Korean Air to buy Asiana – Asiana to leave Star Alliance?
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
In the first major airline merger since covid appeared, Korean Air has announced a deal to buy its South Korean rival Asiana Airlines.
Subject to regulatory approvals, which are expected to take almost a year, the new combined group – to be known as Korean Air – will be one of the 10 largest global airlines.
Korean needs to raise the money to make the deal happen – it doesn’t have enough cash on hand – so a lot could still derail the transaction.
Very few countries are big enough to support more than one full service airline, however, so this is arguably a natural act of consolidation.
Korean Air is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Delta Air Lines of the US, the pivotal member of SkyTeam, is also a minority shareholder in Korean.
Given that Korean is leading this transaction and it is their brand which remains, it is hard to see a scenario under which Asiana remains in Star Alliance beyond 2021.
You can find out more on Routes Online here.
PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.
How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)
None of the Star Alliance airlines currently have a UK credit card.
There is, however, still a way to earn Star Alliance miles from a UK credit card.
The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to over 40 airlines at the rate of 3:1.
The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 airline miles per £1 spent on the card.
There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2 : 1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.
The Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners are: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.
You can apply here.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review
