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Korean Air SKYPASS is the loyalty program of Korean Air, giving members a way to earn miles through flights, credit cards, and selected partners before redeeming them for travel.
The program is especially relevant for travelers interested in Korean Air premium cabins or SkyTeam partner awards. Unlike many programs that have moved entirely toward dynamic pricing, SKYPASS still publishes mileage redemption tables for Korean Air and partner awards.
There are also major changes approaching. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have finalized plans to integrate their mileage systems beginning December 17, 2026, making this an important time to understand how SKYPASS works.
What Is Korean Air SKYPASS?
Korean Air SKYPASS is Korean Air’s frequent flyer program. Membership is free, and travelers can join through the Korean Air website or mobile app.
Members can use the program to:
- Earn miles on eligible Korean Air flights.
- Earn on participating SkyTeam and other airline partners.
- Earn through selected credit cards and travel partners.
- Redeem miles for Korean Air award tickets.
- Book eligible partner-airline awards.
- Use miles for cabin upgrades.
- Qualify for elite membership benefits.
- Register eligible family members and use Family Plan features.
A Korean Air SKYPASS membership is therefore useful even if you do not fly exclusively with Korean Air. Because Korean Air belongs to SkyTeam, SKYPASS miles can provide access to eligible award seats across the alliance when partner inventory is available.
How Do You Join Korean Air SKYPASS?
Joining is straightforward. You can register through Korean Air’s website or app and receive a SKYPASS membership number. That number should then be added to eligible bookings whenever you want to earn SKYPASS mileage.
Keep your account information consistent across airline and credit-card accounts. Korean Air advises members to maintain updated contact information and correct membership details, particularly when miles are earned through partners.
Your SKYPASS number also matters if you plan to apply for a co-branded card. Since September 28, 2026, Korean Air requires applicants for affiliated mileage credit cards to already hold a SKYPASS membership.
How Do You Earn Korean Air SKYPASS Miles?
There are several ways to build a Korean Air SKYPASS balance.
Flying Korean Air
The most direct method is taking eligible Korean Air flights and adding your SKYPASS number to the reservation.
Mileage earned depends on factors including:
- Route distance.
- Booking class.
- Fare type.
- Operating airline.
- Whether the ticket qualifies for mileage accrual.
Not every fare earns the same amount, so check the earning rules attached to your booking before assuming the mileage total.
Flying SkyTeam Airlines
Korean Air is a SkyTeam member, which allows SKYPASS members to earn eligible mileage on participating SkyTeam airlines. The exact earning rate depends on the airline and booking class. This can make SKYPASS useful even when your itinerary contains several airlines rather than only Korean Air.
Flying Other Airline Partners
Korean Air also maintains relationships outside SkyTeam.
Its current non-SkyTeam earning partners include:
- American Airlines.
- China Southern Airlines.
- Emirates.
- GOL Airlines.
- Japan Airlines.
Always check the eligible booking classes before crediting a partner flight to SKYPASS. Once mileage is credited to one loyalty program, it generally cannot simply be transferred afterward to another airline program.
Do Korean Air SKYPASS Miles Expire?
Yes. Korean Air states that eligible mileage accumulated from July 1, 2008 onward remains valid until December 31 of the tenth year after it was earned. The expiration is based on Korean Standard Time.
For example, miles earned during 2026 would generally remain valid through December 31, 2036, subject to the applicable program rules. This differs from programs where points never expire as long as an account remains open. Check your oldest mileage before booking because Korean Air normally applies miles with the earliest expiration first when issuing eligible awards.
Which Korean Air SKYPASS Credit Card Options Are Available?
For U.S. travelers, U.S. Bank currently issues several SKYPASS Visa products.
The Korean Air SKYPASS credit card lineup includes:
| Card | Selected Earning Rates |
|---|---|
| SKYPASS Select Visa Signature | 3X on Korean Air tickets; 2X on other airlines, hotels, car rentals, and dining |
| SKYPASS Visa Signature | 2X on Korean Air tickets, hotels, and dining |
| SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa | 2X on streaming and rideshare |
| SKYPASS Visa Signature Business | 2X on Korean Air, dining, gas, EV charging, mobile service, and office supplies |
All four earn at least one SKYPASS mile per dollar on eligible purchases outside their bonus categories.
The premium SKYPASS Select card also currently includes benefits such as Korean Air ticket discounts, Korean Air lounge vouchers, selected Priority Pass visits, and additional travel benefits. U.S. Bank confirms that the SkyBlue, Visa Signature, and Select Visa Signature cards remain part of its current co-branded card portfolio.
Credit-card miles can help build your redeemable balance, but remember that card-earned miles do not necessarily count toward every elite-status qualification requirement.
How Do Korean Air Award Tickets Work?
Korean Air SKYPASS still uses published redemption tables.
For Korean Air-operated awards, mileage requirements depend primarily on:
- Departure and destination regions.
- Cabin.
- Whether the flight falls during peak or off-peak season.
Korean Air currently publishes award levels for Economy, Premium, Prestige, and First Class where the relevant cabin is offered. Taxes and fuel surcharges are charged separately.
Peak-season pricing deserves particular attention. If your itinerary travels to or from Korea, the applicable peak-season level is determined using the boarding date of each flight. Different rules apply when an international itinerary connects through Korea.
Before using miles, compare the published requirement using the Flightpoints Award Charts. That gives you a clearer starting point when comparing SKYPASS against other airline programs.
How Do You Search and Book Korean Air SKYPASS Awards?
Korean Air allows members to search and book its own award seats online.
The process generally looks like this:
- Sign into your SKYPASS account.
- Select “Book with Miles”.
- Enter your itinerary and passengers.
- Use flexible dates if your schedule allows.
- Check the award-seat calendar.
- Select an available flight.
- Review the mileage, taxes, and surcharges.
- Complete the award booking.
Korean Air notes that its award-seat calendar displays availability only for Korean Air flights. If your dates are flexible, start with Flightpoints Search to compare award opportunities across programs before committing your SKYPASS miles.
Can You Use Korean Air SKYPASS Miles on SkyTeam Airlines?
Yes. One major benefit of Korean Air SKYPASS is access to eligible SkyTeam partner award seats.
Korean Air publishes a separate region-based SkyTeam award table. The published prices are based on round trips, and Korean Air currently deducts the round-trip mileage amount even when a traveler books a one-way SkyTeam award.
That rule makes it especially important to compare another loyalty program before automatically booking through SKYPASS. SkyTeam awards can include up to two transfers in each direction, and Korean Air currently permits one stopover during the complete itinerary within its published routing rules.
There is another restriction worth remembering: SkyTeam awards cannot include Korean Air flights during Korean Air’s designated award peak periods.
If you find partner availability, use the Flightpoints CPP Calculator to compare the cash price against the miles and fees before booking.
Can You Redeem SKYPASS Miles Outside SkyTeam?
Yes. Korean Air also supports award redemptions on selected non-SkyTeam airlines.
Current eligible partners include:
- Alaska Airlines.
- China Southern Airlines.
- Emirates.
- GOL Airlines.
- Japan Airlines.
Rules can vary by airline.
For example, Emirates and Japan Airlines awards currently do not permit stopovers or transfers, while other partners have their own routing conditions. This is another reason to compare programs before redeeming. The same operating airline may sometimes be accessible through several different mileage currencies.
How Does the SKYPASS Family Plan Work?
Korean Air offers a useful Family Plan for eligible relatives.
Members can register qualifying family members including:
- Spouses.
- Parents and parents-in-law.
- Children.
- Siblings.
- Grandparents.
- Grandchildren.
- Sons-in-law and daughters-in-law.
When permitted, mileage from up to five registered family members, including yourself, can be pooled toward an eligible award. However, not every award type permits family pooling. Korean Air specifically states that Family Plan mileage cannot be used for SkyTeam award tickets.
That restriction matters if you are combining balances specifically to book an alliance partner.
What Are the Korean Air SKYPASS Elite Tiers?
As of October 6, 2026, Korean Air’s established elite structure includes:
- Morning Calm Club
- Morning Calm Premium Club
- Million Miler Club
Morning Calm Club currently requires either 50,000 qualifying miles including at least 30,000 Korean Air miles, or 80 qualifying Korean Air flight points. Domestic Korean flights earn one flight point, while eligible international flights earn two.
Morning Calm Premium requires 500,000 eligible Korean Air and SkyTeam flight miles and provides lifetime membership. Million Miler requires one million eligible flight miles and is also lifetime status.
Korean Air has also announced a new Morning Calm Select Club, scheduled to launch on October 28, 2026. It will sit between Morning Calm and Morning Calm Premium and provide SkyTeam Elite Plus status. The program is therefore in the middle of a significant membership update.
What Happens to Korean Air Asiana Miles?
The Korean Air Asiana miles integration is one of the biggest loyalty-program developments of 2026. Korean Air has confirmed that its mileage system and Asiana Club will begin integrated operation on December 17, 2026.
Existing Asiana Club miles will not immediately become SKYPASS miles.
Instead:
- Existing Asiana mileage will remain separately usable for 10 years after integration.
- Members can choose to convert their remaining Asiana balance into SKYPASS during that period.
- After the 10-year separate-operation period ends, remaining balances will be converted under the published rules.
The conversion ratio depends on how the Asiana miles were originally earned.
Published Asiana-to-SKYPASS Conversion Ratios
| Type of Asiana Mileage | Conversion to SKYPASS |
|---|---|
| Flight-earned Asiana miles | 100 → 100 SKYPASS miles |
| Partner-earned Asiana miles | 100 → 82 SKYPASS miles |
Korean Air states that choosing conversion ends the separate holding of those Asiana miles. Their existing expiration dates remain in place after conversion. This distinction matters enormously if you have a large Asiana balance earned through credit cards or other non-flight partners.
Do not convert automatically without first comparing what those miles can book under the separate Asiana redemption structure.
Is Korean Air SKYPASS Good for Award Travel?
Korean Air SKYPASS has several strengths:
- Published Korean Air award tables.
- Access to SkyTeam partner flights.
- Additional non-SkyTeam airline partners.
- Korean Air First and Prestige Class redemption opportunities.
- Family mileage features.
- A direct U.S. co-branded credit-card ecosystem.
But it also has limitations:
- Miles generally expire after 10 years.
- SkyTeam awards use round-trip pricing even for one-way bookings.
- Fuel surcharges and taxes can add meaningful cash costs.
- Family pooling does not apply to SkyTeam awards.
- Peak-season rules can increase or restrict certain awards.
The program therefore rewards travelers who check the rules before redeeming rather than simply booking the first award they find. For a broader comparison, Flightpoints Award Charts lets you examine award structures across loyalty programs before committing a large SKYPASS balance.
You can also read How to Book Award Flights Using Airline Points for a broader workflow on comparing programs, availability, and total award costs.
How to Use Korean Air SKYPASS More Effectively
A simple strategy can prevent wasted miles:
- Search before redeeming: Confirm that the award seat actually exists.
- Check peak dates: Korean Air awards can cost more during designated peak periods.
- Compare partner programs: A SkyTeam seat may cost fewer miles elsewhere.
- Calculate cash costs: Fuel surcharges can change the value of an award.
- Watch expiration dates: Older SKYPASS miles do not last indefinitely.
- Review Asiana conversion carefully: Flight-earned and partner-earned Asiana miles use different conversion ratios.
- Use family pooling selectively: It can help with eligible Korean Air and partner awards, but not SkyTeam awards.
Start your comparison with Flightpoints Search, then use the CPP Calculator before spending a large mileage balance.
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Get Flightpoints ProFAQs
Q: What is Korean Air SKYPASS?
A: Korean Air SKYPASS is Korean Air’s frequent flyer program. Members can earn miles through eligible Korean Air and partner flights, selected credit cards, and other partners before redeeming them for awards and upgrades.
Q: Is Korean Air SKYPASS membership free?
A: Yes. Travelers can register for SKYPASS through Korean Air’s website or mobile app without a membership fee.
Q: Do Korean Air SKYPASS miles expire?
A: Yes. Eligible miles earned from July 1, 2008 onward generally expire at the end of the tenth calendar year after they are earned.
Q: Can Korean Air SKYPASS book Delta Air Lines and other SkyTeam flights?
A: Yes. SKYPASS miles can book eligible SkyTeam partner awards when award inventory is available. Korean Air publishes a separate region-based SkyTeam award chart.
Q: Is there a Korean Air SKYPASS credit card in the United States?
A: Yes. U.S. Bank currently issues the SKYPASS Select Visa Signature, SKYPASS Visa Signature, SKYPASS SkyBlue Visa, and SKYPASS Visa Signature Business cards.
Q: Can family members combine Korean Air miles?
A: Eligible registered family members can pool mileage toward certain awards. Korean Air permits mileage from up to five registered family members, including the member, to be pooled where allowed. SkyTeam awards are excluded from Family Plan mileage pooling.
Q: What happens to Asiana miles after the Korean Air merger?
A: From December 17, 2026, existing Asiana miles will remain separately usable for up to 10 years or can be voluntarily converted into SKYPASS. Flight-earned miles convert 1:1, while partner-earned Asiana miles convert at 100:82 under the finalized plan.
