Korean Air has unveiled its mileage integration plan with Asiana Airlines, designed to maximise consumer benefits and ensure a smooth transition for members of both loyalty programs.
The plan includes:
- Maintaining Asiana Airlines mileage separately for 10 years after integration
- Allowing conversion to Korean Air SKYPASS miles at any time
- Integration of elite tiers
- Expanded mileage usage options
Korean Air submitted the plan to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) on June 12 and resubmitted a revised version on September 25 following the KFTC’s request for amendments. The KFTC will now conduct a two-week public consultation period before issuing final approval.
Asiana Club mileage will be maintained as former Asiana Mileage for 10 years after the integration. At the end of this period, all remaining balances will automatically be converted to SKYPASS miles. Customers holding former Asiana Mileage can continue to redeem them for Korean Air Economy and Prestige Class award tickets or upgrade awards using Asiana’s current redemption levels. Other options include:
- Cash and Miles payment (up to 30% of airfare when booking online)
- Mileage shopping (branded goods, general merchandise, duty-free vouchers)
First Class award tickets or upgrade awards, not included in Asiana’s program, will not be available. Following the integration, all newly earned flight and partner miles will be credited exclusively as SKYPASS miles.
Elite tier integration:
- Asiana Airlines elite members (Platinum, Diamond Plus, Diamond, Gold) will be matched to equivalent Korean Air elite tiers, with their current status validity maintained.
- Korean Air will expand its elite program from three tiers (Million Miler, Morning Calm Premium and Morning Calm) to four with the introduction of Morning Calm Select, which will provide SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits.
- Morning Calm members will be divided into Morning Calm Select and Morning Calm tiers depending on their qualifications.
When members convert their miles, or when the 10-year period ends, their elite status will be reassessed based on their Korean Air qualifying miles and Asiana Airlines flown miles combined.
Conversion ratios:
For a period of 10 years following the integration, members may convert their Asiana Airlines miles to SKYPASS miles at any time via a dedicated menu on Korean Air’s website. A conversion request must be for the member’s entire remaining mileage balance. Conversion ratios are:
- Flight-accrued miles: 1:1
- Partner-accrued miles 1:0.82
In consultation with the KFTC, Korean Air has established two conversion rates. The 1:1 ratio for flight miles reflects the similar accrual standards of both airlines. The 1:0.82 ratio for partner miles is based on an analysis of the respective acquisition costs.
The integration provides former Asiana Mileage holders with immediate access to a significantly broader network. Members can now redeem miles on 59 routes operated exclusively by Korean Air, including Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Atlanta, Lisbon, Amsterdam and Auckland – in addition to Asiana Airline’s existing network.
Korean Air and Anduril partner on fire suppression using UAVs
Korean Air and Anduril Industries are exploring joint development of a UAV operating system and integrated response platform, creating an integrated solution to combat large-scale wildfires. This initiative broadens the scope of a Teaming Agreement the two companies signed in August for unmanned systems cooperation in the Korean and Asia-Pacific markets.
The expanded partnership draws on the strengths of both companies. The collaboration will apply Korean Air’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and operational technologies to Anduril’s wildfire response platform to build a unified solution capable of rapidly identifying and suppressing wildfires at their point of origin.
The joint solution will manage the entire response cycle with minimal human intervention. Powered by Anduril’s Lattice software platform and spanning a range of hardware including the Fury autonomous air vehicle (AAV), the system unifies detection data from sensors across air, land, and space into a single common operating picture. When a fire is detected, an operator is alerted and can task Anduril AAVs and Korean Air UAVs to autonomously assess the fire’s scale and status, before deploying additional rapid-response UAVs or crewed airtankers for fire suppression.
By integrating Korean Air’s unmanned systems, as well as new systems jointly developed by the companies, into Lattice, the companies aim to enable a leap beyond traditional response models that rely on human visual detection, which can result in critical delays.
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