Business

FLIGHT SAVINGS

How to save on flights from New York to Seoul

Our analysis of past searches finds effective ways to save on flights from New York to Seoul. If flights to Seoul seem too expensive right now, these alternative booking strategies can help you get a cheaper fare. Our data shows savings of 25–40% on this route.

Content

    NYC
    SEL

Add an extra destination after Seoul

A multicity ticket, New York to Seoul plus a later journey to or from a third city, sometimes prices below the plain one-way. You fly to Seoul; the second journey is a spare multicity you are free to drop, reschedule, or fit into a later trip. As with a spare return, the spare part is a whole journey on a later date, so nothing is skipped on the day and you can check a bag.

StrategySpare multicity
Success ratehigh
Typical savings15–30%
Checked bagYes ✔️

Examples

  • Korean Air · Economy

    Jun 27 · 1:20 pm - 5:50 pm +1

    JFK - ICN

    Direct
    15h30m

    $1,294

    Spare multicity

    • Trip 1

      Sat, Jun 27

        • JFK - ICN

    • Trip 2

      Tue, Sep 1

      Spare multicity

        • GMP - SHA

  • Korean Air · Economy

    May 19 · 9:50 am - 5:25 pm +1

    JFK - ICN

    1 stop
    18h35m

    $1,231

    Spare multicity

  • United · Economy

    Oct 4 · 12:35 am - 5:10 am +1

    JFK - ICN

    Direct
    15h35m

    $1,051

    Spare multicity

Book a NYC-SEL roundtrip that costs less

Airlines often price the New York to Seoul round-trip below the one-way, so you buy the pair and never fly the return. That is a spare return, a form of throwaway ticketing, and nothing is skipped mid-ticket: your checked bag and your outbound are unaffected. When the fare allows it, you can also reschedule or cancel the extra return.

StrategySpare return
Success ratemedium
Typical savings15–20%
Checked bagYes ✔️

Examples

  • Lufthansa · Economy

    Jul 29 · 9:50 pm - 9:55 am +2

    JFK - ICN

    1 stop
    23h5m

    $2,164

    Spare return

    • Depart

      Wed, Jul 29

        • JFK - ICN

    • Return

      Tue, Sep 15

      Spare return

        • ICN - EWR

  • Jal · Economy

    May 15 · 10:30 am - 5:55 pm +1

    JFK - GMP

    1 stop
    18h25m

    $1,942

    Spare return

  • KLM · Economy

    Apr 24 · 11:30 pm - 9:35 am +2

    JFK - ICN

    1 stop
    21h5m

    $2,084

    Spare return

Fly to a cheaper city and stop in Seoul

A ticket to a city beyond Seoul, routed through it, sometimes costs less than the Seoul ticket itself. You get off at the layover and skip the last flight, a hidden city (or skiplagging). It is the one method here that leaves part of the ticket unflown, so travel with a carry-on, and it cannot be used on a round-trip: a missed segment cancels everything after it. Airlines tend to curb this practice, avoid doing it too often.

StrategyHidden city
Success ratehigh
Typical savings25–40%
Checked bagNo ❌

Examples

  • Korean Air · Economy

    Jun 2 · 7:00 am - 4:40 pm +1

    LGA - ICN

    1 stop
    20h40m

    $1,738

    Hidden city

    • Tue, Jun 2

        • LGA - ICN

        • ICN - PVG

        • Spare flight

  • Korean Air · Economy

    May 7 · 7:00 am - 4:40 pm +1

    LGA - ICN

    1 stop
    20h40m

    $1,608

    Hidden city

  • Korean Air · Economy

    May 6 · 7:10 am - 4:40 pm +1

    LGA - ICN

    1 stop
    20h30m

    $1,608

    Hidden city

Combine your trip with other upcoming flights

  • NYC
    SEL
  • NYC

If you have other trips coming up, try combining them with the Seoul one. Our multisearch engine searches several trips at once and finds ticket arrangements that cost less than the sum of their parts, such as nested or back-to-back tickets. The other trip can be to Seoul again or somewhere else entirely, and it can be months away.

Questions about saving on flights to Seoul

Can I buy a round-trip to Seoul and not fly the return?

Yes, that is a spare return: nothing on the ticket is cancelled, you simply forfeit the return. On this route the round-trip priced below the one-way on a good share of searches, saving 15–20%.

Is a hidden-city ticket safe on flights to Seoul?

Safe enough with two rules: carry-on only, since a checked bag travels to the ticketed destination, and not too often, since airlines curb it. On this route a hidden city ticket routed through Seoul priced below the Seoul fare on most searches, saving 25–40%.

Can I use a hidden-city ticket on a round trip to Seoul?

Not on a plain round-trip: skipping a segment cancels everything after it, so you would lose the return. What works is a hidden return, one multicity ticket from New York to Seoul and then from Seoul to a third city routed through New York, where you get off.

Is an open-jaw ticket cheaper than a one-way to Seoul?

Sometimes. A multicity ticket with a later journey to or from a third city, a spare multicity, can price below the plain one-way, and since the unused journey is on its own date you can check a bag. On this route it did on most searches, saving 15–30%.

These saving methods are found automatically by our flight search engine. For the full picture of the strategies and their trade-offs, see our guide to Airglitch booking strategies.

Visit airglitch.com to save on flights. Share your feedback and follow us on socials to get the latest updates.

Updated on September 4, 2026