South Korea tops the best destination chart on many travelers’ bucket lists. Given its unique culture, delicious street food, and, of course, not forgetting the popularity of K-pop music and TV dramas. The good thing is that the country is easy to travel to and from many ends of the world, especially the United States. Major airlines like Delta, Asiana Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, etc allow you to fly to South Korea with points, making travel affordable and enjoyable!
Consider using your accumulated points for international travel rewards (points or miles). You can easily redeem these points for flights to South Korea on various airlines, including Korean Air (using their “Skypass” miles program) or even Alaska Airlines miles. So, it makes this destination a great value for reward travel. Let’s find out what you must know before booking an award fight in this vibrant country.
Miles Or Points Required To Fly To South Korea
The significant number of miles and points you need to travel to South Korea varies based on factors such as when you want to travel, whether you want a standard economy seat or premium business class cabin, how many layovers you are willing to have, and the loyalty program you are using to redeem points. Generally speaking, you will need roughly 50,000 points to book an economy seat and around 80,000 points or more for business-class seats on a one-way flight route.
Prime Time To A Trip To South Korea!
The best time to book your flight tickets for South Korea is right after when the award seats availability are released. If you are planning on flying in premium cabins, then you must promptly purchase the flights, as these seats are sold out immediately due to extremely high demand. Ideally, you must purchase the flight around 11-12 months in advance because flights to Asia, especially to Seoul’s Incheon airport, are highly sought after, and the best seats will be snapped up quickly.
The period of booking in advance and other mentioned things vary according to the chosen airline. In this scenario, the best strategy would be to analyze your airline’s thoroughly to grab the best deal. For instance, Delta usually has stable prices throughout the year, but they are very expensive (tickets can cost you around 300,000 miles for a one-way flight). On the other hand, United Airlines offers cheaper reward flight rates when you are relatively close to the departure date. However, this is not as predictable as it once was due to a high demand for flights.
Therefore, you must gather as much information as you can to know when your selected airline makes award flights public to travelers to ensure you don’t miss out on the best-priced fares. You can set up alerts on fare calendars, sign up on the fare comparison website, etc.
Nonstop Flight Options Between the U.S. and South Korea!
Compared to other East Asian countries, South Korea is physically close to the United States, after Japan. In fact, it is also an important hub for business activities for many US residents. So, reaching the destination in time is the prime concern here. Luckily, there are many airlines that offer nonstop flights to South Korea with points. From the United States, you can hop on nonstop flights to Seoul from more than ten airports, such as Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK), Seattle (SEA), and Honolulu (HNL).
Flights on these routes are mostly operated by South Korea’s two largest airlines, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air. Recently, the latter has bought Asiana Airlines, which means that both are now one carrier. In addition to this, many US airlines also offer flights on these routes, such as Delta, United, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Airlines and Alliances Operating Flights To South Korea
Our guide to booking flights to South Korea with points primarily focuses on the Star Alliance and SkyTeam airline alliances, as the two prominent Korean airlines, Asiana (part of Star Alliance) and Korean Air (part of SkyTeam), are heavily discussed in the following information. While you will notice Oneworld, the third major alliance, is very less represented in this guide.
Here’s a list of all the carriers that provide you with nonstop flights between the United States and Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, South Korea.
| Airline Name | Nonstop Korean Route | Flight Duration |
| Delta Air Lines | Minneapolis (MSP) – Seoul (ICN) | 14 hours and 11 minutes |
| Seattle (SEA) – Seoul (ICN) | 11 hours and 55 minutes | |
| Atlanta (ATL) – Seoul (ICN) | 16 hours and 05 minutes | |
| Detroit (DTW) – Seoul (ICN) | 15 hours and 14 minutes | |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) – Seoul (ICN) | – | |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Honolulu (HNL) – Seoul (ICN) | 11 hours and 10 minutes |
Korean Air | Honolulu (HNL) – Seoul (ICN) | 11 hours and 10 minutes |
| Seattle (SEA) – Seoul (ICN) | 11 hours and 48 minutes | |
| San Francisco (SFO) – Seoul (ICN) | 12 hours and 27 minutes | |
| Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN) | 13 hours and 20 minutes | |
| Las Vegas (LAS) – Seoul (ICN) | 13 hours and 30 minutes | |
| New York City (JFK) – Seoul (ICN) | 15 hours and 40 minutes | |
| Chicago (ORD) – Seoul (ICN) | 14 hours and 50 minutes | |
| Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) – Seoul (ICN) | 15 hours and 18 minutes | |
| Atlanta (ATL) – Seoul (ICN) | 16 hours and 05 minutes | |
| Boston (BOS) – Seoul (ICN) | 15 hours and 30 minutes | |
| Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Seoul (ICN) | 15 hours and 25 minutes | |
| United Airlines | San Francisco (SFO) – Seoul (ICN) | 12 hours and 55 minutes |
| Air Premia | Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN) | 13 hours and 20 minutes |
| New York City (JFK) – Seoul (ICN) | 15 hours and 40 minutes | |
| San Francisco (SFO) – Seoul (ICN) | 12 hours and 30 minutes |
Choosing The Right Frequent Flyer Programs For Flights to Korea
Now that you have checked out all the airlines and alliances that offer nonstop flights, you can move forward and go through the most suitable loyalty programs for your flight to South Korea on points and miles. Not every airline’s loyalty program is curated the same; some are better suited for this goal than others. Therefore, we have highlighted all the best options we have found for flying to South Korea using points and miles.
Delta SkyMiles
Unlike other airlines, Delta’s SkyMiles loyalty program does not have a fixed award chart that shows how many miles are needed for each flight. It is still easy to check the flight availability on its website. You just have to provide inputs like desired travel dates, origin, and destination and see how many miles it would cost to book that specific flight.
Keep in mind that the availability of award flights can vary according to the provided travel details. However, booking your flight in advance can lead to spending significantly fewer miles. For instance, you can get a round-trip of the best award flight from NYC to Seoul South Korea, on Delta SkyMiles can cost around 80,000 miles for economy class, 140,000 miles for business class, and 180,000 miles for first class if booked well in advance.
If you are departing from Seattle to Seoul, you can get the round-trip nonstop flight by spending just 120,000 SkyMiles for 2025 spring. Additionally, this can cost you even cheaper if you possess a Delta SkyMiles credit card. What’s interesting is that adding 12,000 additional miles to your spending can get you a Comfort+ seat. It is an excellent offer for international Comfort+, as you will get more legroom, a private overhead compartment, complimentary beverages (including alcohol), snacks, and a specially curated amenity kit.
Using Delta SkyMiles to purchase economy or Comfort+ flights to South Korea with points is worth it. However, we would not recommend using this strategy for business class tickets to Asia, as the mileage redemption is very high and can be equally expensive as purchasing flights with cash. Strictly avoid premium cabins for such flights, especially when traveling during the busy season.
United MileagePlan
Similar to Delta, United Airlines does not have an award chart. However, it does have a dynamic pricing strategy. Simply put, award tickets can be expensive or cheaper based on varied demands and other factors. The most expensive award ticket can be Polaris Business Class, which can be worth 200,000 miles for each part of the flight.
Using your United Mileage plan for purchasing flights to South Korea with points or miles can be a good option. This is because it allows you to redeem your accumulated miles on various Star Alliance partner airlines that offer U.S. – South Korea routes with competitive pricing and added benefits. In a way, this option can potentially be a cost-effective decision for your upcoming journey.
United Airlines is different from other Star Alliance airlines in that it does not charge fuel surcharges for award flights. This, in turn, helps you save significant money on your trip to the southern part of Korea.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
We highly recommend choosing the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club loyalty program, as it enables its members to use their accumulated points for cheap flights on SkyTeam partner airlines (Korean Air). This makes it possible for you to get a roundtrip with economy seats from Los Angeles to Seoul worth only 62,000 points, which we think is a great deal, especially in comparison to other loyalty programs. For instance, it is half the amount of the Delta SkyMiles award flights.
In addition, earning points with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is easier compared to a wide variety of popular credit card rewards, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and others. Simply put, it is considered one of the most accessible travel reward programs for accumulating points for award flights.
The important feature to note is that it allows its members to transfer points from their credit card program to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. You can earn a large number of points quickly!
ANA Mileage Club
The All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a top pick for booking flights to South Korea with points, as its Mileage Club loyalty program has a straightforward zone-wise pricing system for partner airlines. You can pay a set price for flights between designated zones. However, just like any other program, this also has one key limitation: you can only redeem miles for round-trip flights on ANA and often have to pay additional fuel charges when flying on most partner airlines.
In this loyalty program, South Korea is in Zone 2, and North America is in Zone 6. You can grab the best award flight from NYC to Seoul, South Korea, for just 60,000 miles roundtrip in economy flights. The same goes for other origin cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Since ANA is a proud member of the Star Alliance network, you can purchase flights on various airlines to reach Seoul, such as Asiana Airlines and United Airlines. You can basically use any Star Alliance member airline to reach a city in South Korea. However, flying with ANA to Seoul might also lead to a connecting flight in between your journey.
As we have mentioned, the cost of booking award flights with ANA Mileage Club depends on which zone your departure and destination fall into. There are different mileage requirements for flights between different zones. Additionally, the airline considers the time of year (seasonality) when pricing flights. Fortunately, this factor does not apply when redeeming miles for their partner airlines.
| Travel Classes | Miles Required for Award Tickets |
| Economy | 60,000 |
| Business | 130,000 |
| First Class | 204,000 |
Korean Airlines Frequent Flyer Program
Finally, one of the best loyalty programs to book flights to South Korea with points is the Korean Air Skypass. It allows passengers to earn rewards and free flights by accumulating miles when they fly with Korean Air affiliated airlines or other SkyTeam alliance airlines, such as Delta, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic.
The SkyPass mileage card uses multiple award charts to set flight costs, including one for Korean Air flights and another for SkyTeam flights. The award charts also differentiate between peak and off-peak travel dates, with fewer miles required for off-peak travel.
The following is the Korean Air Miles redemption chart for using miles to book between the United States and Korea:
| Travel Season | Economy Class | Business Class | First Class |
| Off Peak Season | 35,000 | 62,500 | 80,000 |
| Peak Season | 52,500 | 92,500 | 120,000 |
By signing up for Korean Airlines perks, you can make great redemptions, such as the following:
- Atlanta (ATL) – Seoul (ICN) – 62,500 miles
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN) – 80,000 miles
- New York (JFK) – Seoul (ICN) – 160,000 miles
- Seattle (SEA) – Seoul (ICN) – 62,500 miles
Which Credit Card Transfers To Korean Air?
Collecting points on Korean Air Skypass is quite challenging because the only other loyalty program you can transfer points from is Marriott Bonvoy. Even when you use this service, you only get 1 Korean Air mile for every 3 Marriott points you transfer. In simple terms, it is hard to earn miles on Korean Air compared to other airline programs mentioned on this page. This is because you get very limited options for transferring points from other programs. The following points will provide an explanation of why:
- Korean Air does not partner with major credit card points programs. Therefore, it doesn’t have many co-branded credit cards.
- You can only use Marriott points with Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.
- You can transfer Marriott points to Korean Air. However, you cannot transfer them back to your Marriott account.
How To Add A Past Trip To KoreanAir?
If you want to add a past trip to your Korean Air SkyPass account, log in to your account on the airline’s official website. On the homepage, navigate to the “My Mileage” section and find an option to “Add Past Flight.” Here, you can manually enter your flight details, such as booking number, date, and airline, to claim mileage for a previous trip you took. Make sure you have your boarding pass and itinerary details ready for account information.
In Conclusion
While purchasing flight tickets with cash to fly to Asia can be very costly, you can save money by booking flights to South Korea with points and accumulated miles. Choosing award flights over cash fare can be significantly cheaper if you smartly select the right loyalty program and time of travel. Luckily, there are various airlines that provide direct flights between Seoul and major US airports, making it convenient to travel there using award flights.
This informative blog discussed the various loyalty programs that allow you to book award flights to South Korea. Many of the mentioned programs are a part of the “Star Alliance” network (a group of airlines that let you use your hard-earned miles on any member airline). That way, you can score great deals on partner award flights compared to other options.
Questions You Might Have:
No. You cannot transfer Chase points for Korean Air flights, as the airline is not a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.
Find the “My Mileage” section on Korean Air’s website, select the “Add Past Flight” options, and add your past flight details manually on the page.
Yes, Korean Air has partnerships with Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, and others.
The Korean Air Mileage needed for an upgrade depends on the travel class and flight duration.
It will take you around 80,000 Delta SkyMiles for a roundtrip economy class ticket to book an award flight to Korea.
Korean Air travelers can transfer points to only Marriott Bonvoy with a 3:1 transfer ratio.
The best credit card to travel to South Korea would be one with no foreign transaction fee and good travel rewards, such as Chase Sapphire Preferred or Capital One Venture Rewards.
During an off-peak season, you might require 125,000 points to upgrade from economy to business class and 185,000 points during peak seasons.
The best way to travel to South Korea is by booking a direct flight to Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul. Many US airlines service this route.
No. You can’t transfer Delta points to Korean Air directly, but you can use Delta miles to book Korean Air flights. Both are members of the SkyTeam alliance.
Many major airlines offer direct routes to South Korea, such as Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and others.
South Korea is relatively affordable to travel to as compared to other developed countries.
