The Complete Guide to Air France-KLM Flying Blue Loyalty Program

Flying Blue was born of the 2004 corporate merger of European carriers Air France and KLM, which previously had their own separate programs. Flying Blue is officially the frequent flier program for Air France, KLM, and Transavia and is also the only program used by Romania’s flag carrier TAROM, and Aircalin, the airline of New Caledonia. 

In addition to these airlines, Flying Blue members can earn and redeem miles on SkyTeam member carriers and a number of non-air partners, including the ability to transfer points from almost every major credit card program. That’s where Flying Blue gets a great deal of value–from the ability to earn miles without flying and from the ease of earning elite status.

point.me has rated Flying Blue the world’s best airline rewards program, giving it top rating in seven out of nine parameters. Flying Blue was noted for ease of earning miles, redemption rates, availability on partner airlines, ease of booking, and routing rules. 

Overview of Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Like many programs, Flying Blue awards points for flights based on how many euros were spent on the fare. Explorer members earn 4 miles per euro spent, and the multiplier increases with each elite status tier, up to 8 miles per euro spent for Platinum members. 

Extraordinarily among airline programs, Flying Blue awards tier status by the accrual of XP, which are points based on the length of the flight and the class of service, regardless of fare. International short-haul flights earn more XP than domestic flights, regardless of the distance flown. So there’s an earning advantage to flying internationally. XP can only be earned on Air France/KLM, SkyTeam partners, Transavia, or Aircalin flights.

Credit card transfer partners of Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is notable for the ability to transfer currency from every credit card loyalty points program, including: 

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Capital One Miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Rewards
• Wells Fargo Rewards

Airline partners of Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue has more than 30 airline redemption partners, expanding the reach of members’ miles. Point.me rates the program highly, both for availability and affordability of partner awards. 

SkyTeam partners

Each SkyTeam member can be booked with Flying Blue miles, including the following: 

• Aerolineas Argentinas
• Aeromexico
• Air Europa
• Air France
• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• Delta Air Lines
• Garuda Indonesia
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Middle East Airlines
• SAS
• Saudia
• TAROM
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic 
• Xiamen Air

Other partners

Flying Blue also allows redemptions on the following non-SkyTeam airlines: 

• Air Baltic
• Aircalin
• Air Corsica
• Air Mauritius
• Bangkok Airways
• Chalair Aviation
• China Southern
• Copa Airlines
• El Al
• Etihad
• GOL
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air
• Qantas
• TwinJet
• WestJet

What we love about Air France-KLM Flying Blue

There’s a lot to love about Flying Blue. Here are some of the top reasons we love this program so much:

• Easy to earn miles: Flying Blue has a wealth of SkyTeam partners to earn miles on and one of the most generous stables of transfer program partnerships (virtually all of them). 
• Great redemptions: Flying Blue is also good with award availability. Keep an eye out for Promo Rewards, which offer discounted redemptions in a set number of routes each month.
• Great availability on partner airlines: Partner redemptions can vary, but they are generous overall and not limited to SkyTeam. For example, across the Pacific, where Air France and KLM are limited, you can redeem miles with Oneworld member Japan Airlines.
• Easy to book award flights: Whether you’re booking through the Air France website or KLM’s, award booking is pretty straightforward.
• Flexible routing and traveler-friendly routing rules: With stopovers allowed and circuitous routings not suppressed (it’s a long way from Los Angeles to Singapore via Paris), there are plenty of good redemption options.
• Good customer service: Flying Blue generally has helpful agents who are knowledgeable about the terms of the program.

What we don’t love about Air France-KLM Flying Blue

There are just a couple of things about Flying Blue that could be improved: 

• There’s a 70 euro change/cancellation fee for all but top-tier elite members. This is on par with programs that change, but Flying Blue could go the extra mile and offer these free, as some programs do. 
• La Premiere redemptions are limited to Platinum members only
• XP earning favors international travelers
• U.S. domestic award availability can be quite limited

Flying Blue elite status tiers and how to earn them 

Flying Blue is generous in how members earn elite status, awarding Experience Points (XP) for each flight’s length and class of service rather than the number of miles earned or dollars spent. This can make it easier to earn elite status, particularly if much of your flying is international or involves a lot of connecting flights. 

This can lead to some almost comical disparities in earning XP, particularly in larger countries like the United States. 

Since the 4,502-mile segment from Honolulu to Atlanta is a domestic flight, an economy ticket on that segment earns 2 XP. However, the shorter 4,394-mile segment from Atlanta to Paris is international and earns XP based on the flight distance. An economy ticket on that segment earns 10 XP. 

The 216-mile flight from Paris to London earns more than twice the XP than the flight from Honolulu to Atlanta. An economy ticket on that segment earns 5 XP. 

U.S.-based members who choose Flying Blue as their primary program are hit with a disadvantage for this reason. New fliers who travel domestically within the U.S. would need to fly 50 economy segments to earn the 100 XP required for Flying Blue Silver status. New fliers in Europe who travel between EU countries would earn the same 100 XP in just 20 flights. If they booked those EU flights in business class, they’d reach 100 XP after just seven flights. 

Earning calendar

Another benefit for Flying Blue is that the earning calendar is always a full year from when you either began earning or leveled up. 

The thresholds also favor members who are already elite. Once you earn a tier status, the XP earned toward that tier status is redeemed and you have to earn a new amount of XP for the next tier.

For example, if you earn your first XP on March 10, you have until March 10 of the next year to earn 100 XP to level up to Silver, then the counter resets. If you level up, the expiration date adjusts to a year from the date you level up. So if you earn Silver on Aug. 27, your 100 XP is redeemed, and your XP total falls to 0. You have until Aug. 27 of the following year to either earn 100 XP to maintain Silver or earn 180 XP to level up to Gold. If you level up again, your calendar shifts to one year from the date you earn the next tier. 

You also keep any XP that’s left over when your expiration date occurs. If you earned 170 XP by the following Aug. 27, the 70 surplus XP would roll over toward the next year. 

It’s also worth noting the requalification amount is only the number of XP required to upgrade from the previous tier. So if you get to Platinum by earning 300 XP after you reach Gold, the annual requalification is that same 300 XP, not the 580 XP it took to get to Platinum from 0. 

Status tiers

Flying Blue’s elite tiers are pretty straightforward and come with corresponding SkyTeam status. 

Explorer

Explorer is the introductory Day 1 status. Explorer members earn 4 miles per euro spent on airfare. 

Silver

• Requires 100 XP
• Earn 6 miles per euro spent on airfare
• Earn 50% bonus miles
• One extra free checked bag on Air France/KLM flights
• Preferred standby status
• Free standard seat selection
• Zone 3 boarding
• Preferred seating options 24 hours prior to departure
• 25% Discount on Delta Comfort+ seating
• Premium Service reservations line
• SkyTeam Elite status, which includes extra baggage allowance and priority services like priority check-in and bag drop, priority standby and priority waitlist

Gold

• Requires Silver status + 180 XP
• Earn 7 miles per euro spent on airfare
• Earn 75% bonus miles
• One extra free checked bag on Air France/KLM flights
• Lounge access when traveling on Air France/KLM or on international SkyTeam flights (excluding Delta SkyClubs when travel is between the US and Caribbean)
• SkyPriority on AF/KLM and SkyTeam flights
• Preferred seating options 72 hours prior to departure, including Economy Comfort on KLM
• 50% Discount on Delta Comfort+ seating
• Premium Service reservations line
• SkyTeam Elite Plus status, which includes lounge access and SkyPriority

Platinum

• Requires Gold status + 300 XP
• Earn 8 miles per euro spent on airfare
• Earn 100% bonus miles
• One extra free checked bag on Air France/KLM flights
• Lounge access when traveling on Air France/KLM or on international SkyTeam flights (excluding Delta SkyClubs when travel is between the US and Caribbean)
• SkyPriority on AF/KLM and SkyTeam flights
• Preferred seating options at the time of booking, including Economy Comfort on KLM
• Delta Comfort+ seating on the day of departure
• Platinum Service reservations line
• SkyTeam Elite Plus status, which includes lounge access and SkyPriority
• Waived change and refund fees
• Ability to overdraft account by up to 50,000 miles when booking award tickets
• Upgrade to Air France La Première in advance, and redeem miles for Air France La Première

Ultimate

Once you earn Platinum status, you also begin earning UXP, or Ultimate XP. Unlike XP, which can be earned on all SkyTeam flights, UXP is only earned on Air France or KLM-marketed flights or by purchasing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) when flying on Air France or KLM-marketed flights.

• Requires Platinum status + 900 XP
• Earn 9 Miles per Euro spent on airfare
• Platinum benefits plus:
  • Ultimate Assistant, a concierge-like agent available 24/7
  • Four upgrade certificates each year
  • Platinum status for a travel companion
  • Personalized check-in
  • Fast track immigration
  • Complimentary onboard WiFi
  • Two extra pieces of checked luggage
  • One Hertz Platinum card
  • Pre-boarding on demand
  • Several Air France-operated lounges also have special areas designated for Ultimate members

How to earn Flying Blue miles

Flying Blue ranks highly for ease of earning points. You can earn by flying Air France, KLM, SkyTeam, or a number of other airline partners. Flying Blue is also noteworthy for having a wide range of transfer partners to top off your account when you need points in a hurry. 

• Hotels: Many major hotel programs can earn with Flying Blue, but the most seamless is Accor Hotels ALL, which allows you to link your accounts and earn in both programs. Air France and KLM flights earn ALL points in addition to miles, and ALL hotel stays earn Flying Blue miles in addition to ALL points. You can also transfer points from ALL to Flying Blue.
  • Flying Blue members can also earn directly with hotel chains or through booking sites such as booking.com. Members can also transfer points from Hilton, Marriott, Radisson, Hyatt, and Choice Hotels.
• Financial: For U.S. members, the Flying Blue World Elite Mastercard earns points with each purchase and 20XP each year (plus an additional 40XP once a spending threshold is reached).
  • Flying Blue members can also transfer points from a wide range of programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, HSBC USA, and Wells Fargo.
• Cars: Air France has a special relationship with Hertz, and members earn significant miles by booking directly through Air France Mobility. Elite members can have their status matched to receive special discounts and points earnings with Sixt. Most other rental car companies also allow earning for Flying Blue members.
• Other: Flying Blue also operates a retail portal for earning Flying Blue miles. Members can also earn miles for booking select experiences around the world.

Redeeming miles with Flying Blue

Flying Blue also has a number of good redemption options. You tend to get the best value out of redeeming on Air France or KLM, both of which publish promo rewards, or reward flights at a discounted redemption rate. 

For U.S.-based members, it can sometimes be difficult to find award availability on Delta – particularly on U.S. domestic itineraries, where the calendar option doesn’t work very well, and you may have to hunt for dates with available flights.

In addition to flights, you can redeem your Flying Blue points for upgrades, lounge access, seat options, bag fees, WiFi, hotels, or retail items in the Flying Blue Store.

How much are Flying Blue miles worth? 

Flying Blue redemptions start out around 7,500 miles each way for short-haul flights (like Amsterdam or Paris to London), but promo pricing can sometimes be lower. 

Transatlantic flights start at 20,000 miles each way for economy class. We’ve seen Premium economy across the Atlantic from 35,000 each way and business class from 50,000 each way.

You can also book flights to Tahiti from Los Angeles on Air France, starting from 27,500 miles each way in economy or 40,000 miles each way in premium economy. Business class starts from 92,000 miles each way.

Flying Blue miles can also be used to purchase upgrades, but only by calling the Flying Blue service center. Availability can be very limited, and there’s not a published amount of miles to use for an upgrade. You can also upgrade your flights by paying the fare difference between your existing fare and the higher premium cabin fare, and you can use Flying Blue points as partial payment, but only up to 25% of the total amount to pay. 

The best Flying Blue redemptions

There are a few “sweet spots” for Flying Blue redemptions, including some of the most difficult-to-get premium cabin awards, a regional anomaly in North Africa, and some fun international routes far from Europe.

• Connecting flights in La Premiere: For those able to redeem for La Première, a one-way redemption from the U.S. to Paris is 273,500 miles, but to fly onward to Singapore is “just” 417,000 miles, getting you two flights in La Premiere that would cost 558,500 separately. And don’t fret about the nearly 10-hour layover in Paris: La Première fares include round-trip limo transfers to and from the city. For whatever reason, this trick doesn’t work in business or economy class.
• Fifth-Freedom flights: KLM offers flights between Santiago and Buenos Aires from 25,000 miles each way in economy or 39,500 in business. Redemptions are a particularly good value between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta on KLM: just 20,000 each way in business class. 
• Flights to North Africa: Air France considers cities in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia part of their short-haul network. So they charge the same for redemptions to these cities as they do for flights to Europe. 
• SkyTeam first class: While Korean Air and Saudia have first class cabins, they don’t open availability to Flying Blue. But China Eastern and Garuda Indonesia do, so if you’re looking for long-haul flights to Shanghai Pudong or Jakarta, they tend to have pretty decent award availability at about the same redemption rate as La Première. 

Tips for using Flying Blue miles

There are a few quirks about Flying Blue redemptions, but overall, the program is pretty straightforward. Here are some tips for redeeming your Flying Blue miles:

• Check both Air France and KLM: Although merged into a single corporate entity behind the scenes, Air France and KLM often offer different availability on each of their sites. So it makes sense to check both if you’re not finding what you want. La Première, for example, is only bookable on the Air France site. Awards on some partners, like Japan Airlines, also appear more readily on the Air France site than the KLM site. 
• Stopovers are allowed, but you have to call: Flying Blue allows stopovers when booking award travel, but there’s no way to book it on either site. You’ll need to check the sites to make sure both segments have award availability, then call to book the routing you want.
• Don’t be afraid to call Flying Blue customer service: Particularly with SkyTeam partners, not all the award availability may show up on the Air France or KLM booking sites. At the very least, agents usually have experience booking awards and can explain which parts of the itinerary lack availability (or which carriers are stingy with award space). 
• Check the cash price on Delta domestic flights: Award availability isn’t the greatest for Delta’s domestic flights and a lot of the flights allocated for Flying Blue redemptions aren’t always that expensive to begin with. Before using your Flying Blue points, compare the rates against Delta SkyMiles to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

Read more about Air France:

• How to Use Flying Blue Miles to Book Flights
• Air France-KLM Airline Partners