Flying Blue now charges €15 per XP for sustainable aviation fuel contributions, up from €10, making this route to elite status 50% more expensive and less forgiving.
Great development! FF status should be for people who actually, you know, fly frequently! Not for those who buy their way there with SAF or credit card sign-up bonuses.
Tell us you know nothing about FF programs without telling us you know nothing of FF programs.
NO FF programs are about flying frequently anymore. They are about $$. The AF program has fit this model for eons, just as the rest of them have. Maybe it's different in Romania.
Was there no notice of this change?
If not, it's quite disappointing, and something to which (one would think) the head of the FB program would have been sensitive.
@ TravelinWilly -- Correct, no notice was provided. And of course you know how I feel about the importance of providing notice of changes (so that members aren't left wondering if something is a glitch or an intentional change). But I'll of course also let others speak for themselves. 🙂
While I really don't like the idea of changing the rules without any prior notice (something that, unfortunately, is quite typical of Flying Blue, which has implemented several devaluations without warning), I actually hope they would just remove XP from SAF contributions which would of course almost stop any purchases of SAF as we know that most buy this SAF for XP and not for the environment....
Nowadays, obtaining Elite status through SAF contributions has become far too easy, and let's not forget all status matches that have become quite the norm unfortunately. AF lounges are already overcrowded, and anyone willing to spend enough can potentially reach Platinum without even flying so much on revenue tickets, simply by purchasing award tickets and buying SAF contributions.
At the very least, they could introduce a cap on the number of SAF-related XPs that count towards status qualification.
@ anteo21 -- I see where you're coming from, but let me challenge you on that for a moment. The people buying XPs to earn status are flying less, so they're not the ones crowding lounges. And if you're talking about people buying XPs to requalify for status and then redeem miles, wouldn't you assume that they're typically redeeming for business class on long haul flights, and therefore already get lounge access?
'The people buying XPs to earn status are flying less' than whom/what? Anyone doing 89 or fewer cross-border segments in 'basic' per year won't achieve gold status. Buying XPs isn't worthwhile for those flying every other month.
@ Throwawayname -- People earning XPs through non-flying means are generally flying less on Air France-KLM than people earning XPs through flying means, based on equivalent status. I feel like that's not a controversial take?
And I'm not sure why you'd claim that those flying every other month aren't buying XPs? I'd say there are lots of people flying Air France-KLM once per quarter who may be buying XPs...
From my perspective it's not just controversial, it's borderline misleading.
Earning just 2 XPs per segment means that someone who flies every single week may still fall significantly short of an elite level that gets them lounge access. Having to fly every single week means that the lounge access is worth a lot to them, so it makes a lot more sense for them to spend money for XP compared to the occasional flier.
Are you really claiming that XP purchases are somehow more attractive to those travelling every other month than to those who find themselves in basic every 5-7 days?
Tiffany!!!
This has become an all too familiar script. Devalue a program, wait a few months, find another way to devalue it, and repeat. Flying Blue is hardly alone. Numerous frequent flyer programs have followed the same playbook.
I'm sure these programs analyze member behavior after each devaluation and, seeing little meaningful impact, feel emboldened to do it again. But loyalty erodes gradually. At some point, members will stop chasing status, accumulating miles, or going out of their way to remain loyal.
The real danger isn't that members will get angry and leave. It's that they'll simply stop caring. And indifference is far more damaging to a loyalty program than outrage.