Reader Comment: Korean Air SKYPASS “Family Program” Denies Unmarried Partner Joining

Today we have a comment from one of our readers who isn’t very happy with the Korean Air SKYPASS program and the way the airline is handling their members family account (if you want to call it that).

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SKYPASS has, like many other programs, the ability to register family members to pool miles but Korean Air takes it to the extreme as far as the requirements and proof of relationship are concerned.

I have never looked at this before as I consider the SKYPASS a rather weak program that isn’t exactly suitable for my travel needs, even as a regular visitor to Korea but I’m surprised the reader experienced such problems.

Here is the email I received:

I’m a longtime reader living in South Korea, traveling frequently to Los Angeles. I collected Asiana miles for over a decade but with them merging to Korean Air I wanted to sign up for their program, especially as Korean Air has a wider selection of destinations.

After a few flights, I wanted to sign up my spouse, who only flies once or twice a year, to the family pooling. At least I thought I would be able to do that.

Korean Air declined the sign-up, saying  you have to be married to be considered family. That’s crazy to me, why do I have to be married? We have joined bank accounts and are basically common-law partners.

I attached the email I received from Skypass, still furious.

Do other programs handle it the same way?

-Christine

I’m not surprised at all about this. Japanese and Korean frequent flyer programs are complicated as far as the rules for partner pooling are concerned.

Apparently, Korean Air strictly controls the option to add someone to the family account.

You can access their website here to read up on the exact requirements.

They even published a family tree to showcase who can be put into the family group:

The problem is that you can’t just add the accounts of the people you deem eligible under this graphic. You have to submit documentary evidence proving your relationship.

Korea or Koren Air lives well behind the times here. That partners don’t get married anymore is a totally common occurrence, even more so in Korea. So they demand a marriage certificate; otherwise, your significant other isn’t your spouse? Ridiculous.

If mileage pooling is an option the reader requires for the FFP, then I’d have a look at other programs, such as British Airways. However, after the devaluation, it’s not very useful anymore. BA did not require any evidence. Korea is also not a great place to use oneworld airlines, except maybe JAL and connecting in Tokyo.

Another option would be to check for the requirements of ANA Mileage Club or Japan Airlines Mileage Bank which both have family accounts and then simply vote with your wallet.

Conclusion

Our reader tried to sign up for a Korean Air SKYPASS family account but the company denied her to add her partner to the account because they aren’t married.

According to the rules of the program there needs to be documentary evidence and Korean Air requested a marriage certificate. I think someone should tell KE that it’s 2025 and marriage isn’t the only form of partnership anymore. It’s not uncommon to live together and even have children without being married.

Both the Korean Air Skypass and Aaiana Club programs are extremely archaic. The websites are horrendously complicated and the rules totally unreasonable. Typica for Korea really and Japan isn’t far behind which anyone who has ever lived in either of the two countries can attest to.

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