Korean Air to Limit Mileage Use Period
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Korean carriers, which used to be generous in handing out mileage, are becoming stingier, setting up a term of validity for the use of mileage.
Korean Air announced Wednesday that it will adopt a five year ``expiration date'' policy for its mileage starting next July. The carrier and another national flag carrier, Asiana Airlines, have been providing mileage without time limits so far.
However, Korean Air will not apply an expiration date to mileage that is accumulated by next June, with the mileage available for use at any time. For example, if a passenger accumulates 40,000 miles by next June and 10,000 miles afterward, on the next flight he or she takes with mileage, Korean Air will first deduct the 10,000 miles, which has a five-year time limit. Any additional miles will be deducted from the 40,000 miles, on which there will be no time constraint.
Most foreign carriers have such expiration dates, usually between 18 and 36 months, but Korean airlines have not had one for the convenience of passengers.
Korean Air and Asiana, however, said they have been burdened financially with such lenient services, and the burdens are growing annually.
Korean Air is also the only carrier among Sky Team members that does not have expiration dates for mileage.
As a complementary measure for the change, the carrier plans to increase the number of seats allocated for mileage passengers. It usually allocates less than 10 percent of the total seats for the mileage use during high-demand seasons, and 10 to 15 percent during other times.
Following Korean Air's decision, Asiana is also considering introducing a time limit for mileage use.
However, travelers are denouncing the measure, saying the carrier suddenly made decisions to change the system without consulting them. The majority of the customers are tourists and it is virtually impossible to accumulate such mileage as they have fewer chances to travel by air compared with businesspeople.
An Internet user with the ID ``hanjeokgol'' said on Daum, ``Although I have accumulated enough miles, I can't use them because all the seats allocated for mileage are always booked out. Now the airlines are taking my mileage away, they are thieves.''
Another user named Shin Jong-hun said, ``In the case that credit card points are converted, credit card companies pay for the mileage to carriers. Mileage is not a financial burden to airlines at all.''
Some others said Korean Air is better than foreign carriers, as its time limit is longer.