There can be lots of value to having airline elite status, though it goes without saying that not all elite status levels are created equal. In this post I wanted to take a closer look at Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue Ultimate elite status.
I’ve written recently about Flying Blue elite status — particularly Platinum and Gold status — but not about the tier above that, which I wanted to cover in this post. While this is a published elite tier, it’s very exclusive, and the requirements are way beyond what you’d otherwise need for status.
Each of the “big three” airline groups in Europe has such a status — Lufthansa Miles & More has HON Circle status, while British Airways Executive Club has Gold Guest List status.
In this post:
How do you earn Flying Blue Ultimate status?
Flying Blue uses “XP” (which stands for “experience points”) as the metric for earning status. For the three main elite tiers, the requirements are as follows (in each case when you earn a membership tier, your 12-month qualification clock resets for the next tier):
- 100 XPs gets you Flying Blue Silver status
- You then need 180 additional XPs to earn Flying Blue Gold status
- You then need 300 additional XPs to earn Flying Blue Platinum status
Flying Blue Ultimate status, by comparison, has much higher elite requirements:
- Flying Blue Ultimate status requires earning 900 UXPs, so that means the requirements are three times as high as qualifying for Platinum status
- Not only that, but Ultimate status is based on earning UXPs and not XPs; UXPs are earned exclusively for travel on flights marketed by Air France and KLM, and not for travel marketed by partner airlines (otherwise you can qualify for Flying Blue status based exclusively on travel with partner airlines)
As you can see, Ultimate status is way, way, way harder to earn. It has triple the requirements of Platinum status, plus only travel on Air France and KLM counts toward it.
For context, below is the rate at which you ordinarily earn XPs.
So just as an example, earning 900 UXPs would require:
- Nine roundtrip first class tickets annually on long haul flights (up to 5,000 miles)
- 15 roundtrip business class tickets annually on long haul flights (up to 5,000 miles)
- 90 roundtrip economy tickets annually on short haul flights (up to 2,000 miles)
What are the perks of Flying Blue Ultimate status?
What benefits do you receive for having Flying Blue Ultimate status, above and beyond Flying Blue Platinum status (which gets you SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits, and more)?
- An Ultimate Assistant, who can help you with making all of your travel plans, and assisting with any operational issues
- Four upgrade vouchers per year; you need one voucher to go from economy to business on a short haul flight or from economy to premium economy on a long haul flight, and two vouchers to go from economy to business on a long haul flight (skipping premium economy)
- The ability to nominate a companion to Flying Blue Platinum status
- The ability to take up to eight guests into Air France and KLM business class lounges
- More personalized service at airports, including an exclusive check-in facility, an exclusive area in most lounges, pre-boarding on demand, and fast track immigration upon arrival (where allowed by law)
- If flying in La Premiere first class, you can bring two guests into the lounge, rather than the typical one
- The ability to overdraft a mileage balance; you can redeem for an award up to 20% more than your current mileage balance, up to 100,000 miles
- Hertz Platinum status
There’s no doubt that a large part of the value with Flying Blue Ultimate status is better “soft” treatment from staff. From check-in agents, to lounge agents, to flight attendants, you can expect that you’ll get more attention.
As you can see, Flying Blue Ultimate status doesn’t actually get you access to a better lounge. Rather, you can bring more guests into the lounges that you have access to. Furthermore, you’ll find that just about every Air France and KLM lounge has a roped off area for Flying Blue Ultimate members.
How does this status compare to British Airways & Lufthansa?
How do the perks of Air France-KLM Flying Blue Ultimate status compare to the perks of Lufthansa Miles & More HON Circle status and British Airways Executive Club Gold Guest List status? I’d say there’s one biggest point of differentiation:
- The biggest perk of Lufthansa HON Circle status is that you get access to Lufthansa First Class Lounges and SWISS First Class Lounges, regardless of which cabin or route you’re flying
- The biggest perk of British Airways Gold Guest List status is that you get access to “true” first class lounges, like the British Airways Concorde Room London, the Chelsea Lounge New York, etc.
So I do think that probably makes HON Circle and Gold Guest List status more compelling in terms of the incremental perks offered. At the same time, I understand why this difference exists:
- Air France tries to make its first class product exclusive in a way you won’t find at the other airlines, so it’s not surprising that Ultimate members don’t get access to the Air France La Premiere Lounge; conversely, alcohol selection aside, I find the British Airways Concorde Room to not even be as good as some of the world’s best business class lounges
- Flying Air France is actually pleasant for the most part, and the carrier has phenomenal products in A350 business class and 777 business class; meanwhile on Lufthansa, you have to put up with a pretty lousy product to earn that status
Bottom line
Flying Blue Ultimate is the top tier elite status in the Air France-KLM program. This has triple the requirements of Platinum status, plus only allows you to qualify based on flying with Air France and KLM.
Flying Blue Ultimate members can expect special treatment throughout their journey, from special check-in, to exclusive seating in lounges, to pre-boarding on demand, and more. On top of that, Ultimate members receive Platinum status for a companion and Hertz Platinum status.
Are any OMAAT readers Flying Blue Ultimate members? If so, what has your experience been with the status?
Air France also has Hippocampe and Club 2000
If you’re HIPP you get all
the ULTI benefits however in addition La Premiere ground service and LP Lounge access irrespective of the class of travel. Club200 has around 15000 members and usually executives of corporations mainly in France.
In top of these there’s also the Petroleum Club for ships crew and offshore workers. It’s basically flying blue with a few extras.
So Lucky what strategy are you employing with status on AF/KLM?
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/flying-blue-elite-status/
You're welcome.
Small correction: UXP are earned on AFKLM Marketed flights, not operated. You can earn UXP on EY for example, as long as you buy the ticket with Air France (which is often more expensive than EY direct but I digress).
Came close to qualifying last year but the perks didnt really seem worth it to go for that extra push. Pretty happy with lifetime platinum...
I've been Ultimate for the past couple of years! As you mentioned Ben a large part of what I value in the status comes from the soft side - every time you scan your boarding pass anywhere AFKM agents get a notification of your status, which manifests in different ways (i.e. even at out stations you'll often get escorted through security, or you'll be pulled aside to pre board ahead of everyone else). Onboard, there's...
I've been Ultimate for the past couple of years! As you mentioned Ben a large part of what I value in the status comes from the soft side - every time you scan your boarding pass anywhere AFKM agents get a notification of your status, which manifests in different ways (i.e. even at out stations you'll often get escorted through security, or you'll be pulled aside to pre board ahead of everyone else). Onboard, there's almost always a handwritten note + water/pillow/snacks etc. Upgrades are more frequent (to business on short haul pretty frequently, to business on long haul if there's availability space sometimes, and once even up to first class!). When sitting in economy in short haul they'll also give you business class meals occasionally (but with the recent new system you flagged I've noticed they now don't have extras to give anymore!). In terms of lounges they're actually investing into building seperate sections for Ultimate which are seperate and distinct from the main lounge with a different food menu. The Ultimate Assistants also proactively check in to flights for you on your behalf, and will monitor your connections (occasionally I've heard they'll send a car for you if you have a tight connection). You also get Hertz status complimentary. They also frequently hold events/dinners with AFKM executives that you get invites to. There is a difference in how KLM versus AF staff treat Ultimate, with AF being more proactive and recognising it more frequently.
Still have to wait in line at SkyClubs.
There's a good thread on FT with lots of Ultimate folks chiming in on the perks they get - or not. Seems like overall the program was not thought out very well and does not deliver consistently.
Ultimate approaches AA's Concierge Key. Except that it is earnable. As a practical matter, only someone based in France/Europe will attain it.
At the World Bank / IMF we have significant amounts of Ultimate / Lifetime ultimate members. Flying to Africa monthly via AF will get you ultimate quickly.
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