Air France-KLM Flying Blue is in my opinion the most useful SkyTeam frequent flyer program for redeeming miles, and for that matter, one of the most valuable frequent flyer programs for transatlantic business class awards.
In this post, I’d like to take a big picture look at where I see value with Flying Blue, and why it’s a program that I redeem a lot of miles through.
In this post:
Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles are easy to earn
One major aspect in assessing the value of a frequent flyer program is how easy miles are to earn with the currency. For those of us in the United States with access to transferable points currencies, Air France-KLM Flying Blue is probably the easiest points currency to rack up:
- Flying Blue is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou
- We frequently see transfer bonuses to Flying Blue in the range of 20-30%
Given the frequency with which I redeem through Flying Blue, I always think it’s worth making a speculative transfer when there’s a bonus, so that I have enough Flying Blue miles for my next redemption. For my mental accounting purposes, I basically reduce the cost of my Flying Blue redemptions to reflect that I typically acquire them with a 25% bonus.
Flying Blue is great for Air France & KLM business class awards
Flying Blue is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs for booking transatlantic business class awards:
- Flying Blue has access to more Air France and KLM business class award space than partner programs; while the program doesn’t have as much availability as in the past, there are still lots of opportunities (and if you have Flying Blue Platinum or Ultimate status, you also get access to more award seats, which is awesome)
- Saver level award pricing on Air France and KLM is incredibly attractive, and starts at 60,000 miles one-way, and children up to the age of 11 receive a 25% award discount
- Air France and KLM have among the best business class products across the Atlantic, on balance better and more consistent than what you’ll find with the other major airline groups (Lufthansa Group and IAG); in particular, Air France’s 777 business class, Air France’s A350 business class, and KLM’s 777 business class, are all excellent
- Flying Blue allows stopovers on one-way awards, though you do have to book by phone; having a stopover in Amsterdam or Paris prior to continuing to your final destination is pretty awesome
- Flying Blue does have carrier imposed surcharges on awards, and they’ve creeped up over time, and often cost $300+ one-way for business class; I’m not a fan of this, but at least that’s better than the $800+ surcharges that you’ll find on some other carriers
- Flying Blue also publishes monthly Promo Rewards, offering discounts on award tickets, which can stretch your miles even further
Just to give an example, when booking in advance from New York to Paris, I see business class award availability many days for just 60,000 Flying Blue miles one-way (factoring in the pretty consistent 25% transfer bonuses we see, that’s like paying 48,000 transferable points).
You’re obviously not going to always find reasonably priced award availability, but I can’t think of another set of two airlines across the Atlantic that release so much space so consistently, without any sort of a status or credit card requirement (given that this is the direction airlines are moving). The above flights don’t just have one or two seats, but the first flight has six award seats, and the second flight has seven award seats.
Pricing is also often quite reasonable when connecting beyond Europe, like to Africa, the Middle East, and India, though it’s not necessarily my favorite use of Flying Blue miles (unless you value the stopover in Europe enroute to another destination).
Search & booking Flying Blue awards is easy
Another great thing about Flying Blue is that the process of redeeming miles is pretty seamless:
- Transferable points currencies generally convert into Flying Blue miles instantly
- You can book Flying Blue awards directly on the websites of Air France or KLM, and there are no restrictions on who you can redeem for
- The process of searching award availability is easy, and I like the hidden Flying Blue award calendar (just don’t enter a date when you search, and you’ll see availability for months at a time)
- Flying Blue’s change and cancelation fees aren’t unreasonable (though aren’t cheap either), as either of those things can be done for a fee of €70
- Flying Blue has a good mileage expiration policy; miles expire after 24 months of inactivity, and any mileage earning or redemption activity can reset that expiration
In comparison to some other non-US frequent flyer programs, I’d say Flying Blue has a pretty good booking process, plus fair policies.
Flying Blue is valuable for SkyTeam and other partner awards
The SkyTeam alliance simply isn’t as valuable as oneworld or Star Alliance when it comes to partner airline award redemptions. This is true in terms of reciprocal availability, the number of products you have access to, etc. Unfortunately nowadays most Delta SkyMiles partner awards represent a terrible value, at least if they touch the United States.
The good news is that Flying Blue’s partner award costs are in many cases quite a good deal. While there’s no published award chart, pricing is consistently among the most reasonable that you’ll find with any program.
Let me give some examples of valuable SkyTeam redemptions that are available. You could fly China Airlines business class between Phoenix (PHX) and Taipei (TPE) for 72,000 Flying Blue miles…
…or you could fly Vietnam Airlines business class between Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and San Francisco (SFO) for 93,000 Flying Blue miles…
…or you would fly Garuda Indonesia business class between Jakarta (CGK) and Tokyo (HND) for 36,500 Flying Blue miles…
…or you would fly Shanghai Airlines business class between Budapest (BUD) and Shanghai (PVG) for 70,500 Flying Blue miles (this route definitely intrigues me)…
…or you would fly Virgin Atlantic business class between New York (JFK) and London (LHR) for 66,500 Flying Blue miles. Note that while Virgin Atlantic Flying Club sometimes has lower redemption rates for Virgin Atlantic flights, in some cases you’ll find more attractive pricing through Flying Club, including in situations where Virgin Atlantic’s lowest award costs aren’t available.
I also appreciate Flying Blue’s non-SkyTeam partner airlines, like being able to redeem for Qantas business class, Etihad business class, etc.
Furthermore, Flying Blue is one of the few SkyTeam frequent flyer programs that allows first class redemptions on some partners, as you can redeem Flying Blue miles for first class travel on China Eastern, Garuda Indonesia, and Xiamen Air. The redemptions are typically not a great deal, but at least they’re an option!
Flying Blue is definitely most useful for Air France and KLM redemptions, but there are also plenty of cases where the program positions you well for partner awards.
Bottom line
When it comes to redeeming miles, I consider Air France-KLM Flying Blue to be the most valuable SkyTeam program, and an essential option for those looking to redeem miles for business class across the Atlantic.
Flying Blue has access to the most Air France and KLM business class award seats across the Atlantic, and those airlines are most consistent about making these award seats available in advance, even for large parties (though admittedly availability isn’t as good as it used to be).
Personally, I book several awards through Flying Blue every year, so I always make a point of transferring points to the program when there’s a transfer bonus, which improves the value of redemptions even further. There are also many cases where Flying Blue has lucrative redemption rates on partners.
So while I don’t think Flying Blue is quite as useful as Air Canada Aeroplan in terms of the breadth of partnerships and redemption options, it’s pretty unbeatable across the Atlantic, and in my opinion one of the most useful award programs, along with programs like American AAdvantage, Avianca Lifemiles, etc.
Anyone else appreciate Flying Blue for the great transatlantic and partner award options?
I used to love FB but finding award availability for US/Europe trips on AF or KLM metal is now very difficult. If you have flying blue elite status, you see more availability.
I have often gott awards from Flying blue and never from Aeroplan
I miss my JFK base when I lived there, but now have to change somewhere because I’m flying from Tampa. Are the connecting flights to Paris on AF also competitive in miles?
I also transfer a fair amount of credit card points to FB when there is a bonus. And I am glad I did when I was flying on AF from Singapore to Amsterdam last August. When I checked in online there was an upgrade offer to Premier for 180,000 points. And AF had just updated the Premier class on that route a week before my flight. That was an incredible deal since I only have...
I also transfer a fair amount of credit card points to FB when there is a bonus. And I am glad I did when I was flying on AF from Singapore to Amsterdam last August. When I checked in online there was an upgrade offer to Premier for 180,000 points. And AF had just updated the Premier class on that route a week before my flight. That was an incredible deal since I only have Delta Gold for life and no status with FB. What an incredible flight ( 13 hours) and lounge experience both in Singapore and Paris.
@ Ben , happy new year and thanks for all the content. We met in 2013 at the Chicago seminars and I have been reading your blog since then. Keep up the good work and if you make part of the blog pay only I will happily support you.
Flying Blue is a great currency. Easy to build up miles, every major currency seems to transfer to KLM/AF/FB, and as Ben stated, there are bonus transfers throughout the year. Snagging two award seats in Business is tough throughout most of the year and PE seems even tougher as there is so little inventory compared to J.
That said, I can pretty much always find a few flights across the Atlantic in economy for...
Flying Blue is a great currency. Easy to build up miles, every major currency seems to transfer to KLM/AF/FB, and as Ben stated, there are bonus transfers throughout the year. Snagging two award seats in Business is tough throughout most of the year and PE seems even tougher as there is so little inventory compared to J.
That said, I can pretty much always find a few flights across the Atlantic in economy for two at about 25K or less a seat. So If I want to go on short notice, I can usually find a few seats albeit in the back of the bus. These flights usually translate to about 2.5 cents per mile in value. Not great, not bad either.
I was able to get AF A350 Business Tahiti to LAX (and yes, got bulkhead in the new business class) 90K and about $207 ea. That was only about a 2.7 cent value, but it will be a great ride! This was not off season.
Ben, you assert that "...any mileage earning or redemption activity can reset that expiration."
I have not heard that redemption activity will reset the expiration date. I would be thrilled if it did, but, like, does it?
Some clarification would be great!
I had a short paid hop on Garuda in July of 2024, credited it to FB, which reset my miles by two years, to July 2026. But that's the only positive thing I can say about their program. I am only traveling once a year, even if it's usually a lengthy trip around the world, but I had to cancel my summer '25 trip due to illness, so I have to use my miles next...
I had a short paid hop on Garuda in July of 2024, credited it to FB, which reset my miles by two years, to July 2026. But that's the only positive thing I can say about their program. I am only traveling once a year, even if it's usually a lengthy trip around the world, but I had to cancel my summer '25 trip due to illness, so I have to use my miles next summer, otherwise they expire. Unfortunately I closed my FB CC, my bad, so that doesn't help. I am booked for next June, but should I have to cancel that trip again, all I can do, is take an absolutely unnecessary trip on Delta next June, which, due to my home means 12 hours flight time to nowhere, to reset it again. I just cannot stand their uniquely illogical two-tier mileage system, and even the answer I got from their CS via email, was more gibberish than a proper explanation. Once I use my miles with them, I am done!
I agree that their 'two-tier' mileage system is crazy and overall pointless.
Still wondering if Ben's comment on redemptions was a snafu he prefers not to address. :/
As i am a Platinum4life member at FB i have recently been able to book 3 bc return tickets from AMS direct to LAS in April 2026. This for 3 x 120.000 fb plus tax. Normal price for these 3 tickets would be almost $12.000.
So yes, you can get some really gooed deals when booking with flying blue miles on KLM or Air France!!!
In my experience, AFKL redemption usually has good availabilty, but is rather expensive (in terms of points needed). As your examples show, for an intercontinental business class return something like 200k is needed, unless you find a Promo redemption. 200k is quite a lot in terms of earnings ...
Also useful for booking domestic Delta economy tickets for less than the number of Skymiles needed.
Was wondering if I could please get your advice. I transferred Bilt points to FB Jan 1 2024 for 252K points. I also did a Bilt redemption to obtain FB Gold status, which I currently have (but may expire at the end of the year). My account has had no activity since Jan 1 2024. Will transferring AMEX MR points or Bilt points by tomorrow reset the clock for 2 years? I'm seeing differing information...
Was wondering if I could please get your advice. I transferred Bilt points to FB Jan 1 2024 for 252K points. I also did a Bilt redemption to obtain FB Gold status, which I currently have (but may expire at the end of the year). My account has had no activity since Jan 1 2024. Will transferring AMEX MR points or Bilt points by tomorrow reset the clock for 2 years? I'm seeing differing information on various websites. Thanks advance for your input - I really enjoy your articles.
@ Doug -- As I understand it, moving over points from a transferable points currency wouldn't reset the expiration of your account. That being said, having elite status does prevent your miles from expiring. Flying Blue status typically doesn't follow the traditional calendar year, so are you sure your status expires on December 31?
When I book Delta or Skyteam I always credit the flights to Delta. Though they are my third choice in airlines so it's a lesser liability. Lately I agree that Flying Blue has been good with space coming available and I'm seriously considering just crediting all my Sky Team flights to them in 2026, including Delta.
If you're doing at least 26 Skyteam segments a year, you should look into Suma as it'd give you Elite Plus status and some of their redemption rates are quite attractive too.
I don't disagree that Flying Blue can be useful in certain circumstances, but you're omitting some things that are very important:
- The standard transatlantic redemption 'saver' rate for business class is 85k each way. This applies everywhere, even domestic destinations like FDF/PTP/AUA, other than the three N. American countries.
- Every other intercontinental business class redemption on AFKL also seems to start at 85k, plus taxes and surcharges, each way. And that's too high!
...I don't disagree that Flying Blue can be useful in certain circumstances, but you're omitting some things that are very important:
- The standard transatlantic redemption 'saver' rate for business class is 85k each way. This applies everywhere, even domestic destinations like FDF/PTP/AUA, other than the three N. American countries.
- Every other intercontinental business class redemption on AFKL also seems to start at 85k, plus taxes and surcharges, each way. And that's too high!
- There's no zonal pricing for partner redemptions, and that can result in some ridiculous pricing (e.g. CMN-DXB on Saudia is 103k FB miles).
- The lack of a pricing chart wouldn't be such an enormous issue if there hadn't been a recent no-notice devaluation which saw lots of prices increase by 70% overnight.
I do keep a small balance in FB so that I can use miles on Gol, Etihad etc for last-minute short haul flights which are too expensive for my liking, but it's basically the only programme of those in which I participate where I have zero confidence when it comes to my miles retaining any value. I'd be having sleepless nights if I somehow had a six-figure balance in my FB account.
I have stopped searching for saver J availability on Air France. It's pretty much nonexistent. Has that even changed ?
@ Bbt -- The screenshots in this post were all taken just now from a non-elite account. As you can see, there's a fair bit of space again in many markets.
But you chose February for your example.
It's off season and not exactly the best time to visit Paris/Europe. Show us the chart for June to August.
I like having FB as an option, but at some point those transfer bonuses will result in even more devaluations.
@ Jon -- There are different seasonalities for different destinations. Sure, at the moment there's not a ton of award space in summer through Flying Blue across the Atlantic (though I do see decent availability on some routes), but as time goes on, it tends to open up.
There's also often more availability as the departure date approaches, which is why we currently see more availability in the winter and spring.
But bigger picture,...
@ Jon -- There are different seasonalities for different destinations. Sure, at the moment there's not a ton of award space in summer through Flying Blue across the Atlantic (though I do see decent availability on some routes), but as time goes on, it tends to open up.
There's also often more availability as the departure date approaches, which is why we currently see more availability in the winter and spring.
But bigger picture, I think we also have to be realistic about the state of miles & points. Which program that partners with major transferable points currencies currently has good transatlantic business class award space for next summer?
I'd argue that Jun-Aug is the worst time to travel to Paris. Tons of American tourists, usually with children in tow. Tons of Chinese tourists. Etc.
I'd much rather to travel there in February. I'm not going to Paris for the beach.
The availability if off peak periods. Even in your screenshot May jumps to 155k miles, which with all the taxes, is not a good redemption.
seats.aero will occasionally throw up an AF J class seat but you have to book months in advance
What’s the best way to search for Flying Blue awards?
@ BD -- For travel on Air France and KLM? The Flying Blue website does the trick, by just leaving the date blank, and then you'll get the entire calendar result.
Not to mention a bucketload of miles!