Trying to purchase tickets with Korean Air mileage has become quite frustrating.

Before the pandemic, if you were a bit diligent and waited, you could somehow get tickets, but these days, the system has changed, the redemption criteria have increased, and the number of available seats has decreased, leading to the thought, "Why is it so tough to fly with mileage?"

Especially for long-haul routes like round trips to the U.S., competition is fierce, and during peak seasons, it feels like a war. Even after clicking multiple times, the mileage deduction displays high numbers, making it hard to secure a reservation. It's an era where having mileage doesn't guarantee easy usage.

One major change is the deduction rate. Korean Air has strengthened a structure that moves flexibly based on fuel taxes, seasons, and route demand, rather than a fixed deduction like before, leading to significant mileage differences depending on the date for the same round trip. Previously, a round trip from Incheon to LA for 80,000 to 90,000 miles was not bad, but now it feels like you need much more to secure a good date.

When fuel surcharges are added, it often leads to cash expenditures that make you question, "Is this really what it feels like to use mileage?" So, it's not just about having miles; you also need the right date, time, and luck to secure a seat.

Another tough point is the timing of seat openings. Unlike before, when multiple seats would be released at a set time, now they are often released randomly or not at all until the last moment.

Especially first-class seats are as rare as finding a star in the sky, and business class seats disappear quickly during peak seasons in the first and second halves of the year. This is why you need to check the opening dates early in the morning and adjust your schedule accordingly.

The problem is that passengers feel a significant sense of relative deprivation. You accumulate miles diligently, but when you try to use them, there are no available seats, and even if there are, the deduction rates have increased so much that there is little difference from cash purchases.

As a result, there are even sayings in communities that 'using miles is harder than accumulating them.' The dream of someday flying business class by saving up miles feels like it has to be abandoned.

Nevertheless, mileage has not completely lost its value. If you target the off-peak season well, you can still use it at a good cost-performance ratio, and there are still ways to book through partner airlines. Sometimes unexpected deals pop up on routes to Europe or Southeast Asia. However, it is no longer an era where 'just accumulating miles is enough'; it has changed to a time where 'strategic management is necessary to use them.'

Ultimately, the reason Korean Air mileage redemption has become so tough is simple. Demand has increased while supply has decreased. From the airline's perspective, increasing paying customers is more profitable, so there is no reason to release plenty of mileage seats.

Additionally, the reduction of large aircraft like the A380, the decrease in first-class seats, and the explosive demand for certain routes have all contributed to the increasing difficulty of mileage redemption.

It has become necessary to keep all possibilities open, such as date flexibility, adjusting departure days, utilizing one-way tickets, stopovers, and transiting through third countries.

Now, it is a fact that you cannot easily obtain the desired tickets by simply accumulating miles thoughtlessly like before. It seems we have entered an era where you need to have 'spending skills' to make the most of your miles.