Korean Air Skypass - Korean Skypass Awards

I'm considering switching FF programs from NW to KE. I want to make sure I'm reading KE's mileage award charts correctly.

For flights between Korea/Japan/Northeast Asia and N. America, it lists miles required as 105,00 off-peak and 155,00 during peak times in Prestige Class. Is this round-trip, or each way?

If it's round-trip, then KE seems to be a better deal mileage-wise, as NW requires 120,00 miles for PerkSaver and 240,000 miles for PerkPass.

Also, in real, practical terms, are the earned-mileage restrictions on certain fare classes a barrier to effectively accruing miles, if you regularly purchase the least expensive fares offered (I'm talking within N. America on Skyteam partner airlines)?

Thanks for any insight!!

All are based on round trip. For oneway, 50% of them are required. For certain economy class, Q&V - those are the least two fare classes of US-Asia (exclude Korea), only 70% are accumulated. Well, but it is EXTREMELY hard to get miles from the cheap fares of partner airliners include Skyteam, especially on trans-pacific routes. So please be careful..

I'm only somewhat familiar with the KE program, but they do have a lot of earning restrictions on cheap fares. Another major downside to the KE program is that there is no mileage bonus for elites and paid business fares on any of the Skyteam partners and on KE only earn 125% rather than the 150% you earn on CO, NW, DL.

For the award ticket the posted mileage would be round trip. Their off peak tickets are most of the year. North America gets a few more peak days than other destinations, but except in the prime of the summer and a few other select days most are off-peak for KE.

On NW rememeber the 240k award is NW only... the 120k is any NW saver or any Skyteam partner with availability. Same with KE... at 105/155 its KE or any Skyteam partner.

You'll get much better availabilty of KE awards using KE miles, its also rumored that DL miles get the same or similar availability. I've read other places that NW people with both NW and DL miles have much better luck with DL than NW. KE doesn't have much for an elite program other than lifetime Skyteam Plus at once you reach a certain level. I would probably investigate DL a little further if you're just looking for easy KE awards. DL will generally earn you a lot more miles for paid business plus elite bonus miles depending on the tier you qualify for.

You'll get much better availabilty of KE awards using KE miles, its also rumored that DL miles get the same or similar availability. I've read other places that NW people with both NW and DL miles have much better luck with DL than NW. KE doesn't have much for an elite program other than lifetime Skyteam Plus at once you reach a certain level. I would probably investigate DL a little further if you're just looking for easy KE awards. DL will generally earn you a lot more miles for paid business plus elite bonus miles depending on the tier you qualify for.

My situation as well. There are not much opportunity to earn KE miles, and I expected that NW is better than DL for KE award given that DL is so diluted. How come DL is better than NW in this respect? Any reasoning?

Another question. Which is easier, DL/NW for KE award or United miles for Asiana award?

KE has more flights out of US than Asiana to Korea

Another question. Which is easier, DL/NW for KE award or United miles for Asiana award?

I can answer this: KE is way~ much easier than Asiana, regardless of getting award from partners or directly from the carrier.

I'm only somewhat familiar with the KE program, but they do have a lot of earning restrictions on cheap fares. Another major downside to the KE program is that there is no mileage bonus for elites and paid business fares on any of the Skyteam partners and on KE only earn 125% rather than the 150% you earn on CO, NW, DL.

For the award ticket the posted mileage would be round trip. Their off peak tickets are most of the year. North America gets a few more peak days than other destinations, but except in the prime of the summer and a few other select days most are off-peak for KE.

On NW rememeber the 240k award is NW only... the 120k is any NW saver or any Skyteam partner with availability. Same with KE... at 105/155 its KE or any Skyteam partner.

You'll get much better availabilty of KE awards using KE miles, its also rumored that DL miles get the same or similar availability. I've read other places that NW people with both NW and DL miles have much better luck with DL than NW. KE doesn't have much for an elite program other than lifetime Skyteam Plus at once you reach a certain level. I would probably investigate DL a little further if you're just looking for easy KE awards. DL will generally earn you a lot more miles for paid business plus elite bonus miles depending on the tier you qualify for.

Looks like I should be alright if I switch. Sometimes I fly in Economy, but usually I try to find good deals in domestic FC or int'l Business.

So, are you saying that with NW, the 120,000 mile award level would apply to any Skyteam member, regardless of "peak" or "off-peak"? That's better than I thought. But, Korean's mileages are still lower..... Hmmm....

Looks like I should be alright if I switch. Sometimes I fly in Economy, but usually I try to find good deals in domestic FC or int'l Business.

So, are you saying that with NW, the 120,000 mile award level would apply to any Skyteam member, regardless of "peak" or "off-peak"? That's better than I thought. But, Korean's mileages are still lower..... Hmmm....

If you're buying your C tix I'd definately go with the DL program over KE. You'll get 150% rdm and eqm on paid C tix with DL. Even though the mileage awards are slightly higher you'll earn them with fewer miles in the seat. Ex... 100,000 flown miles in C will earn you 125,000 miles in the KE program but 150,000 miles in the DL program. For your 105,000 mile award you'll need to fly 84,000 real miles in C. For a 120,000 mile award with DL you'll only need to fly 80,000 real miles in C. You'll also add the perk of free upgrades in the us depending on your attained elite level if you take the DL program. You won't get Elite plus with KE until you've hit 500,000 miles, but then its lifetime. You'll get elite plus with DL every year that you make Plat.

I'm not a DL lover, actually far from it, but in your case it makes the most sense.

And your other question, DL, NW, nor CO have peak or off peak mileage levels, its the same all year. Oh, also if you occasionally want to use an award tix intra-asia I think you'll love DL's low biz mileage threshold for that tix.

My situation as well. There are not much opportunity to earn KE miles, and I expected that NW is better than DL for KE award given that DL is so diluted. How come DL is better than NW in this respect? Any reasoning?

Another question. Which is easier, DL/NW for KE award or United miles for Asiana award?

I don't know why exactly KE has better availability for DL than NW... I suppose higher valuation of the miles. You can do some searching and scouring on this board and find people talking about times they've called NW first to no avail and then called DL with the same dates and got tix.

I have no idea about ease of OZ awards, I've never tried for one. If you look at the ANA Star Alliance award tool there is typically good availability for OZ awards, but thats assuming you use NH miles... UA may or may not have availability to those same seats. When I've called DL Skymiles and asked for KE intra asia awards I've always been able to get them on the dates I wanted, usually in Biz.

I don't know why exactly KE has better availability for DL than NW... I suppose higher valuation of the miles. You can do some searching and scouring on this board and find people talking about times they've called NW first to no avail and then called DL with the same dates and got tix.

I have no idea about ease of OZ awards, I've never tried for one. If you look at the ANA Star Alliance award tool there is typically good availability for OZ awards, but thats assuming you use NH miles... UA may or may not have availability to those same seats. When I've called DL Skymiles and asked for KE intra asia awards I've always been able to get them on the dates I wanted, usually in Biz.

Thanks for the very good info, dvs7310. I collect miles mainly to get a ticket to ICN and I have focused on UA, ANA, AA to get OZ or NH ticket using UA and NH, and JL ticket using AA miles. Given that DL domestic award is so bad, I assumed that it's hopeless to redeem DL for a ticket to ICN and have put DL, NW, CO trips to AS miles. Maybe I need to collect DL miles again following your advice.

Can I redeem AS for a KE ticket, or any ticket to ICN?

thanks.

Can I redeem AS for a KE ticket, or any ticket to ICN?

thanks.

Sure, you have some good options with AS miles actually. DL, NW, and CX are among the partners for AS.

DL flies to ICN from ATL, but I don't believe its daily.
NW flies via NRT from points all over the country daily.
CX also flies to ICN, but I don't know that its a valid routing from the USA to ICN via HKG on CX... that would be an option to explore possibly since most award tix allow a free stopover... if you wanted to do anything in Hong Kong or Macau.

I'm assuming that you are only booking tix from the US to Korea... but if you ever need to go from Europe then you can also get AF tix with AS miles... AF operates CDG-ICN daily I believe, or it might codeshare with KE a few times a week.

I have no idea how easy it is to redeem AS miles on NW or DL compared to using the native programs, but if you already have the miles there then you'll probably be able to come up with something.

Sure, you have some good options with AS miles actually. DL, NW, and CX are among the partners for AS.

DL flies to ICN from ATL, but I don't believe its daily.
NW flies via NRT from points all over the country daily.
CX also flies to ICN, but I don't know that its a valid routing from the USA to ICN via HKG on CX... that would be an option to explore possibly since most award tix allow a free stopover... if you wanted to do anything in Hong Kong or Macau.

I'm assuming that you are only booking tix from the US to Korea... but if you ever need to go from Europe then you can also get AF tix with AS miles... AF operates CDG-ICN daily I believe, or it might codeshare with KE a few times a week.

I have no idea how easy it is to redeem AS miles on NW or DL compared to using the native programs, but if you already have the miles there then you'll probably be able to come up with something.

Thank you, I will stick with AS then. DL Skymiles might sound good, if redeeming DL for KE is easy enough.

I used my KE Skypass to accrue miles on my my last flt. on NW from STC to MSP to catch up with a UA flight to ORD and IAD to a LH flight to FRA back in March... the fare class on the st. cloud to minneapolis was Q.. and I earned only 62 miles.. which is the actual mileage.. what happened to the 500 minima's? :confused::confused:


I'm considering switching FF programs from NW to KE. I want to make sure I'm reading KE's mileage award charts correctly.

For flights between Korea/Japan/Northeast Asia and N. America, it lists miles required as 105,00 off-peak and 155,00 during peak times in Prestige Class. Is this round-trip, or each way?

If it's round-trip, then KE seems to be a better deal mileage-wise, as NW requires 120,00 miles for PerkSaver and 240,000 miles for PerkPass.

Also, in real, practical terms, are the earned-mileage restrictions on certain fare classes a barrier to effectively accruing miles, if you regularly purchase the least expensive fares offered (I'm talking within N. America on Skyteam partner airlines)?

Thanks for any insight!!

Some overseas ff programs don't have minimums, especially on discounted fare classes. Sorry about your earngings... I think I'd rather earn 0 miles than 62...