  • whether the airline allows checking baggage to the final destination;
  • whether the connection time in the USA is sufficient, taking into account passport control and TSA;
  • whether there are items in the baggage that may cause additional customs or security screening;
  • whether the procedure at the arrival airport has changed on the day of travel.

Korean Air explicitly warns that, at the request of US authorities, a passenger may be separately informed about additional screening. Also, automatic baggage transfer may be limited for routes purchased with separate tickets, or for connections with airlines where through-checking of baggage is not confirmed. Therefore, the best practice remains the same: during check-in at Incheon, ask the employee to confirm to which point the baggage is checked and check the baggage tag.

Why This Is Important for the Tourism Market

At first glance, remote baggage screening seems like a technical change, but for the long-haul travel market, it is a serious competitiveness factor for hubs. Tourists do not choose based on ticket price alone. They look at the risk of missing a flight, the clarity of the transfer, the quality of the terminal, the ability to make a domestic flight, and general fatigue after 10-13 hours on a plane.

Incheon has long had a strong reputation as a convenient transit airport, and now its advantage can extend not only to transfers in Asia, but also to arrival in the USA. For Korean Air and Delta, this is a way to make the joint transpacific network more attractive for passengers flying not only to Los Angeles or Seattle, but also further - to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Orlando, New York, Portland, Phoenix, or dozens of smaller cities.

For US airports, the benefit is also obvious: fewer passengers with suitcases in the international arrival area means potentially fewer crowds near baggage carousels and re-check points. This is especially valuable during peak transpacific arrival hours, when several large planes may arrive almost simultaneously.

Practical Tips for Travelers

If you are planning a route via Seoul to the USA, do not rely solely on general news. Check the details in your booking, especially if you have a complex route, different carriers, or a short connection. On the eve of the journey, it is useful to review the Incheon airport board, and before arriving in the USA - the flight status in LAX or Seattle-Tacoma. If an overnight stay near the airport is part of the plan, you can compare hotels near Incheon, hotels near LAX, or hotels near SEA in advance, so as not to make decisions while exhausted after arrival.

It is also important to pack baggage correctly. Items that may require declaration or cause questions at customs should be checked in advance. Food, plant materials, certain medications, biological products, or other restricted categories should not be placed in a suitcase without understanding the import rules for the USA. If baggage is directed for additional screening, the advantage of automatic transfer may disappear.

For families with children, elderly passengers, and travelers with large amounts of baggage, the new scheme can be especially useful, but a time buffer is still needed. A good rule is to choose connections so that even in the event of a delay at passport control or a gate change, a comfortable buffer remains. If the route is critical, for example, before a cruise or an important event, it is better to arrive the day before.

Conclusion

The expansion of IRBS to flights from Incheon to Los Angeles and Seattle is a small-looking but practically important change for international travel. It does not cancel US entry rules, does not guarantee the absence of additional screening, and does not make any short connection safe. But for Korean Air and Delta passengers flying via Seoul to the USA with a subsequent flight, it can remove one of the slowest and least convenient stages of the route.

If the program continues to expand, travelers will more often evaluate hubs not only by the number of flights, but also by how seamlessly the entire path from baggage check-in to boarding the next plane works. For transpacific tourism, this is exactly the type of change that is invisible in an advertising slogan, but is well felt in a real airport after a long flight.