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Asiana offers to discount up to 10,000 miles on international award tickets

Published: 18 Jun. 2025, 17:57

Asiana Airlines passenger planes are seen at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 2, 2023. [YONHAP]

Asiana Airlines announced its offering to discount up to 10,000 miles on international award tickets, in a push to make passengers deplete existing mileages before a scheduled merger with Korean Air.

The event, which applies to tickets for 34 international routes, runs from Wednesday to July 3.

Travelers who book mileage award tickets through the Asiana Airlines website or mobile app can enjoy a 5,000-mile discount on seven Japan routes and 12 China routes, according to the airline.

Tickets to nine Southeast Asia destinations and two Central Asia destinations will be discounted by 7,000 and 8,000 miles, respectively. Long-haul flights between Incheon and Seattle or Sydney will offer a 10,000-mile discount.

“We’ve made it easier for more customers to redeem their miles with this discount promotion,” an Asiana official said. “We will continue to review various measures so that mileage can be used more widely in the future.”

The move comes as Asiana steps up efforts to encourage customers to use their mileage ahead of its merger with Korean Air. Airline mileage is recorded as “deferred revenue” on financial statements, meaning the value of unused miles is counted as a liability until the corresponding service is provided.

A promotional image for Asiana Airlines' ″Mileage Now″ discount event [ASIANA AIRLINES]

As of the end of the first quarter, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines had deferred mileage revenues of 2.62 trillion won ($1.91 billion) and 951.9 billion won, respectively.

While flight mileage is generally accrued based on flight distance as defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the market values frequent flyer miles earned through credit card spending differently. Industry estimates suggest Korean Air miles are valued at around 15 won each, while Asiana miles are valued at 11 to 12 won.

Consumer interest is high in the mileage integration ratio between the two airlines.

Korean Air submitted its proposed mileage integration plan to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday. However, the FTC rejected the proposal, citing a lack of detail and concerns over reduced redemption opportunities compared to Asiana’s existing mileage program.

“There are some shortcomings in the mileage usage compared to what Asiana Airlines used to provide, and the detailed explanation regarding the mileage integration ratio was somewhat insufficient,” the FTC said.

The contents of Korean Air’s proposed plan have not been made public.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY OH SAM-GWON [[email protected]]