Asiana Airlines is diversifying ways to spend mileage. The carrier is increasing mileage-only flights and expanding the number of products in its mileage mall. It needs to reduce as much of customers' mileage balances as possible ahead of its merger with Korean Air Lines.
As of the 28th, according to the aviation industry, the number of products sold on Asiana Airlines' mileage mall, OZ Mile Shop, totaled 213 in the first quarter of this year, triple last year's level.
On 2024, after Asiana Airlines' merger with Korean Air Lines was finalized, most products at Asiana Airlines' mileage mall were at one point sold out. More customers wanted to spend miles quickly, but partner outlets actually decreased.
Asiana Airlines has increased the number of products after revamping OZ Mile Shop. In the first quarter of last year, there were 75 products for sale; that rose to 145 in the second quarter, 191 in the third quarter, and 205 in the fourth quarter.
Recently, it also released a limited-edition product to commemorate the merger with Korean Air Lines. It is a figure product planned to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the domestic animation "Robot Taekwon V (V)." Featuring Korean Air Lines' new corporate identity (CI) and Asiana Airlines' saekdong design, it is available for purchase only with mileage.
Korean Air Lines also released a Taekwon V figure product in its mileage mall in 2022, but this is the first time Asiana Airlines has sold it. The item is priced at 39,000 miles, more expensive than a one-way Incheon–New York ticket. It is currently trading around 400,000 won on secondhand sites.
Asiana Airlines is also steadily expanding mileage-only flight allocations. Last year, it allocated mileage-only flights on routes to Jeju, the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia, and last month extended them to the Oceania route (Incheon–Sydney).
Along with this, it newly allocated mileage-only flights on the Incheon–London and Incheon–Prague routes, and in early this month allocated them on the Incheon–Hong Kong and Incheon–Phuket routes as well. Asiana Airlines plans to continue expanding mileage-only flights.
As a result of these efforts, Asiana Airlines' mileage balance is decreasing. At the end of last year, Asiana Airlines' mileage stood at about 936.1 billion won, down 2.5% from a year earlier.
Asiana Airlines is trying to reduce customers' mileage balances because mileage is recognized as a liability. If merged with Korean Air Lines and the two companies' mileage liabilities are combined, it would reach a burdensome level.
Korean Air Lines' mileage liability stood at about 2.8445 trillion won at the end of last year. Considering Asiana Airlines' mileage liability is about 936.1 billion won, from Korean Air Lines' perspective, customers' mileage would increase by about 33% after the merger.
On top of that, the Korea Fair Trade Commission is seen as not approving the plan to integrate mileage with Korean Air Lines, which appears to have had an impact. After the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) requested supplements to the Korean Air Lines mileage integration plan at the end of last year, there has been little progress.
At the time, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) was reportedly concerned about the plan to supply mileage bonus seats and the long-term uses for Asiana Airlines' mileage.
An Asiana Airlines official said, "Previously, due to the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation and the merger, it was difficult to use up mileage," adding, "We are now diversifying mileage uses so customers will have no inconvenience in using their miles."