Cheap flights from London to Busan

November is the cheapest month on this route, and the price calendar covers most of the year, from September through to May and again in July. Late autumn and winter are quieter than the summer school holidays, when Korean families travel and seats fill early. Midweek departures from London usually cost less than weekend ones, and the same holds for the return leg out of Gimhae. Lunar New Year and the Korean harvest festival are the stretches to avoid if you can, and the Christmas and New Year weeks in the United Kingdom push fares up as well. Booking well ahead gives you the widest choice of connections, since every itinerary here changes planes.

Every carrier on this route is a full-service airline, and every one of them means a change of plane somewhere. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are the Korean flag carriers and both bring you into Gimhae through their own hubs. From London you also see China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Air China and Eva Air routing through East Asia, and Emirates and Qatar Airways routing through the Gulf. Lufthansa and German Airways connect via Germany. On full-service tickets a checked bag and meals are normally part of the fare, but the allowance follows the operating airline and the booking class, so read the baggage line before you pay. No low-cost carrier flies this route.

Busan is served by Gimhae International, the only airport for the city, and it sits outside the centre rather than in it. From the terminal you can reach the metro network by light rail, and buses and taxis cover the same ground door to door, so the ride into the central districts takes a while. Allow extra time on arrival day: with no nonstop flights from the United Kingdom, a delayed first leg can push you onto a later connection. Keep your accommodation address written in Korean to show a driver, and check the airport code on your ticket before you set off.

Currency

KRW (₩)

Power sockets

Type C, F · 220 V

Language

Korean Sign Language, Korean

Emergency number

112, 113, 119

Driving side

right

Calling code

+82

Internet domain

.kr, .한국

Population of Busan

3.5 M (2018)

Time zone

UTC+09 (Asia/Seoul)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Confirm which London airport your ticket uses, because Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City are far apart and not interchangeable.
• Check the connection time and whether both legs sit on one ticket, since this route has no nonstop option.
• Read the baggage allowance for each leg separately, as the rules come from the operating airline rather than the seller.
• Check South Korea's entry requirements and your passport validity before you pay.
• Fly in November if the fare matters most, and compare it against the winter and spring months on the price calendar.
• Look at the total journey time, not just the departure time, because a longer stop can cost less but eat a day.