spinmeister

It's clear to me that ex-NYC there is only one J award seat per flight on KE to ICN. My question is if I take one, what is the probability that another will open up in a reasonable time period. For what it's worth I'm a GM and the trip for the two of us will be next October.

agjil

There is a 0% chance it will happen, not even 1%.
Your question was asked and answered many times before...KE releases exactly 1 J award seat per flight, and additional inventory is never released.

langbr01

Up until about 1.5/2 years ago KE would release 2 seats per flight to DL. Always subject to change.

RealHJ

Never subject to change. Nothing to do with DL.

The facts are simple. Mon-Thu, KE releases 1O/2X per flight to SkyTeam and other partner airlines at 331 days out. Once booked, it will never become available, unless canceled. If the person who has booked it cancels it, then it goes back into inventory (generally), however.

So simply fly one person on one flight, other person on next flight, if both want to be in O, or one in O and one in X, or both in X.

Also note that Fri-Sun on many (but not all) flights KE releases zero inventory to other airlines. But, that is subject to change and comes and goes. Sometimes Fri-Sun are not blacked out for the affected routes (so it's worth to keep checking back), but most of the time they are. This Fri-Sun total blackout (which, again, does come and go) seems to effect short and medium haul routes more than long-haul.

Furthermore, some KE routes (like KE51-54, for example) are completely blacked out and never, ever available in O or X. Now that could be specific to DL and DL's doing.

MSPeconomist

For those of us who don't have KE flight numbers memorized, what routes are KE51-54 and why do you think either KE or DL is blocking them for award travel?

Chadg

I can't explain why, but
KE51/53 - ICN -> HNL
KE52/54 - HNL -> ICN

I'm guessing it's because of the number of Asia-originating tourists and/or DL wants people to fly on their HNL-KIX/NRT/NGO

RealHJ

Yes, these are the two daily HNL-ICN flights. DL (I am guessing - but I haven't verified, as AF/KL FB will never show any KE, MU, or even DL flights between US and Asia) is blocking these for the last 2 or more years. Never, ever, ever a single seat in O or X available, you can search from today to 331 days out. Not a function of broken dullta.com, DL res confirms that never, ever any seat on these flights available.

Used to be available within normal rules until about two years ago...but just around the time when DL SkyHijacked the mileage rates (from 35K J one-way to insanely high 60K J one-way now), DL also blocked these four KE flights...or I am guessing it was DL. It could be KE, but if so that'd be odd, as there is no other route that KE blocks completely like this.

*KE1/2 (HNL-NRT), however, is not blocked and is available under normal 1O/2X policies.

nichojo

Get a Chase UR card and transfer points to KE. That's what we did and it was EASY! I was able to book a F reward (not possible with SkyMiles) 2 weeks out SYD-ICN-ATL.