get me out of here!!

[ostephaniee]

Anyone know what airline accepts Maestro on flights back into the US?!? I need to leave on the 28th.. but cant find an airline that takes our korea issued cards..please help!!!!!!
And preferaby NOT korean air... they told me 3.5W.. yeaa right, thats not happening haaa

[elzoog]

I don't know if they accept Maestro, but according to expedia, US airways, Continental, and United are all offering a one way ticket to San Francisco from Incheon at $1093

http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=fexp&flag=q&city1=ICN&citd1=SFO&date1=01/28/12&time1=362&cAdu=1&cSen=&cChi=&cInf=&infs=2&tktt=3&stkc=1&tktc=1&trpt=1&ecrc=&eccn=&qryt=8&load=1&rdct=1&olacid=US.BD.LOWFARES.INTL-US-SOURCE-6.FLIGHT


Most direct flights to the US are to either San Francisco or Los Angelas and you have to get a connecting flight if you want to go elsewhere in the US.

I agree that 3.5 million won is rediculous unless you are flying first class, which I consider to be a waste of money.

The problem is, the US airlines' service is generally pretty terrible compared to Asiana or Singapore airlines.   The worst service I got was going to and from Hawaii last year.   They considered the existance of food sufficient cause to interrupt my sleep.  I guess if it's okay with you to eat when the airline thinks you should eat, and sleep when the airline thinks you should sleep, then flying with a US airline is your way to go.  Contrast that with the Singapore airline where the seats were comfortable and they didn't bother me when I wanted to sleep.

[ostephaniee]

Thanks

Ive literally tried EVERYWHERE.. cheaptickets.com,expedia, orbitz, US AIr, continental, united.. all say they need an international card because of the security verification. Im just gonna have to send all my KRW home tomorrow, and then buy with my US bank card. frustratingggg!!!!! this has been almost as annoying as the experience here. korean air can take their 3.5 (economy) and shove it. flying here with them was only 900USD... so i dont know what kinda garbage their trying to pull.

[elzoog]

Thanks

Ive literally tried EVERYWHERE.. cheaptickets.com,expedia, orbitz, US AIr, continental, united.. all say they need an international card because of the security verification. Im just gonna have to send all my KRW home tomorrow, and then buy with my US bank card. frustratingggg!!!!! this has been almost as annoying as the experience here. korean air can take their 3.5 (economy) and shove it. flying here with them was only 900USD... so i dont know what kinda garbage their trying to pull.

Actually that's what I do.  I use my American debit card when ordering plane tickets to the US.   In fact, I also use it when I am getting a hotel room in Japan.   I'm glad I kept that account because that American debit card was a life saver for me on a few occasions when I ran out of cash in Japan.

If you wire the money to your US account, it should be available within 2 days.  I don't think the ticket price will be significantly higher then.

I should also mention that the same web site says that Asiana was offering a one way ticket to San Francisco for $1450 or something like that.   A bit more expensive than US airways, but the service would be better if that matters to you.   You could also call them and you would probably be able to order your ticket here in Korea without having to wire money to the US.

Singapore airlines also provides pretty good service for the same price as Asiana, but I don't know if you can easily pay with Korean money.

[WorkingTitle3484]

There are direct flights from ICN or NRT (Incheon or connecting through Narita, Tokyo) to JFK (Queens, New York) if you're going East Coast USA.  Direct in the sense that it goes straight to NY...if you're on a 14 hour flight, 1 more in Tokyo won't matter much.

You can either try Asiana directly or might want to have a Korean speaker help you with one of these Korean travel sites:

toptravel.co.kr
whypaymore.co.kr

There are super-discounts, but some you need to (be Korean) and have a student visa.  Others will let you travel without much hassle.

[Jozigirl]

Singapore airlines also provides pretty good service for the same price as Asiana, but I don't know if you can easily pay with Korean money.

I flew with Singapore Airways from South Africa and used my SA Maestro credit card to book the ticket.  Try booking with airlines directly online.  Find out which airlines fly to the US and check all of the individual sites.  I always book my tickets directly through the airline using my credit card and have never had a problem. 

[plchron]

you can always go to the ticket counter and pay cash, or use a travel agent.

[aramella]

yea... go to a hanatour and book a flight. 

[wardmj7]

I had a similar problem when booking my ticket for my vacation to India - so I just used a travel agent here in Korea which a friend recommended (soho travels - hello@sohotravel.co.kr, they speak English). They were very diligent with answering any questions and response time was *at the most* 2 hours after I would e-mail them one. They probably charged me a fee but I doubt it was much more than what I would've lost in the exchange from won to dollars and remittance fees if I had sent the money back to the US and purchased from a site like cheaptickets.com. I had done a lot of research on the price of round trip flights and their price quote came in the middle of low-high range for pricing, they found flights that matched the somewhat odd hours I had requested and they booked me on Singapore Airlines about which I was very happy. After reserving the flight I paid via bank transfer and they sent me an e-ticket.

[Janitor]

If you use a travel agent like kangsan or other Korean places you could just transfer the money right from an atm. I think that would be a better way. If you try using Korean sites, they often give better deals than the western sites. Take chance and call Kangsan travel and they may find something for you.

[notinKS]

I'm going to second the support for Soho travel. They've been absolutely wonderful every time I've used them: flights to China, Hong Kong and the States. They've complied with every request that I have and their prices have been very competitive with the online sites.

[yeti08]

Word of advice about Singapore Air.  They are a great carrier with the exception of one thing.  Carry-on luggage.  They are nazis about carry-on weight.  The limit it to 7kg I believe, so right around 15lbs.  While any other carrier won't ever weigh your carry-on they not only will, but will demand you reduce your carry-on to their limit.  This is done almost always after your bags are checked and no longer at your side to dump thing into.  They forced many aghast people to throw away things.....

*updated I checked the Singapore site to confirm my understanding

http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/travel-information/baggage-allowances/

[peasgoodnonsuch]

Did you try any of the Korean flight sites? Ask you co-teacher for help. They ought to take a Korean card. You may also be able to get them to change your card to a Visa if you ask the bank. My Korean boyfriend had to do that with his credit card before buying a ticket for our trip to the States last summer. It only took a few days. Not sure if it's the same for bank cards though! Good luck!

[wardmj7]

Word of advice about Singapore Air.  They are a great carrier with the exception of one thing.  Carry-on luggage.  They are nazis about carry-on weight.  The limit it to 8kg I believe, so right around 15lbs.  While any other carrier won't ever weigh your carry-on they not only will, but will demand you reduce your carry-on to their limit.  This is done almost always after your bags are checked and no longer at your side to dump thing into.  They forced many aghast people to throw away things.....

I'm so glad you posted this - I never thought about carry-on weight because I've never had anyone weigh my carry-on before! I'll make sure that my carry-on is under the weight (I'll probably just throw it on the scale before my suitcase and weigh it). 15 pounds ... wow, that's nothing. :/

[sheila]

For the Maestro card you are issued here, you will not be able to make online purchases unless you go to the bank and specify that you want to.  However, they can only be made on Korean sites.  If you're buying flights from a Korean website, most will let you make a wire transfer to pay for your ticket as long as it is done within like three days. Otherwise, I would go to a Korean travel agent if you don't have a bank account with a card to send it to at home.  You can find one easily at Homeplus, probably Hanatour. They will help you out a ton and their fees aren't that high.  If you're concerned about your Korean, take a Korean with you. There are ways to get around this Maestro problem which has been plaguing waygooks for years.  Best of luck and enjoy your travels.

[Jozigirl]

Word of advice about Singapore Air.  They are a great carrier with the exception of one thing.  Carry-on luggage.  They are nazis about carry-on weight.  The limit it to 7kg I believe, so right around 15lbs.  While any other carrier won't ever weigh your carry-on they not only will, but will demand you reduce your carry-on to their limit.  This is done almost always after your bags are checked and no longer at your side to dump thing into.  They forced many aghast people to throw away things.....

*updated I checked the Singapore site to confirm my understanding

http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/travel-information/baggage-allowances/

Every airline I've ever flown with limits carry-on luggage to 7kg - it's a standard safety regulation.  In addition, many airlines will ask to weigh your hand luggage at check-in, not only SAL.  For example, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Jet Blue, SAA, and mostly recently Qatar have all insisted on weighing my hand luggage at check in.  When I flew out of Incheon in mid-December, my hand luggage was again weighed  by airport security's pre-check and they were weighing the hand luggage of all passengers regardless of their airline. 

[wardmj7]

Word of advice about Singapore Air.  They are a great carrier with the exception of one thing.  Carry-on luggage.  They are nazis about carry-on weight.  The limit it to 7kg I believe, so right around 15lbs.  While any other carrier won't ever weigh your carry-on they not only will, but will demand you reduce your carry-on to their limit.  This is done almost always after your bags are checked and no longer at your side to dump thing into.  They forced many aghast people to throw away things.....

*updated I checked the Singapore site to confirm my understanding

http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/travel-information/baggage-allowances/

Every airline I've ever flown with limits carry-on luggage to 7kg - it's a standard safety regulation.  In addition, many airlines will ask to weigh your hand luggage at check-in, not only SAL.  For example, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Jet Blue, SAA, and mostly recently Qatar have all insisted on weighing my hand luggage at check in.  When I flew out of Incheon in mid-December, my hand luggage was again weighed  by airport security's pre-check and they were weighing the hand luggage of all passengers regardless of their airline. 

^I've flown quite a bit and have never had my carry-on luggage weighed. I don't know why but perhaps this is because most of my flights originate from or are going to the USA. In fact when I came to Korea I purposely put my granite mortar and pestle in my carry-on baggage so it wouldn't affect the overall weight of my check-in luggage. It's good to know it's becoming more common procedure so I can make sure my carry-on is the appropriate weight.

[peasgoodnonsuch]

Yeah, the Singapore Airlines thing was a big shock to me when it first happened. The first time I came to Korea I flew with them and was horrified when they went around forcing everyone with bigger or heavier carry-ons to check them. They gave me a tiny little bag that I could fill and take on with me. The rest I had to check. At least it was no extra charge! It was kind of a big problem though, as I was carrying medical supplies that I really couldn't risk losing in a checked-luggage snafu.

However, that inconvenience was totally counterbalanced by my awesome awesome flight experience! Flying economy with them is as good as what I figure 1st class on an American run airline would be like.

Another warning on baggage: DON'T fly Continental! I just came back from a visit home and receive a rude shock that they only allow ONE checked bag. I had to fork over $70 for my other one. I couldn't believe it. ONE CHECKED BAG for a 14 hour 8,000 mile flight? Who are they kidding?! Greedy little B**tards Another passenger on my flight was sympathizing with me and I mentioned I'd never fly them again because of the charge. Some busybody employee behind the ticket counter butted in and said "We all have choices" is this really nasty tone. I just ignored her, but man, that snarky attitude totally sealed the deal. From now on I'm going to make sure I save up the extra couple hundred it costs to fly one of the Asian run airlines...Sorry for the rant. My point is, you get what you pay for so make sure you check cheap airlines for hidden fees!

[Jozigirl]

ONE CHECKED BAG for a 14 hour 8,000 mile flight? Who are they kidding?! Greedy little B**tards

  Sorry but one checked bag is what most airlines allow for flights to pretty much everywhere BUT the US.  $70 for a second bag is pretty cheap in my opinion.  I didn't even get the option of paying for a second bag and my flights were a good 13 hours longer than 14 hours...

[yeti08]

Word of advice about Singapore Air.  They are a great carrier with the exception of one thing.  Carry-on luggage.  They are nazis about carry-on weight.  The limit it to 7kg I believe, so right around 15lbs.  While any other carrier won't ever weigh your carry-on they not only will, but will demand you reduce your carry-on to their limit.  This is done almost always after your bags are checked and no longer at your side to dump thing into.  They forced many aghast people to throw away things.....

*updated I checked the Singapore site to confirm my understanding

http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/travel-information/baggage-allowances/

Every airline I've ever flown with limits carry-on luggage to 7kg - it's a standard safety regulation.  In addition, many airlines will ask to weigh your hand luggage at check-in, not only SAL.  For example, Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Jet Blue, SAA, and mostly recently Qatar have all insisted on weighing my hand luggage at check in.  When I flew out of Incheon in mid-December, my hand luggage was again weighed  by airport security's pre-check and they were weighing the hand luggage of all passengers regardless of their airline.

I've flown with United, Southwest, Continental, Asiana, China something or other, Korean Air, & Singapore.  Only one has ever weighed my carry-on.  Singapore.

1 Checked bag for free is sadly becoming the norm and watch out some friends that fly a lot for business said soon it'll be ZERO for free.  ZERO.  50~120 USD for first bag and upwards of 150~200 for the second.  What a crock.