Korean Air’s mile redemption to change based on distance in April

[Source : Korean Air Lines]

South Korea’s full-service carrier Korean Air Lines Co. will revise its mileage redemption program for reward flights and upgrades based on distance instead of region from April. Some customers may be unhappy with the new system as they have to redeem more miles than before for long-haul services.

The airline had pushed back the introduction of the new program by two years in 2021 as travel demand vanished after the Covid outbreak in 2020 prompted governments to close borders and airlines to ground thousands of aircraft.

According to industry sources on Monday, passengers will need 10,000 miles for a ticket to Fukuoka in the economy cabin, from the current 15,000 miles. In addition, the Incheon-Shanghai route redemption will be reduced to 12,500 miles from 15,000 miles. For Hawaii, which was classified as the American route, the redemption will be lowered to 32,500 miles from 35,000 miles.

But for long-haul destinations, passengers have to redeem more miles than before. For Singapore, which is relatively far among Southeast Asian routes, the mileage redemption will increase to 22,500 miles from 20,000 miles, and for Paris 40,000 miles will be required instead of the current 35,000 miles.

For the Incheon-New York route, the most popular flight option, the redemption will rise to 45,000 miles from 35,000 miles for an economy class seat and to 90,000 miles from 62,500 miles for a business class seat. For a first-class seat, the deductible doubles to 135,000 miles from 80,000 miles.