Korean Air releases amazing award space on its flights. Here is a post focusing on how Korean releases more First Class award space than any other airlines, and award space is similar in all cabins.

Despite both being in SkyTeam, Delta miles cannot book Korean First Class, which is one reason to focus on Korean miles. However Delta miles should be able to book all the Business and economy award space on Korean flights, since partners generally release all their Saver award space equally to all partners.

At the moment, this isn't the case.

Until November 17, 2015, the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card is offering 50,000 bonus SkyMiles after spending $2,000 in the first three months, and a $50 statement credit after your first Delta purchase during the same period.

The normal bonus is 30,000 miles and no statement credit.

Contents of this article:

Offer details
My valuation of the offer
Are you eligible for the bonus?
Best uses of SkyMiles

Offer Details
The Gold card is the “standard” airline credit card.

50,000 bonus SkyMiles after spending $2,000 in the first three months
2 miles per dollar on

Delta operates a daily flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu and back on a 767 with flat beds in Business Class.

Update 8/20/15: Delta now advertises this fare sale and says the deals must be booked by tomorrow August 21, 2015.

This page also lists some of the fare sale city pairs, though definitely not all.

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Yesterday, Delta started selling awards to Europe for 21,000 miles each way in economy and 43,500 miles each way in Business Class. These are huge discounts off the "normal" price of 30,000 miles each way in economy and 62,500 miles each way in Business Class.

For a few years, Virgin Australia Business Class award space to Australia has been a gimme. I would often find 12 Award Seats (half of which were Business) to Australia over Christmas and New Year's on Virgin Australia flights.

Update 8/19//15:

The glitch is fixed. One way search results now include partners as they should. Here's a screen shot of Los Angeles to Sydney in February 2016 in Business Class. I can assure you that none of those days with 80,000 mile Saver seats are on Delta flights. ;)

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Virgin Australia, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, and Air France flights are not displaying on delta.com on one way searches. You can search them as part of roundtrip awards. You can book them by calling Delta at 800-323-2323.

Let's take a look at the problem with Virgin Australia award space.

Update 8/11/15: The deal is now open to everyone. I have uncovered many of its secret rules.

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Delta Points got the following statement:
“There is a transatlantic fare sale going with a one day presale for Medallion/cobrand. It will be open to all as of tomorrow.”
So credit card holders and elites could book August 10, and everyone can book August 11. I'll update when I can book the awards.

I tweeted this deal first from @MileValueAlerts. Follow @MileValueAlerts on Twitter andfollow these directions to get a text message every time I tweet from that account. I tweet from @MileValueAlerts only a few times a month because it is designed to be used only for the best and most limited-time deals–like mistake fares–so that you aren’t bombarded by text messages.

Travel from Houston to Managua, Nicaragua for $172 roundtrip on Spirit Airlines this Summer and Fall.

Delta is advertising a fare sale for travel from August 6 to December 16, and, in a first, is advertising a concurrent sale on the award prices on the same routes.

There are 29 listed sale routes.

When 5,000 mile awards started in May, I wrote that this was mixed news:

Good: Some awards are 60% cheaper, and hopefully more routes with 5,000 mile award space are added.
Bad: By picking 5k routes on cheapness not distance, Delta is taking a step away from award charts (which it deleted from the internet already) and toward revenue-based redemptions.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Award Space is widely available for two passengers on several routes to London in May and June 2016.

This is an excellent use of Delta SkyMiles because these awards cost 62,500 SkyMiles each way per person, despite Delta's big devaluation last week. The award space is also an excellent use of ThankYou Points transferred to Virgin Atlantic miles during the current 25% transfer bonus.