Airbus A350-941 Asiana Airlines

3 Best Ways to Book Asiana Airlines Business Class

/ Asiana, Loyalty Programs / By

Asiana Airlines is a Star Alliance airline partner that flies under the radar. That’s also the case with its business class. Compared to its peer Star Alliance airline partners, there’s just not a ton of coverage on Asiana Airlines. However, that’s where the potential upside lies. Said another way, when every traveler focuses on popular airline loyalty programs like United Airlines MileagePlus, that leaves the door open to redeem miles in an otherwise obscure program like Asiana.

A major downside when flying Asiana Airlines business class, and its award flights in general, are high taxes and fees. Some Star Alliance airline partners like ANA Mileage Club and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles pass on these fees to their members. So, this translates to the traveler having to fork up not only the airline’s miles but a ton of cash upfront. The good news is that there are certain programs like Air Canada Aeroplan which do not pass on these high fees to their members.

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Credit Cards Points to Earn to Book Asiana Airlines

Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles are two of the best loyalty programs to use to book Asiana Airlines. Each charges a reasonable number of miles to fly Asiana Airlines business class between the US and Asia. In addition, each of these programs doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges which saves you a ton of money.

Amex, Capital One, and Marriott partner with Air Canada Aeroplan while Amex, Brex, Capital One, Citi, and Marriott partner with Avianca LifeMiles. This means the credit card points earned in these programs can be transferred to either Aeroplan or LifeMiles. Some of my favorite credit cards include the Amex Gold Card, Capital One Venture X Card, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.

Asiana Airlines Business Class Routes

Asiana Airlines currently flies nonstop between Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Los Angeles, New York–JFK, San Francisco, and Seattle/Tacoma. On these routes, you can fly a mixture of Asiana airlines business class 777 or Asiana airlines business class a350.

Asiana Airlines Business Class Travel Dates

The following dates show availability for at least two travelers:

Los Angeles (LAX)> Seoul (ICN)

  • Jul: 30
  • Aug: 30, 31
  • Sep: 5, 6, 21, 22

Seoul (ICN) > Los Angeles (LAX)

  • Oct: 11

New York (JFK) > Seoul (ICN)

  • Sep: 21, 28

San Francisco (SFO) > Seoul (ICN)

  • Aug: 3, 21, 23, 31
  • Sep: 6, 7, 25, 27, 28
  • Oct: 11

Seoul (ICN) > San Francisco (SFO)

  • Sep: 13
  • Oct: 5, 11, 12

Seattle/Tacoma (SEA) > Seoul (ICN)

  • Aug: 8, 9, 26-31
  • Sep: 1, 6, 8, 9, 18-20, 22, 24-30
  • Oct: 4-6, 10-13

Seoul (ICN) > Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)

  • Sep: 13
  • Oct: 5, 11, 12

How to Book Asiana Airlines with Points

  • *Air Canada Aeroplan: 75,000 miles
  • ANA Mileage Club: 95,000 miles (round-trip required)
  • Asiana Club: 60,000 miles
  • *Avianca LifeMiles: 75,000 miles
  • Etihad Guest: 59,000 miles (SEA); 88,000 miles (JFK)
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: 115,000 miles
  • Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles: 67,500 miles
  • *United Airlines MileagePlus: 88,000 miles

*no fuel surcharges

Fuel surcharges are steep when flying Asiana Airlines so choosing airline loyalty programs that do not pass on fuel surcharges is key. Sure, ANA Mileage Club requires 95,000 miles round-trip. However, you also need to pay nearly $500 in taxes and fees. No thanks! Instead, you can pay more miles with Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, or Untied Airlines MileagePlus and pay much lower taxes and fees.

Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles at 75,000 miles are the winners for me. You pay lower taxes and fees compared to the other loyalty programs and the number of miles required is reasonable.

If your goal is to redeem the least number of miles, ANA Mileage Club at 95,000 miles round-trip followed by Etihad Guest at 59,000-88,000 miles and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles at 67,500 miles is the way to go. Keep in mind the taxes and fees can be up to $500.

When you’ve narrowed down your flight options, follow these steps to book an award flight:

  • Go to united.com and select “Advanced Search”
  • Select to show the price in “Miles”
  • Input your origin and destination airports
  • Select “Nonstop” flights only
  • Choose “Flexible Dates” and a starting month
  • Enter the number of passengers
  • Select “Business Class”
  • Run the award search and confirm you are not logged into your account
  • If booking with another Star Alliance partner, search on that partner’s website to confirm the awrad space
  • Transfer points to another program if necessary
  • Log into your respective airline loyalty account
  • Run the search again to confirm the award space
  • Complete the reservation

If you’re booking an award flight with Etihad, you need to call Etihad at 877-690-0767 to complete the reservation.

Asiana Airlines Transfer Partners

Asiana Airlines Business Class FAQs

Is Asiana a good airlines?

Asiana Airlines is a certified 5-Star Airline per SkyTraxRatings. This rating is based upon an evaluation of all areas of Asiana Airlines airport and onboard product and the staff service.

What’s the best business class airline?

Check out the Asiana Airlines business class review and this review to determine how Asiana stacks up against the competition.

Does Asiana Air have premium economy?

Yep! It’s called Economy Smartium.

What amenities do you get in business class?

Check out this page for all of the amenities offered, including the Asiana airlines business class seats and Asiana airlines business class menu.

Conclusion on Asiana Airlines Business Class

While there are many ways to fly between the US and Asia, Asiana Airlines business class can be a great way to fly. Due to Asiana Airlines being the in Star Alliance, it’s relatively easy to book this flight with a Star Alliance partner. One improvement that would be great to see is if Asiana Airlines was added as a transfer partner to more credit card programs. This would help you to earn Asiana miles that can be redeemed to book award flights in its program.

So, what do you think about Asiana Airlines business class? What other business class flights do you like to book? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.

Disclaimer: If you click and/or sign up for a credit card through certain links on this site or any of my related social media platforms, I may make a commission from that click-through.  The editorial content on this page and the user comments are not provided by any of the companies mentioned and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.

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