All Passengers on Flights to the US Must Undergo Fever Screening Before Departure

Expansion of Pre-Boarding Fever Screening to All Routes Previously Limited to Some US-Bound Airlines
Passengers with Fever Over 37.5°C Denied Boarding and Eligible for Refund

On the 28th, Korean Air staff were checking passengers for fever in front of the boarding gate for flight KE017 from Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 to Los Angeles (LA). Starting with this KE017 flight, Korean Air will mandate fever checks for all flights departing from Incheon Airport to North America and will conduct additional in-flight disinfection. These measures will also be gradually expanded to other routes.
Yeongjongdo ? Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Passengers boarding flights from Korea to the United States must undergo a fever screening starting from the 3rd. Boarding may be denied if the temperature is 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher.

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that the fever screening currently implemented by some Korean airlines (Korean Air, Asiana) on routes from Korea to the U.S. will be expanded to all Korean carriers and U.S. airlines starting from the 3rd. Passengers with a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher will not be allowed to board and must receive a refund.

The Ministry decided to expand the fever screening, which some Korean airlines have been conducting since the 28th, to all routes bound for the U.S. This decision was made at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on the 1st to ensure stable operation of the key domestic business route to the U.S. and to maintain convenience in air travel.

Currently, international flights between the U.S. and Korea (Incheon Airport) are operated by ▲Korean Air (LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Washington, Las Vegas, Honolulu) ▲Asiana (LA, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Honolulu) ▲Delta (Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis) ▲United (San Francisco) ▲American (Dallas) ▲Hawaiian (Honolulu). Routes departing from Gimhae Airport are operated by ▲Jeju Air (Guam, Saipan) ▲Jin Air (Guam) ▲Air Busan (Guam).

Additionally, domestic and international airlines conduct fever screenings with thermometers immediately before boarding upon official requests from counterpart countries such as China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Kim Itak, Director of Aviation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Pre-departure fever screening on U.S.-bound routes is to continuously secure the convenience of air travel for our citizens to the U.S. and other foreign countries. Although it may be somewhat inconvenient, we ask passengers to check their health by measuring their temperature before heading to the airport and to arrive earlier than usual as the fever screening may take additional time."

Meanwhile, the Ministry plans to actively cooperate with diplomatic missions regarding expanded flight restrictions and entry bans in countries other than the U.S. to prevent additional restrictions and to lift existing ones.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.