Asiana Airlines, which has been integrated as a subsidiary of Korean Air, is expected to withdraw from the airline alliance Star Alliance, leading to increased passenger inconvenience. Once Asiana Airlines departs from the alliance, its mileage cannot be shared with airlines in Star Alliance.
According to the airline industry on the 16th, Asiana Airlines plans to take steps to withdraw from Star Alliance in the near future. Although no exact schedule has been set, it is common practice in the airline industry to first sort out the airline alliance in cases of mergers, acquisitions, or bankruptcies. Looking at examples of foreign airline mergers, stakeholders usually withdraw from the alliance in the year the deal is finalized or, at the latest, the following year.
Established in 1997, Star Alliance is the oldest and largest airline alliance in terms of scale. Currently, Star Alliance includes 25 airlines, such as Asiana Airlines, Lufthansa (Germany), Air Canada (Canada), United Airlines (United States), Thai Airways (Thailand), Air New Zealand (New Zealand), All Nippon Airways (Japan), Austrian Airlines (Austria), Singapore Airlines (Singapore), and LOT Polish Airlines (Poland).
Airlines that are part of the alliance can share mileage, which is particularly preferred by transfer customers. Some airports even share lounges between Star Alliance airlines. Using the network of multiple airlines makes booking and transfer schedules more convenient. If Asiana Airlines, which handles the Star Alliance hub at Incheon International Airport, withdraws, the inconvenience for transfer customers may increase. Alliance airlines arrange transfer schedules based on the hub airport, and if Asiana Airlines is removed, the transfer schedules at Incheon Airport may get entangled.
Concerns have been raised that if Asiana Airlines withdraws from Star Alliance, the number of places to use mileage will decrease, further lowering its market value. This is because, after leaving the alliance, customers can only redeem their mileage with Asiana Airlines. As of the end of the third quarter this year, the unclaimed mileage deferred revenue for Asiana Airlines customers was recorded at 981.9 billion won.
Korean Air has stated its intention to determine the timing of its withdrawal in a way that minimizes customer inconvenience.