Korean Air and Delta Airlines has announced the launch of International Remote Baggage Screenings (IRBS) on their route between Seoul Incheon International Airport and Atlanta Hartsfeld-Jackson International Airport.
UPDATE (August 14, 2025) - Application of IRBS for passengers for other US-bound passengers flying the Incheon-Atlanta route traveling on non-Korean Air operated flights from other parts of Asia.
Korean Air and Delta Airlines has announced the launch of International Remote Baggage Screenings (IRBS) on their route between Seoul Incheon International Airport and Atlanta Hartsfeld-Jackson International Airport.
The trans-Pacific joint venture partners stated passengers bound for Atlanta from Incheon - or connecting from other cities – and who give personal consent will be able to benefit from the IRBS, and proceed to their next departing flight at Atlanta to their final destination without the need to collect and recheck their bags.
(UPDATE) In an email inquiry to Korean Air about the application of the IRBS for US-bound travelers connecting onto the Incheon-Atlanta route from other flights operated by partner carriers - including SkyTeam member airlines at Incheon such as China Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia- a Korean Air spokesperson in a reply said: "Yes, this applies to US-bound travelers connecting onto the route through other carriers at Incheon."
Prior to the introduction of the IRBS on the Incheon-Atlanta route, passengers arriving at Atlanta from Incheon would undergo the standard procedure for international arrivals into the US. Passengers would claim, and then recheck their baggage before boarding their domestic US connecting flight.
“Together with Delta and our partners, we are introducing new initiatives to deliver a seamless passenger experience,” said Kwangho Ko, Senior Vice President at Korean Air. “We will continue to deploy services to maximize convenience and comfort for our customers.”
“Through our joint venture with Korean Air, we’re committed to making transpacific travel easier and more enjoyable,” said Jeff Moomaw, Delta’s Vice President for APAC. “This is only the beginning—we aim to bring these benefits to more U.S. destinations from ICN.”
Combined, Korean Air and Delta operate three daily flights between Incheon and Atlanta – twice-daily by Delta and once-daily by Korean Air. The IRBS is expected to be of benefit to the nearly 300,000 passengers flying on the route annually. According to Delta, more than half of those passengers make onward connections from Atlanta - 67,000 of 123,000 Korean Air passengers and more than 100,000 of 160,000 Delta passengers in 2024.
The two carriers further added the program will reduce connection times by around 20 minutes at Atlanta.
US International Remote Baggage Screenings (IRBS)
Image: Notice to passengers about the IRBS before boarding Korean Air's direct flight from Incheon International Airport to Atlanta. Taken at Incheon Terminal 2 Gate 268 (Image Credit: Korean Air)
Launched by US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) in April, the IRBS program allows passengers arriving in the US from foreign airports to continue to their connecting flights without re-checking their bags, unless specifically referred to by CBP for further inspection. CBP personnel will be able to view the same checked baggage x-ray images captured at the foreign airport of departure and review them remotely before the aircraft lands.
CBP stated it is being used to assess potential security risks more effectively and expedites the processing of arriving flights, though the IRBS does not change the current Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening requirements or process for checked baggage.
Korean Air and Delta will be the second and third airlines to integrate the IRBS on one of its international routes bound for the US. American Airlines has been conducting testing with the IRBS and collaborating with the USCBP to integrate it on their daily flights between Sydney and Los Angeles.
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