'Consumers have no way to verify bonus seat supply or ratios'

'Mileage validity extensions needed to offset consumer losses'

People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek questions officials at a National Assembly standing committee hearing. [Provided by Kwak Gyu-taek's office]
People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek questions officials at a National Assembly standing committee hearing. [Provided by Kwak Gyu-taek's office]

Following the Korea Fair Trade Commission's approval of Korean Air's plan to integrate Asiana Airlines' mileage program, People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek of Busan's Seo-gu and Dong-gu said "what matters is whether consumers can actually use their mileage on the routes and at the times they want," calling for "effective management standards and strong sanctions to prevent consumer harm after the integrated Korean Air launches."

Kwak issued a press release Wednesday saying that "merging two major carriers will inevitably bring significant changes to the competitive landscape over fares, seats, service and mileage benefits," and urged authorities to "rigorously oversee whether any post-merger changes prove unfavorable to consumers."

He said consumers have no way to verify "how many bonus seats will actually be provided or what percentage of total seats they represent, even as the airline promises to supply sufficient bonus seats on popular long-haul routes." The Fair Trade Commission required Korean Air to maintain bonus seat availability above a certain level on popular long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe and Oceania, but has not disclosed the specific supply figures or ratios.

On the dedicated mileage flights planned for peak seasons and popular routes, Kwak said "clear implementation standards are needed — including mandatory additional supply when mileage seat shortages persist on specific popular routes or when supply benchmarks are not met." He also said the 1-to-0.82 conversion ratio applied to partner mileage "must be fully explained to consumers, including the basis for the calculation and the verification process, given that the number of miles decreases during conversion."

Meanwhile, the Fair Trade Commission approved Korean Air's mileage integration plan with Asiana Airlines on Monday after deliberation by its full commission. Under the plan, mileage accumulated with Asiana Airlines can be used as-is with the integrated Korean Air for the next 10 years.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com