For those that likes to visit the land of Kdramas, the two biggest Korean airlines will officially merge their loyalty programs. Starting December 17th, every mile earn on Asiana will become Korean Air miles. Life imitates art, it’s like the story of Netflix’s Start-Up where Dal-Mi and Do-san decided to join forces to pursue their company dreams.
Loyalty Program
Since Korean Air is SkyTeam and Asiana Airlines is Star Alliance, this means travels will primarily be SkyTeam mileage earnings (i.e. China Airlines, Delta Airlines, etc.) if you want to fly direct to/from South Korea.
Good news is that you have the option to keep your Asiana miles or transfer them at 1:1 ratio for the next 10 years. Just keep in mind that transferring miles to Korean Air is one-way.
Asiana will be missed for its sweet spot to Europe where you can fly Lufthansa First Class for just 50,000 miles.
That being said, you can still fly Korean Air First Class for 80,000 miles, which is considered cheap with premium cabins costing well over 100k+ miles nowadays. If you have leftover miles, it could be a unique one-time opportunity to pool in Asiana miles with your Korean miles for a fun redemption.
Overall, Korean Air and Asiana will officially merge as one December 17th. It’s good to know these news so you can strategically plan for future mileage redemptions in their loyalty programs. With inflations and devaluations at an all-time high, it’s at least reassuring that there are “Start-Up” friendly prices out there for First Class travels.
Chai Bear World 