What happens to your Asiana miles? A 10-year separate account, then conversion at 1-to-1 or 0.82

Even after Korean Air and Asiana Airlines complete their merger, existing Asiana mileage will be managed separately for 10 years under the original redemption rules and expiration terms. Customers who choose to convert to Korean Air mileage will receive a one-to-one ratio for flight-earned miles and a 0.82-to-one ratio for miles earned through credit cards and other partner services.

Korean Air will also be required to maintain, for 10 years, the number of passengers actually boarding on award tickets on long-haul and popular routes — including those to the Americas, Europe and Oceania — at or above the combined 2023 figure for both carriers, the highest in the past decade.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission said Monday that it gave final approval to Korean Air's Asiana mileage integration plan, which contains these provisions.

Even after the two carriers merge, existing Asiana mileage will not be automatically converted to Korean Air mileage.

The miles will be managed in a separate account for 10 years from the merger date, with Asiana's original redemption standards and expiration rules fully preserved. Asiana customers will be able to use their existing miles — without any conversion — on all routes operated by Korean Air after the merger, covering award tickets, seat upgrades, combined payments and shopping. No separate application is needed to keep Asiana mileage as is.

The number of routes on which Asiana miles can be used for awards will also grow. The 59 Korean Air-only routes will be added to the existing 69 Asiana routes, expanding the total available network by 85 percent.

The newly added Korean Air-only routes include long-haul international services — eight to the Americas, eight to Europe and two to Oceania. On routes where both carriers currently operate, additional Korean Air flight schedules will also become available for Asiana mileage redemption.

Customers who wish to convert to Korean Air mileage will be subject to different ratios depending on how the miles were earned. Miles accumulated through flight purchases and travel will convert at a one-to-one ratio, while miles earned through credit cards and other partner services will convert at 0.82 to one.

Conversion can be requested at any time during the 10-year separate management period, but the entire mileage balance must be converted at once. After the 10-year period expires, any remaining Asiana mileage will be automatically converted to Korean Air mileage at the same conversion ratios.

Management standards aimed at expanding actual mileage redemption opportunities have also been added and strengthened. Korean Air must maintain the number of passengers using award tickets and seat upgrades at or above the combined figure recorded by both carriers at the time of the 2024 merger approval, for the next 10 years.

Particularly for long-haul and popular routes to the Americas, Europe and Oceania — where demand for mileage redemption is concentrated — Korean Air must sustain award seat boarding figures at or above the 2023 level, the highest combined figure for both carriers over the past decade, for 10 years. To meet this requirement, the airline plans to expand award seat supply by deploying special mileage flights, focusing on peak seasons and high-demand routes as needed.

A new annual floor on total mileage usage has also been introduced. Using the combined annual mileage consumption of both carriers' members in 2025 as the baseline, Korean Air must manage total annual mileage usage so that it reaches at least 106 percent of that baseline in 2027 and 2028, 112 percent in 2029, and 121 percent from 2030 through 2036.

To prevent the airline from increasing award seats only during off-peak periods while cutting them during peak seasons, Korean Air will also be required to submit annual peak-season award seat supply data to the compliance oversight committee.

The range of uses for small mileage balances will also widen. The combined-payment option — which allows customers to pay for regular tickets using a mix of cash or card and miles — will expand from the current minimum of 500 miles up to 30 percent of the fare, to a minimum of 100 miles up to 40 percent of the fare. Non-aviation products purchasable for fewer than 2,000 miles will double in number.

The elite membership program will operate by assigning Korean Air membership tiers that correspond to Asiana's five existing tiers after the merger. Members who convert their Asiana mileage to Korean Air mileage will have their tier reassessed based on the combined activity records of both carriers, and if the reassessment result is higher than their tier at the time of conversion, the higher tier will apply.

Elite tier concerns raised during the public comment process have also been addressed. Fixed-term elite members who had already met Asiana's tier retention requirements before the merger will be allowed to keep their tier for 24 months from the expiration date, even if that date falls after the merger.

A guidance system allowing customers to check their projected mileage after conversion and their expected elite tier in advance will be available from the merger date. Customers who keep their Asiana mileage in a separate account will continue to have Asiana's original redemption standards for children and infants applied.

The Fair Trade Commission had conditionally approved the Korean Air-Asiana merger on Feb. 21, 2022, requiring Korean Air to submit a mileage integration plan within six months of completing the Asiana acquisition — which it did on Dec. 12, 2024 — and to obtain Fair Trade Commission approval before implementation.

After Korean Air submitted its integration plan, the commission conducted a public comment period from late September to mid-October last year, then reviewed the plan at its full commission meeting in December.

Following that review, the commission determined that, as Korean Air would become the sole airline operating a mileage program in South Korea after the merger, its incentive to actively develop and provide sufficient redemption opportunities for consumers could weaken. The commission called for revisions to better protect consumer rights, including by expanding mileage redemption opportunities, and asked for a revised submission.

A period of revision followed. Over roughly nine months, the commission held seven in-person meetings with Korean Air and requested four rounds of revisions. Korean Air submitted its final integration plan on Sept. 1.

The commission said it approved the final plan after determining that it adequately reflected the intent of its earlier demands and could protect the trust of Asiana customers while balancing the interests of both carriers' customers.

The approved integration plan will take effect on the merger date. According to Fair Trade Commission materials, the planned merger date is Dec. 17, and each airline's current mileage policies will remain in place until then.

Korean Air must comply with the approved integration plan for 10 years after the merger, and the commission plans to monitor compliance — including award seat boarding figures and mileage usage management standards — through the compliance oversight committee.