There are some award redemptions that just seem too good to be true, and this is definitely one of them. It has been around for years, and in this post I wanted to look at it in a bit more detail.
Continue reading: The World’s Cheapest Longhaul Business Class Award Redemption
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
OK airline is now cancelling the PRG-ICN flight
The aircraft will be returned to KE
KE was a major share holder in OK airline however sold its shares a few months ago.
So if you plan on using this better do this fast
@ Daniel -- Interesting, hadn't heard that. Do you have a source you can share?
I flew this in March. The plane’s interior is really, really run down. Not luxurious at all. The IFE was broken, too. The only advantage is that you get a flat seat.
From the trip report - that’s literally a KE plane through and through. The entertainment is “beyond” which is the Korean Air software name. Literally the exact same. KE did buy a 40%? Stake in Czech Air......
@Lucky, I think there is one deal that is even better - redeeming TK miles for UA EWR-HNL, 20k miles one-way in Business/First. And to make it even better, there are no fuel surcharges
@Daniel - the lease was extended until 2020 last year, Czech media hasn't reported anything about the lease ending despite KE selling its shares in OK. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually extended it even further, as the route is very profitable for OK.
Inspite of the low redemption,th CZ C product is not that great..if you want a flat bed and no huge expectation of a great C service..than go for it.. otherwise save your miles for a better C product..
KE operates this route 4 times a week. CSA fills in the gaps on the off days, except Saturday when both airlines fly the route. That's a heck of a lot of capacity between these two cities...I can't imagine PDEW is that high.
Too bad if that's going away. Essentially it seems like an economy class redemption in price with a lie-flat and upgraded mediocre catering. I'd fly it.
Great post! I’m super interested in these types of routes if anyone can think of others. I have some time off work so am looking for some new places to visit. So far looking at the Dakar iAd route using virgin miles (possibly also the return first class on Ana redemption on va too).
Also thinking etihad or Iberia redemption on air Maroc.
Thanks for the post. Love reading about super low redemption options as some os us don’t swim in miles!
PRG-ICN is a curious case, mostly to do with KE's large stake in CSA Czech Airlines. At one point it seemed that KE would make Prague their European hub, which would explain the daily nonstop, with double-daily Saturdays, as noted by CR. Korean even flies 747s on this route in high season. It's no accident that Prague airport is actually also signposted in Korean – an otherwise odd choice for a smaller European airport.
I flew this A330 in business class on a short presentation flight when the aircraft was introduced. Livery aside, this is a KE plane, albeit registered in CZ. Korean even provides some maintenance for it, whereas OK provides their own crews, catering and have customized the IFE system a bit.
In answer to the last post, the answer is Serbia but not quite sure the relevance to this article.
@Mick: were you referring to Moroccan Air using Iberian Air points? Would that be a USA to Morocco route?
@Karl: was that Turkish Air operated by United Newark to Honolulu?
Flew OK191 ICN-PRG two weeks ago. It was a nice flight. Yeah the interior is on the old side, but the seat was comfy, IFE suprised me with new Hollywood movies and Korean movies. The food was good like the bulgogi, besides the chicken dish, its just okay skip it, luckily I ate my partner's food since she wasn't hungry.
The service on CSA is lovely, kept on wanting to get me anythijg from snacks to drinks 😉
Whenever going to the bathroom they asked if I needed anything. Very lovely crew and loved talking with them. The bathroom was also clean. I didn't have high expectations, but I was surprised on the service and food.
I would fly again
CSA actually refreshed the business class cabin, same 2-2-2 configuration, but the seat fabric was changed into CSA colours and the cabin recarpeted. The IFE is also new from what I've seen.
The Czech Republic is actually in Central Europe for future reference.
@patrick Oh, it would be using Iberia or etihad miles (gained using Citi thank you, Amex or other points) to book a seat on air maroc. This is a good outline of the process and Flight.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/thepointsguy.com/2016/08/royal-air-maroc-787-business-class-review/amp/
You can combine that with LOT Polish either from NRT, ICN or SIN on one of the legs.
Would make for an interesting review since you haven't flown with them in forever.
I believe that the reason for the existence of the route is that there is a large Korean-owned car factory (and hence suppliers' factories) near Prague.
@Bagoly: There's a Hyundai plant at Nošovice, some 3 hours' train ride from Prague, and then there's a KIA plant in Žilina, Slovakia, just across the border. In both cases it's not just the assembly line, but also much of the supply chain. Originally there was talk about large-scale Korean investment in infrastructure and the technological sector, but much of that doesn't seem to have come to fruition.