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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. Korean is blocking most of its Business and economy award space, making it unavailable to people with partner miles.
Example
On February 1, 2016, Korean has made nine Business Class award seats available to people with Korean miles on each of its two daily flights from Los Angeles to Seoul. (This is common for Korean.)
The space would cost 62,500 Korean miles + $104.
I would expect Delta to have access to all 18 of those seats and to charge 70,000 Delta miles + $24. However, Delta does not have access to any Korean space on February 1, and only has any Korean Business Class space from Los Angeles to Seoul on 10/35 days. (I didn’t search each day on koreanair.com, but I bet they have released space on 34/35 or 35/35 days.)
On days when Delta does have access to space, it often has access to one seat in Korean Business Class.
By contrast, on that day, Korean is releasing nine Business Class seats on both flights.
I have been very specific in condemning Korean in this post and not Delta. Why?
Because Flying Blue miles also don’t have access to the Korean space in this post. On airfrance.us, I’m not seeing any Korean longhaul Business or economy award space at the moment.
Airfrance.us is showing Korean shorthaul space.
The blocking of Korean space isn’t limited to Business Class. Korean economy is also widely available with Korean miles, but not with Delta or Flying Blue miles. There are 18 economy award seats between Los Angeles and Seoul in Korean economy on January 27.
There are two seats available with Delta miles.
On most days in January, there are zero seats available on these flights with Delta miles. With Korean miles, economy award seats on the route are much more available.
Bottom Line
Korean is blocking partner access to its amazing economy and Business Class award space (and it was already the only real way to book Korean First Class space.) Hopefully this is a glitch and not permanent.
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Recently flew Korean Air r/t first class ORD-BKK. I thought it was great, loved it.
I was thinking of booking it from HNL to BKK, but booked that Island Hopper award with United miles instead. Hopefully I can fly it one day.
How was the redemption process for you?