Next May, Korean Air will increase passenger flights from its Seoul Incheon hub to 
Atlanta to double daily. It is partly because it no longer uses the Boeing 747-9i on the airport pair. It is a true SkyTeam route. It only serves the route for this reason and for its close partner, Delta Air Lines.
Everyone knows that Atlanta is the world’s busiest airport for passengers and seats for sale. However, it is second globally to Chicago O’Hare for aircraft movements, while Cirium Diio indicates it is only 18th globally for available seat miles. The latter is influenced by relatively small aircraft—just 5% of services are on widebodies—and a huge number of short-haul domestic flights.
Korean Air Grows Atlanta Flights To Double Daily
Korean Air currently serves Atlanta daily. However, as Aeroroutes pointed out, its frequency will increase to 11 weekly from March 29, the first day of the northern aviation summer, based on IATA slot seasons. More significantly, it’ll increase to 14 weekly—double daily every day—from May 11, which will be in time for the peak season with the highest fares and demand.
The South Korean carrier will run twice daily on the 277-seat Boeing 777-300ER, a variant that is famed for its huge freight capacity. This has eight seats in first class (1-2-1), 42 in business class (2-2-2), and 227 in economy (3-3-3; 33″ pitch). For most of the summer of 2025, the 368-seat 747-8i was used. The additional service means its daily seats for sale have risen by 51%.
Delta Air Lines also operates double daily. When writing, there is no indication that it will reduce its frequency. Assuming that it doesn’t, the pair will have a record four daily flights between Atlanta and the South Korean capital. The prior high was three. Their combined offering will be as follows.
|
Frequency |
Atlanta To Seoul In June 2026; Local Times* |
Frequency |
Seoul To Atlanta In June 2026; Local Times** |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily |
09:45-14:10+1 (Delta; A350-900) |
Daily |
08:45-09:45 (Korean Air; 777-300ER) |
|
Daily |
11:45-15:55+1 (Korean Air; 777-300ER) |
Daily |
10:45-11:45 (Korean Air; 777-300ER) |
|
Daily |
13:40-17:50+1 (Korean Air; 777-300ER) |
Daily |
16:25-17:20 (Delta; A350-900) |
|
Daily |
23:40-04:00+2 (Delta A350-900) |
Daily |
18:50-19:50 (Delta; A350-900) |
|
* Subject to change |
** Subject to change |
It Will Be Korean Air’s Highest Frequency Yet
The US Department of Transportation shows that Korean Air has had passenger service to Atlanta since 1994, which includes both nonstop and one-stop flights. In the early days, they flew via Chicago O’Hare or Dallas/Fort Worth. They’ve operated nonstop in each direction since the early 2000s.
In this period, multiple aircraft types and variants have been deployed. They include the A380 (Air France and Qatar Airways also used it to Atlanta), 747-400, 747-8i, 777-200ER, 777-300ER, and 787-9. Now, only the 777-300ER is deployed. It is unknown whether quadjets will appear again.
Schedule analysis shows that the 
SkyTeam carrier had two daily passenger flights to Atlanta before. They were last available at times between 2010 and 2014, and seemingly briefly in 2022. However, only a maximum of 10-weekly services were available. It has not had two flights on every day of the week before. Its latest development is, in this sense, significant.
Korean Air In Atlanta: Where Passengers Go
US DOT data for the 12 months to July 2025 shows that Korean Air carried 224,500 passengers to/from Atlanta. It filled 86% of the available seats. The 747-8i operated for some of this period. In contrast, Delta transported 352,700 passengers (it had two daily flights), with an 85% seat load factor.
Booking data suggests that approximately 20% of Korean Air’s passengers originated/ended in Atlanta and connected to another flight in Seoul. Ho Chi Minh City, Pusan, Manila, Beijing, and Bangkok were the most popular cities. (United will return to Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok from Los Angeles this week.)
Two segments were tied at 22%. First, the local market (those who only flew between Atlanta and Seoul). Second, those who connected to a Korean Air flight in South Korea and a Delta service in Georgia (Pusan-Savannah, Manila-Orlando, Manila-Jacksonville, Ho Chi Minh-Tampa, and Ho Chi Minh-Charlotte were the top markets).
Finally, with 36%, the biggest chunk of travelers started/finished in Seoul and transferred to a Delta flight (Savannah, Orlando, Nashville, Louisville, and Lima had the most traffic). Savannah was so prominent due to the Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant.
