prelude

I am curious how much the Economy Smartium Op-Up has to do with status, or just pure luck. Recently, I was op-uped to Smartium on both directions of ICN-LHR, the first one I had no status at all (technically my connecting flight from the previous day would have bumped me up to Asiana Gold, but I don't think it would be processed that quickly), and on the return I only had Asiana Gold. Was pleasantly surprised but had absolutely no idea why it happened. Maybe the American routes are a bit different.

SightseeMC

IMHO, the BoA card would work for you (status-wise) pretty well. At 50% partner earn you'd get Diamond/*G pretty solidly. At 100% UA earn you'd get D+ early, and have it indefinitely until requirements change.

(No I have no insight into any upcoming changes, nor do I expect any until well after an OZ sale and/or Korean Air changes. But it's always good to think about.)

lsquare

What is the requirement for qualifying and re-qualifying OZ Diamond Plus with an OZ credit card?

paperwastage

https://flyasiana.com/C/US/EN/conten...de-requirement

lsquare

Since I’m not D+ yet, I’m assuming that means I can do 25k OZ miles from credit card and 75k from flying?

SightseeMC

Yes, the card spend miles count. The *G thread has statements that the 10K miles from the card bonus are good for Diamond, so I'm under the working assumption that 25K from the bonus will work too (getting the card as soon as I go back to the US). Wish I had a stronger answer for you, and maybe someone can confirm.

lsquare

Yea, I think I’m going to apply for the card as soon as I get back to the US. Seems like a no-brainer to have for OZ elites.

SightseeMC

Recent DPs as a plain Diamond. Each time I went to the desk/gate and simply asked if my seat section was "still empty", as I booked into empty rows of 3 or 4 each time.

PEK-ICN: someone moved into my 3-seat section, so I was given the "Do Not Occupy" row. Asked the FA and she said they usually save that for other customers who have seat/IFE issues, etc.
ICN-LAX: check-in desk stated section of 4 was still empty; may or may not have blocked it but it was empty when I boarded.
LAX-ICN: someone booked into my row of 4 on the bottom of the A380. Gate offered to give me a free extra legroom section (the whole section) on second floor, but as the armrests don't raise to create "poor man's business class", I declined.

I haven't asked for blocked seats at all or pulled any DYKWIA, just checked that seats remained empty. Gate/desk agents seem unfazed at the conversation, and proactively offered the better options.

SightseeMC

Minor update: I made Diamond Plus with my last flight out of the US before COVID lockdowns, and haven't gone back/flown since. My wife flew back last week, and said that Asiana sent a "nice" blanket and a luggage tag for reaching D+. I didn't ask for pictures; I want to be surprised.

Could just be a standard OZ blanket, which is fine by me. If it's some sort of branded D+ blanket, how hilariously DYKWIA would it be to use that on flights instead of the one that comes with the seat? Especially in cattle class. Extremely tempted to do it just for the laughs.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thirsty for the luggage tag though.

Gasolin

You definitely have a wild imagination !!! But now I wonder what that would look like...

SightseeMC

Well, my curiosity got to me so I asked my wife. It's a checkered fleece of some sort; she thinks it may be the biz class blanket (I haven't flown J on OZ yet, so no idea). When she returns I'll post a pic, since I've never heard of this perk before.

SightseeMC

Here's the Diamond Plus pack I received. The pack included the blanket and the luggage tag as well as an explanatory pamphlet which contains the same information as the website. The luggage tag is nice thick plastic, with a leather strap. The blanket is slightly thin (though thicker than the economy OZ blanket), and is "airplane sized": too small for covering your entire body, too big for a shawl. It has no branding except for a small tag with "Asiana Airlines" in a corner. Is this the J blanket?

Honestly, the highest quality thing might be the nice pack. It's a velveteen exterior and a soft interior, and we both plan to use it somehow for traveling. Not downplaying it at all, as I am happy with all 3 pieces. I do wish I could have had a silly "Diamond Plus" emblazoned blanket for sleeping in cattle class over the next few years.

nme7

Are you based in Korea? Er rather, is your wife based in Korea? I didn't get anything when I hit D+.

SightseeMC

While we're based in Korea these days, my OZ membership is based in the US, and I think as far as OZ knows, I am still based in the US. The pack was shipped to our USA address, so my wife picked it up when she went back.