Korean Air Scraps Planned Changes of SKYPASS Program
Korean Air announced back in 2019 that it would make major changes to its SKYPASS loyalty program. Those changes were scheduled to take effect in 2021, but the pandemic delayed what was supposed to be a devaluation of the program.
Now the implementation of the new SKYPASS, which was scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2023 (after a grace period of three years and three months including prior notice), will be suspended.
The mileage accrual and deduction criteria and the elite program will not undergo any changes, Korean Air said in the announcement.
Apart from the suspension of the new SKYPASS implementation, Korean Air is planning to make the following updates to make it more convenient for customers to use their miles:
- Expansion of award seat supply
- Various mileage discount promotions
- Expansion of mileage usage (In-flight duty-free purchase, Jin Air, etc.)
- Additionally, the ‘Cash & Miles’ service for combined payment of mileage and cash will continue to run, and the U.S. Dollar will be added as a payment currency in March.
Conclusion
Korean Air SKYPASS has scrapped changes that were supposed to take effect this April. This would have been a devaluation for those who have SKYPASS miles in their accounts.
Will Covid-19 regulations lifted all around the world and especially in Asia, you can now start looking to use your miles. Award space is not easy to come by but there seems to be some Business Class space available.
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This is probably correlated to the pending merger with Asiana. Not only is the US pushing back on it, but the Korean government is now pressuring large corporations to provide meaningful breaks for customers. Wrecking the mileage program right when the govt tells every other company in the country to play nice with their customers probably wouldn’t fly.