Korean Air cleared one of the biggest remaining questions surrounding its merger with Asiana Airlines: what happens to all those Asiana Club miles.
Korean Air acquired Asiana as part of a years-long consolidation of South Korea’s two largest airlines. The carriers are still operating separately for now, but Asiana will ultimately be folded into Korean Air, including its loyalty program.
That mileage integration is scheduled for December 17, 2026. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has now given final approval to Korean Air’s plan, which lays out what happens to existing Asiana miles and elite status.
Rather than immediately turning every Asiana mile into a Korean Air SKYPASS mile, members will have plenty of time to decide what to do with them.
Asiana Miles Can Stay Separate for 10 Years
When the programs integrate on December 17, existing Asiana miles will move into Korean Air accounts as a separate “Asiana Mileage” balance alongside any SKYPASS miles already there.
Those miles can remain separate for up to 10 years, although their existing expiration dates won’t change. After the integration, new activity will earn SKYPASS miles instead.
Keeping Asiana miles separate comes with an interesting benefit. They’ll become usable for economy and Prestige Class award tickets across all Korean Air-operated routes while continuing to follow Asiana’s existing redemption chart. That means the miles won’t be limited to destinations Asiana flies today.
For example, a one-way Korean Air Prestige Class award between Korea and North America will cost 62,500 Asiana miles during off-peak dates. Economy on the same routes will start at 35,000 miles one way.
Asiana miles can also be used for economy-to-Prestige Class upgrades and Korean Air’s Cash and Miles option, which allows miles to cover up to 40% of an eligible fare.
There are some limitations. Separately held Asiana miles won’t be usable for awards on SkyTeam or other partner airlines. And Asiana and SKYPASS miles can’t be combined to book the same award.
To combine the two balances, the Asiana miles have to be converted to SKYPASS. Once that’s done, the decision can’t be reversed.
Not All Asiana Miles Will Convert at the Same Rate
The conversion rate depends on how the Asiana miles were earned.
Miles earned from flying will convert 1:1. Miles earned through Asiana’s non-airline partners, such as credit cards, hotels, and other partners, will convert at a lower rate of 1:0.82.
So, 10,000 Asiana miles earned from flights would become 10,000 SKYPASS miles. If those same 10,000 miles came from partners, they’d become 8,200 SKYPASS miles.
There’s no need to make that decision right away. Asiana miles can be converted at any point during the 10-year period. Anything remaining at the end will automatically convert at the applicable rate.
For partner-earned miles in particular, there’s a reason to think before converting. Keeping them as Asiana miles avoids the 18% reduction while still allowing them to be used for Korean Air flights under Asiana’s redemption chart.
Asiana Elite Status Is Mapping to Korean Air
Asiana elite members won’t have to start over. Their status will be matched to a Korean Air tier when the airlines integrate.
| Asiana status | Korean Air status |
|---|---|
| Platinum | Million Miler Club |
| Diamond Plus | Morning Calm Premium Club |
| Diamond Plus Limited Term | Morning Calm Select Club |
| Diamond | Morning Calm Select Club |
| Gold | Morning Calm Club |
Morning Calm Select is a new Korean Air tier being created as part of the integration and will include SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits.
Anyone who already has Korean Air status will receive whichever tier is higher after the match. The expiration date on the existing Asiana status will carry over.
Converting Asiana miles could provide another opportunity to move up. At that point, Korean Air will combine eligible flight mileage earned with Asiana with existing Korean Air qualification mileage and reassess the account. If that total qualifies for a higher tier, the member will move up.
Korean Air Is Making Award Availability Commitments Too
The approved plan also includes some unusually specific promises about award availability.
Korean Air says award seats will remain at or above pre-integration levels. On long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, the airline says it will offer at least as many award seats as the highest levels recorded during the past 10 years.
Korean Air has also committed to making enough award space available for members to redeem at least 20% more miles annually than Korean Air and Asiana members did before the integration.
Whether those commitments translate into noticeably easier award bookings is something to keep an eye on once the programs come together.
For now, anyone with Asiana miles has plenty of time to decide what to do. Those miles can remain separate for up to a decade, retain Asiana’s redemption rates, and become usable across Korean Air’s entire network.
Converting them to SKYPASS will remain an option. But particularly for miles earned through Asiana’s non-airline partners, there’s no reason to rush into taking an 18% reduction.