United Begins Daily Newark-Seoul Flights, the Only U.S. Carrier Flying NYC Area to South Korea

Updated: September 4, 2026, 9:45am CDT

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Table of Contents

United’s New EWR-ICN Route
How To Book
Final Thoughts

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United kicks off daily nonstop service between Newark (EWR) and Seoul-Incheon (ICN) today, September 4, 2026. It’s truly notable, because it’s the only nonstop route between the NYC area and South Korea flown by a U.S. carrier.

The Republic of Korea has a lot to offer for both business and leisure travelers. Here are the details of this new route and how to book it yourself.

United’s New EWR-ICN Route

United‘s new flight operates daily on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in a 3-cabin layout: 48 Polaris lie-flat seats up front, 21 Premium Plus seats in the middle, and 188 seats across Economy Plus and standard economy in the back.

Flights operate on the following schedule:

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Flight Number	Route	Departure Time	Arrival Time
UA285	Newark (EWR) to Seoul (ICN)	10:35 a.m.	3:20 p.m. (+1 day)
UA286	Seoul (ICN) to Newark (EWR)	5:15 p.m.	6 p.m. (same day)

The mid-morning departure out of Newark is friendlier than the late-night departure times most West Coast routings force on you. The return lands early enough to make a same-day East Coast connection if Newark isn’t your final destination.

How To Book

Cash fares are steep at launch. Economy starts at $714 one-way, and business kicks off at $4,821 one-way. Round-trip in the Polaris business class cabin will run close to $10,000 before taxes, which is standard for a new premium route with limited competition.

United 787 9 landing LAX — A United Boeing 787-9. Image Credit: Alberto Riva

Award pricing is where this gets interesting. United MileagePlus is charging:

Economy: 55,000 miles per person, one-way
Business (Polaris): 250,000 miles per person, one-way

Despite the high mileage requirement, in Polaris, you’re getting about 1.93 cents per mile in redemption value. That’s a solid outcome for a saver-level ticket on a route where cash is punishingly high, and it’s above our average valuation of United miles at 1.2 cents each. Economy pencils out to roughly 1.3 cents per mile, which isn’t as compelling, but it’s still an above-average redemption.

If you don’t have MileagePlus miles sitting around, you can transfer 1:1 from Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Award space on brand-new routes tends to open in waves. Check dates spread across the schedule rather than fixating on a particular day or week.

Hot Tip:

Our guides can teach you how to earn and redeem United MileagePlus miles.

Final Thoughts

United’s Newark-Seoul launch fills a real gap. Delta and American don’t fly the New York-to-Seoul market nonstop, and Korean Air and Asiana have owned it for years — though Air Premia recently announced its own flights to Newark.

Adding a U.S. carrier means Star Alliance loyalists finally have a direct option.