Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights from Melbourne to South Korea
There are no direct flights for this route listed on KAYAK, the shortest multi-flight duration is 24h 15m
The cheapest ticket to South Korea from Melbourne found in the last 72 hours was $1,075 one-way, and $1,459 round-trip. The most popular route is from Melbourne to Incheon, and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $1,075.
Entry restrictions
South Korea has restricted the entry of all travelers who have been in the Hubei Province of China in the past 14 days. Chinese nationals with passports issued in the Hubei Province are also not allowed to enter the country. Korean visas issued by the Wuhan Consulate in the Hubei Province are invalidated. Nationals of China and travelers arriving from China must have visas to transit through South Korea.
Travelers arriving from China with a diplomatic, consular, official, service or special passport or who are nationals of Albania, Andorra, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Ireland, South Korea, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Palau, San Marino, Slovenia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Vatican City and Venezuela may still transit through South Korea without a visa.
South Korea has suspended visa exemptions for nationals of Japan, passengers with Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao passports.
Short-term visas (type C-1 and C-3) issued on or before April 5 are invalidated. Visa exemptions for 90 nationalities with normal passport are temporarily suspended, except for airline crew or passengers with an APEC Business Travel Card. Travelers with a visa on an expired passport must present a printed "Visa Grant Notice" and the expired passport to the immigration upon arrival.
Until January 7, direct flights from the UK are temporarily suspended.
Entry requirements
Foreign nationals residing in South Korea on most types of long-term visa will need to apply for a re-entry permit at a local immigration office or at the airport before undertaking any travel out of South Korea. Those traveling with a re-entry permit will also be required to have a medical examination no earlier than 48 hours before they plan to return to South Korea, and to obtain a medical certificate in English or Korean demonstrating COVID-19 negative status.
All foreign travelers who have been in Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Philippines or Uzbekistan in the past 14 days must have a medical certificate with a negative Coronavirus (COVID-19) PCR test result issued at most 48 hours before arrival to enter South Korea.
From January 8, all foreign travelers must present a medical certificate with a negative COVID-19 PCR test result issued within 72 hours of their departure. Airlines will not board passengers without this negative PCR test result. Arriving passengers must submit the PCR test result on an original form issued by the testing center in the country of origin (in the English or Korean language) to quarantine authorities. Authorities will deny entry to individuals who do not fulfill this requirement. Policies regarding testing upon arrival and quarantine are unchanged by this announcement.
Merchant seamen with a visa must have a medical certificate with a negative COVID-19 PCR test result issued at most 48 hours before departure. The certificate must be in English and the passengers must have two copies of the certificate.
All flights must arrive at Incheon International Airport (ICN) between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm.
From December 10, short-term visitors must provide passport information to lodging facility owners, who must forward it to the Ministry of Justice. Failure to comply could result in a fine of 500,000 won (approximately $500). More information is available on hikorea.go.kr
Quarantine requirements
All arriving passengers are required to download and respond to daily questions via a Self-Diagnosis Mobile App for 14 days.
Foreign travelers on short-term travel are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine at a government-designated facility, at their own expense. The nightly cost at these facilities could range from $100 to $150 USD per night (approximately $1,400-$2,100 USD total). Travelers that fall into this category will be required to sign a release form agreeing to these conditions prior to boarding a plane. Travelers who refuse to sign the form will be denied boarding. In some cases, Korean authorities have permitted immediate blood relatives or spouses of long-term residents to self-quarantine at their family’s home. For this, travelers would need to provide proof of relationship (e.g., marriage or birth certificate), and should understand that Korean immigration officials have the final authority to approve quarantine arrangements.
Travelers who are long-term or residential visa holders are required to self-quarantine at their own residences and must undergo a COVID test within 3 days. All travelers who exhibit symptoms will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing on arrival at the airport and may be subject to additional procedures.
Chinese nationals who are traveling on business under the Fast Lane program and their family members are exempt from the quarantine requirements; however, they must self-monitor their health conditions for at least 14 days before departure and must hold a medical certification of a negative COVID-19 testing result issued within 72 hours before departure. They will receive an additional test upon arrival, after which they must stay at a designated quarantine facility for up to 1-2 days until receiving the result. Once receiving a negative test result, they will be allowed to end their quarantine.
Transiting rules
Nationals of Egypt, Mongolia, Russia, Sudan, Thailand and Yemen are restricted from transiting through South Korea on their way to or from those countries.
Most travelers transiting through Korean airports (who do not pass through immigration) have no quarantine requirement for stays less than 24 hours. However, transit passengers may need to undergo temperature checks or fill out health questionnaires. Transit passengers should confirm entry requirements at their onward destination. Symptomatic individuals will be subject to a COVID-19 test and hospitalization if found positive. Passengers who do not show symptoms and/or test negative may continue their journey. Please note, there are no COVID testing facilities available in airport transit areas.
Travelers should confirm with the airline(s) before departure that their bags have been checked through to their final destination (as transit passengers are not able to collect and re-check in baggage on arrival in Incheon Airport).
Please see our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Travel Restrictions page for more information on restrictions worldwide.
KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights to South Korea.
KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to South Korea is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.
Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to South Korea with an airline and back with another airline.
Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to South Korea up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.
Scores according to KAYAK customer reviews
Pros: "Acceptable legroom. Appreciated the cups of water and juice served regularly. Very good breakfast."
Cons: "Hostesses could have redistributed passengers to empty seats so everyone could have been more comfortable, especially for an overnight flight."
Cons: "Flight was delayed."
Pros: "Spacious for economy."
Cons: "Felt like we could have had an extra meal/more snacks & drinks. Only 2 meals for a 13-14 hour flight."
Pros: "flight attendants were great"
Pros: "seat spacing good in economy personal entertainment system crew very helpful and courteous good overhead storage"
Cons: "On 2 of our 4 flights on this itinerary, we were last to be served meals and there was only the Korean meal left. My husband chose to eat it both times but I declined... need to provide more western meals."
Pros: "Everything up until I got to Hawaii and switched to them."
Cons: "The code share airline"
Pros: "I liked that i had two seats to myself"
Cons: "No VR goggles"
Pros: "Collectively, my new wife and I have travelled through dozens of different airlines, including 8-10 international flights, and our journey with Korean Air was the best flight experience we have ever had. The staff was so attentive, the selection of Korean music, and the access to movies, and the comfort of even Economy class was fantastic. Despite the long hours spent on board, Korean Air made it as comfortable as possible. We especially loved the hot towels, and the stickers that allowed the flight attendants to note if we wanted to be woken for meals, or left to sleep!"
Cons: "We have no complaints. Everything was just lovely."
Pros: "Service was polite and fast."
Cons: "Cramped seats"
Pros: "中文内容太少(包括字幕)"
Pros: "I've flown all over the world and it literally was the best flight I've ever had."
Pros: "It was better than expected. A wide selection of in flight entertainment to help pass time. I'd give it a 5 if I were in first class."
Pros: "tye food was amazing!"
Pros: "This was my first time on Korean Air. The flight attendants were so kind and attentive to everyone. I was very impressed. I felt the seats had more leg room and leaned back further than airlines I've flown on in the past."
Pros: "I liked the ample legroom. I liked the food. I liked that the crew periodically offered refreshments. I liked the spacious overhead storage. I liked how far the seats reclined. It doesn't go back as far as first class seats do but better than the economy seats of other airlines/planes. I liked the clean restrooms. I liked the entertainment selection. I especially liked that you can view the external cameras."
Pros: "Leg room was good"
Cons: "Too tight beside neighboring seats"
Pros: "Flight was on time , passengers were updated on the status of flght."
Cons: "Nothing everything is well."
Pros: "nothing"
Cons: "Food is terrible. Boarding was late, late taking off, late parking at gate that caused many of us missing our connection flight. Terrible experience with Korean airlines."
Pros: "Big airbus 380 is amazing fly non-stop over 15 hours across the ocean. Really nice airplane. Air attendants are all looking good and friendly. Ice cream was really good."
Cons: "No chicken meals left for me a bit disappointing. I've never had such a problem. Maybe next time have to make an order when booking ticket. Staffs fixed me a fish plate instead. My husband and I couldn't sleep tight at all. No room to straight our legs, especially his long legs."
Pros: "First class service even n economy."
Pros: "Very nice and comfortable flight"
Pros: "drink service"
Pros: "The boarding went smoothly considering the number of people on board. It took a while to take off and to land, but that's because the airports are busy. The crew was incredibly well dressed in professional attire. The accommodations were amazing - the flight came with the standard pillow/blanket combo, disposable slippers, headphones, a toothbrush, two meals, a snack, drinks, and the attendants dimmed the lights whenever they weren't serving - all free. The entertainment was amazing - I watched four Hollywood movies that I had been wanting to watch, and that was one section of the movies. There were also TV series and music available, both in English and Korean."
Cons: "It was difficult to get the crew's attention, especially from the center seat while speaking English. One of the meals gave me terrible gas, which was uncomfortable for me and my seat mates."
Pros: "Everything was so excellent. An absolutely amazing airline to fly with."
Pros: "Everything was very good. I really enjoyed the korean music on the entertainment device."
Pros: "the airhostesses"
Cons: "food"
Pros: "I liked stewardess's kindenesses"
Cons: "food"
Pros: "Great Service Check-in Process Boarding Process Lounge Food"
Cons: "Seat is a bit outdated: lie flat but not very comfortable. Their new Business seat on B777 seems much better Security / Immigration in Bali took 2.5h all flights to China, Korea, Japan, Australia seems to depart between 11pm and 2am Breakfast was served 2.5h before landing reducing sleep time"
Cons: "The flight attendant didn't speak much English also they didn't tell the passengers to ascend the seat when serving the food"
Pros: "I liked everything about the flight except I couldn't sleep on a 13 hour flight."
Cons: "The lady behind my seat was big and with her purse I couldn't move my seat back enough. I'm a big man so I need more recline ability."
Cons: "Nothing GOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Cons: "Food was not that good. poor film selections."
Pros: "I like the food,the crew are nice and very helpful"
Pros: "comfortable seats...above average food choices"
Cons: "limited selections of the movies they offered....a very long walk going to the next gate to catch my next flight."
Pros: "GOOD SERVICE."
Pros: "The plane was delayed but we appreciated Korean Airlines having staff waiting for all passengers that needed to catch their next flight. They helped us navigate through the airport to our connecting flight and sped us through security so we did not have to wait in line behind passengers that were not in a rush."
Pros: "Everything like always"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Flight attendants are very helpful and keep smiling to customers. I feel very welcome."
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "The service and the entertainment"
Pros: "I really appreciated getting a meal on the plane despite the short two hour flight. I've always liked flying Korean Air due to their cleanliness, presentable flight attendants and good customer service."
Cons: "The only thing I seemed to have a problem with was the volume and clearness that came out of my headphones. Although the headphones were provided by the airlines, the volume came out a little unclear and kind of scratchy. Other than that, everything was great."
Pros: "Crew was great"
Cons: "Food sucked, small seats"
Pros: "Korean Air service is second to none. The attendants are kind, always a friendly face and beautiful. At checkin service the attendant was kind enough to notice that my travel partner and I would enjoy an aisle and window seat together without a middle seat occupant and seated us accordingly. Thoughtful. Attendants periodically walked the aisles to let guests know that they were available always. Five stars!!"
Pros: "service"
Pros: "Very friendly service."
Cons: "Korean Air needs to improve check-in. Didn't realize that Morning Calm could be used after early check-in even though kiosk didn't give boarding pass. Once we did and switched out of the SLOW regular line it went great."
Pros: "Very attentive and caring crew"
Cons: "nothing as I slept after I got what i need which the crew delivered promtpy."
Pros: "Crew members were great."
Cons: "No problem."
Pros: "Everyone was friendly and helpful at all times and it was fun experiencing a different cultures food while still having the option of just chicken available."
Cons: "The crew told me to go to the wrong gate for one of my connecting flights so I almost missed it but luckily it got delayed."
Pros: "loads of entertainment options to pass the time crew was very accommodating and friendly tasty food and drinks seating space for economy is great"
Pros: "Serving attitude was good."
Pros: "Good"
Cons: "Good for now"
Pros: "There was an amazing variety of tv shows and movies. That is essential for long flights like ours was."
Cons: "For long haul flights, I am used to being offered a pillow/blanket, even when sitting in economy."
Cons: "We read in the Delta onboard magazine about Delta’s commitment to women. Yet Delta coverups a rape by one male employee against a recent immigrant in a Delta vehicle. What say you?"
Cons: "The flight was delayed because one or more of the crew were late. I would suggest that when you board a large flight, start from the rear of the plane, not the front. Having to go past everyone to get to your seat is time consuming and somewhat stressful. The food was super gross. The so called beef bulgogi was not appetizing at all. For breakfast, the food was disgusting."
Cons: "Better space. Better service. Terrible directions"
Pros: "The best"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Great crew, early arrival"
Cons: "Old screens, snacks getting smaller, too much ice in the drinks"
Pros: "Korean air is a step above the rest. Best airline in the business"
Cons: "No WiFi on the flight, but there is so much media offered you really forget"
Pros: "Crew was awesome, super friendly and helpful. Even the korean food options tasted delicious."
Cons: "Not plus size friendly. The bathroom is too small for a plus size person to be able to use and for a 14 hour flight I think that’s important. Also if you’re plus size and the person in front of you reclines, it’s impossible to pull down your tray fully."
Pros: "The cabin was to warm"
Cons: "The cabin was to warm"
Pros: "Delayed, packed, bought a sandwich! Good sandwiches!"
Cons: "Packed and delayed"
Pros: "The crew was amazing. I've got the exit seat: very comfortable."
Cons: "Entertainment choice could improve, very few choices."
Pros: "compared with other airlines they were just OK"
Cons: "everything"
Cons: "Comfort plus seats on final leg did not appear to be different than main cabin"
Pros: "The crew was great."
Cons: "The price of my ticket"
Cons: "More comfortable seats!!!"
Pros: "Crew was fine - not their fault that DELTA changed my flight at the last minutes with terrible options on rescheduling my flight!"
Cons: "Yes...not change my flight at the last minute and causing me to miss my connecting flight. Then making me reschedule my flight with only options that I now have (2) layover and then arrive in Korea another day later, that then caused me to miss my college orientation day!"
Cons: "All was good"
Pros: "The flight was great from beginning to end. I have no complaints."
Pros: "I like flying delta. They always serve drinks first"
Cons: "It’s such a long flight. Not your fault."
Pros: "Not much"
Cons: "Business aisles are one way only, very impractical. Bathrooms are tiny unlike 777 and the seats are not good, i dislike the narrow feel of the feet well and there is noooo storage for shoes or amything else..what fail. And the door thing is a joke. I will make zero effort to fly this equipment...777 is the best after loosing the 747."
Pros: "The food was amazing. The entertainment system was fantastic. The crew was lovely."
Cons: "The small bathrooms"
Pros: "Overall service was great."
Cons: "Flight was delayed 5 hours."
Pros: "No surprises. On time. Courteous. I suppose the most amazing thing is their app. It tells you when your bags get on! Also I forgot that I had a knife in my pocket. I ran back to the desk and she went back, found my bag, put the knife in there. Wow. What service. Also I notice that Atlanta is a lot nicer than it use to be. Attendants are more friendly and loading is more organized. Way to go Delta."
Pros: "Great staff and they worked hard to make the flight comfortable."
Cons: "The seats are small and the plane feels like a Sardine can."
Pros: "I loved the flight attendants and the desk staff everyone was so friendly and made me want to travel delta again."
Cons: "Delta doesn’t offer military spouses free checked bags and I found this out at the airport. It was disheartening, but at least it’s Delta and not the airline that is supposed to represent America."
Pros: "It’s become a mediocre airline."
Cons: "Everything."
Cons: "Flight took off three hours late. After we boarded the plane, we had to sit on the plane for over three hours before we finally took off. When you’re on a flight that’s already 15 hours long, the last thing you want to do is sit on the plane for an extra three hours for nothing."
Pros: "On time"
Pros: "The flight was very good, no complaints, good service and we flew on schedule"
Cons: "We were split into two boarding groups, one for priority and one for everyone else. This was good but the priority line was just a bit too far away for the announcements to be heard. This added a little bit of confusion. This was at gate B36 at JFK Airport's Terminal 4."
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "No food, no outlets, a terrible delayed not explained to passengers."
Pros: "I have no complaints. Not on"
Pros: "The movies"
Pros: "Delta planes are typically nice and clean"
Cons: "Flight was delayed multiple times."
Pros: "Like the airplane - Boeing 757. More comfortable than the 737."
Cons: "Don't like the towel dispenser location and function. Can't find it when standing and a bunch of them come out at one time."
Pros: "good price but older plans"
Cons: "please do not use plastic forks and spoons"
Pros: "Always nice to be on an American plane out of an American airport.....SO much more professional. :))"
Cons: "Paid first class. Got served after people in coach."
Pros: "Good seat"
Cons: "Delayed by 1 hr"
Cons: "The gate crew did not change seats for my family & I to sit together (spouse, baby & I, grand parents) The flight was late leaving as the troops returning home were late. That part was ok, but they could have changed their seats so my family and i could sit together. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have minded given they were all on their 4th flight if the day. It seemed that the gate crew was not budging. If my parents hadn’t had 2 seats together my daughter would have had to sit with a stranger. That’s not acceptable."
Pros: "Smooth and on time boarding,early arrival, comfortable flight."
Pros: "Entertainment in top notch... stewards were very pleasants"
Cons: "No complaints"
Pros: "Crew and landing were fantastic"
Pros: "Helpful, and kind"
Cons: "Na"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Cabin crew was very polite helpful and friendly."
Cons: "Can't change the weather. Flight was delayed a bit but they were very informative as they found out info."
Pros: "Everything"
Cons: "Delta crew are lazy...they wont help u out to store ur bags."
Pros: "Extra leg room with Sky priority"
Cons: "We upgraded to Sky priority but we're not allowed to load with Sky priority. They made us wait for Zone 3. We also did not get the designated overhead space we paid for and had to put our bags under the seat in front of us. A bit disappointing to pay $240 extra and not get what we paid for."
Pros: "We had a whole row of 3 to our family, so we could put the armrests up & the kids just laid down in our row (on me, & each other) and slept most of the flight. The flight crew was very understanding and helpful with my kids who were just with me on an intl flight "daddy duty.""
Cons: "Since it was a flight from Seoul, Korea to Seattle; it would've been nicer if all the movies had Korean subtitles-- my 4-yo boy who only speaks Korean, couldn't make it through more than 15 mins of a movie because he couldn't understand (of course, some of that is due to age & short attention-span). But he kept saying, "I hate English" in Korean while trying to pick a movie. Also, I'm 6'2"; so while it was nice having the whole row for my kids to lay down in-- I was cramped and uncomfortable the whole flight, even moreso with Delta's seats being closer together than on other international carriers I've flown."
Pros: "Got grounded for five hours stuck on the plane."
Airlines flying from Melbourne to South Korea have enacted additional safety measures and adjusted policies to better accommodate travelers. Policies vary by airline.
Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights from Melbourne to South Korea
Mandatory masks
Masks required on board, masks provided on flights from Melbourne to South Korea
Social distancing seating
Middle seats unavailable to book on flights from Melbourne to South Korea
Pre-flight testing
Testing for antibodies, testing for symptoms for flights from Melbourne to South Korea
Flexible cancellations
Waiving of change fees. Search flexible flights from Melbourne to South Korea