Korean Air delays, possibly forever, frequent-flyer devaluation

Facing potential political pressure, Korean Air delays, perhaps permanently, the devaluation of its frequent-flyer program

As noted on the excellent One Mile at a Time travel site, Korean Air appears to have permanently shelved a devaluation of its frequent flyer program. Korean Air, of course, is attempting to merge with fellow Korean flag carrier Asiana, and as noted in this Korea Times article, “flyers criticized the new program for needing far more mileage to travel long distances, since many flyers accrue mileage from short-distance trips to fly to the U.S. or Europe.”

In fact, South Korea’s politicians got involved in the devaluation, with the ruling People Power Party “recommending” that the airline revise the new mileage program. Korean Air is minority owned by U.S. legacy carrier Delta, which has aggressively and repeatedly devalued its frequent flyer program. Delta has received billions in tax-payer subsidies, including most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several politicians are aggressively questioning the American-JetBlue joint venture in the Northeast, a threat to Delta’s New York dominance.