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Asiana’s Seattle to Seoul flights become Korean Air flights on October 12, more than two months before the two airlines formally merge on December 17.
OZ272 and OZ271 become KE047 and KE048, and Seattle service rises from 12 weekly flights to 14. If Seattle is where your trip starts or ends, our guide to things to do in Seattle covers the city between flights.
- From October 12: Asiana OZ272 and OZ271 operate as Korean Air KE047 and KE048.
- Frequency: Seoul Incheon to Seattle rises from 12 to 14 flights a week.
- Merger date: December 17, 2026, when Korean Air and Asiana fully integrate.
- Booking migration: Phased from November 2 to December 3, moving OZ bookings to KE numbers.
- Aircraft: Boeing 787 on all four Seattle rotations.
What Changes on October 12
AeroRoutes published the filed schedule on September 17. Asiana’s OZ272 and OZ271 become Korean Air KE047 and KE048 from October 12, and the latest filing extends those flight numbers past the merger rather than stopping them on December 15 as previously loaded.
The full Seattle timetable is four rotations on Boeing 787s. KE041 leaves Incheon at 16:10 and reaches Seattle at 19:05. KE047 leaves at 21:20 and arrives at 14:10. Coming back, KE048 departs Seattle at 00:10 and lands in Incheon at 05:20 the next day, and KE042 departs at 11:00 and arrives at 15:55 the next day.
Nothing about the aircraft, the times or the airports changes. What changes is the code on your ticket, and that is enough to matter at check-in and in a booking search.
Seattle Goes Before the Merger Does
This is the part worth understanding. Seoul to Seattle becomes the second US route Korean Air operates under KE codes only, and it makes that switch on October 12, while the merger itself is December 17.
That is a two-month gap, and it means Seattle passengers experience the consolidation before almost anyone else. The route is effectively the test case for how the combined airline handles a single code on a market both carriers served.
For a traveler, the practical reading is that you should not wait for December to check your booking. The change reaches Seattle first.
Twelve Weekly Flights Become Fourteen
Consolidation usually means less. Here it means more: Seattle to Seoul goes from 12 weekly flights to 14.
Two extra weekly departures on a long-haul route is a meaningful capacity addition, and it tells you the combined airline is not treating overlapping US routes as duplication to be trimmed. At least on this one, the merged schedule is bigger than the sum it replaces.
Korean Air has been building out Seattle in other ways too. We covered it when Delta and Korean Air extended seamless baggage transfers to Seattle.
The Booking Migration Starts November 2
The Korea JoongAng Daily reported on September 14 that Korean Air will move Asiana reservations into its own system in phases from November 2 through December 3.
Asiana passengers will be rebooked under Korean Air flight numbers, with the OZ code replaced by KE. That migration applies to existing Asiana bookings for flights departing on or after December 17.
Note the mismatch. The Seattle flight numbers change on October 12, but the general booking migration does not begin until November 2 and covers departures from December 17. If you hold an OZ ticket for Seattle travel between those dates, you are in the gap, and it is worth confirming your booking rather than assuming the system has caught up.
Asiana shareholders approved the merger in August, closing out an acquisition process that ran for nearly six years.
What to Do If You Hold an Asiana Ticket
Pull up your reservation and look at the flight number. If it still says OZ272 or OZ271 for travel on or after October 12, that flight will be operating as KE047 or KE048.
Check that your frequent flyer number, seat assignment and any special requests have carried across when the record changes, because those are the things that most often fail to follow a rebooking between systems.
If you are booking fresh for Seattle to Seoul after October 12, search Korean Air rather than Asiana. And if you are connecting beyond Incheon, confirm the onward segment separately; a code change on the transpacific leg does not guarantee the connection was rebuilt cleanly. For where to stay either side of a long flight, our Seattle neighbourhood guide covers the airport end as well as downtown.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Hold OZ272 or OZ271 after October 12 | It operates as KE047 or KE048. Confirm the record moved cleanly. |
| Are booking Seattle to Seoul now | Search Korean Air. Fourteen weekly flights from October 12. |
| Are connecting beyond Incheon | Check the onward segment separately after any renumbering. |
| Have an Asiana ticket for December 17 or later | The booking migration runs November 2 to December 3. Recheck after. |
| Care about the aircraft or times | Neither changes. Boeing 787s on the same four rotations. |
October 12, not December 17. Seattle’s flight numbers change two months before the merger closes.
Capacity goes up. Twelve weekly flights become fourteen.
Mind the gap. The booking migration starts November 2 and covers departures from December 17.
When do Asiana Seattle flights become Korean Air?
October 12, 2026. OZ272 and OZ271 operate as Korean Air KE047 and KE048 from that date.
When do Korean Air and Asiana merge?
December 17, 2026. Asiana shareholders approved the merger in August, ending an acquisition process of nearly six years.
What happens to my existing Asiana booking?
Korean Air is migrating Asiana reservations in phases from November 2 to December 3, replacing OZ flight numbers with KE for departures on or after December 17.
How many Seattle to Seoul flights are there?
Fourteen a week from October 12, up from twelve, all on Boeing 787s.
Do the flight times change?
No. The aircraft, times and airports stay the same. Only the flight numbers change.
