While the Air France-KLM Group primarily consists of (you guessed it!) Air France and KLM, the company also has a low cost subsidiary, Transavia. That subsidiary has both a French and Dutch division, with the former operating primarily out of Paris Orly (ORY), and the latter operating primarily out of Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS).
Historically, Flying Blue elite members haven’t received any elite perks when flying on Transavia, though that’s finally changing as of today, which many flyers will no doubt be happy about. The timing of these new perks coincides with Air France ending flights at Orly Airport.
New Flying Blue Platinum & Ultimate benefits on Transavia
Flying Blue is adding elite perks when flying on Transavia, though they’re specific to the French subsidiary, and therefore primarily for flights to and from Paris Orly. The new perks are for Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members, meaning that Silver and Gold members don’t get any upside here.
So, what are the new benefits, which are live as of March 29, 2026?
- Dedicated check-in, baggage drop-off, and fast track security, at Paris Orly
- Enhanced priority rebooking in the event of disruptions
- Access to partner lounges in Marseille (MRS), Montpellier (MPL), Nice (NCE), and Toulouse (TLS)
- Access to Transavia’s premium phone line
- Priority boarding and a complimentary cabin bag (exclusively for Ultimate members)
On top of that, Transavia will soon open a new lounge at Paris Orly, as Transavia is taking over the former Air France lounge. It’s my understanding that lounge access will be for elite members, plus those purchasing the carrier’s most expensive fare bundle.
Let me once again stress that these perks only apply to flights on Transavia’s French subsidiary (with airline code “TO”), and not flights on Transavia’s Dutch subsidiary (with airline code “HV”). Furthermore, elite perks are exclusive to those with Flying Blue elite status, so if you have SkyTeam Elite Plus status, you wouldn’t receive these perks (since Transavia isn’t in SkyTeam).
This is an excellent development for Flying Blue elites
I know that historically some Flying Blue elite members have been frustrated and confused by the lack of elite perks when traveling on Transavia, given the size of the carrier. After all, you’d think that the airline group would want to create an incentive to fly with the low cost carrier over a competitor like EasyJet or Ryanair.
The logic has been that Transavia generally has low fares, and the economics don’t make sense if you start giving away a bunch of perks to elite flyers, given the extent to which the business model is based on ancillary revenue and fees. I imagine that Flying Blue felt that offering a limited number of XPs for Transavia flights (the method for status qualification) was a sufficient incentive.
But the updated strategy from Flying Blue is a bit nuanced, as you can tell, based on the perks being specific to the French subsidiary, rather than the Dutch subsidiary. The logic here is presumably how the Air France vs. Transavia strategy has evolved over the years.
Keep in mind that Air France has consolidated its operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), while Transavia has consolidated its operations at Paris Orly. There are a huge number of destinations served by both Air France and Transavia, and many Flying Blue elite members may strongly prefer to fly out of Paris Orly. For that matter, there’s more incentive to have a premium offering out of Paris Orly, given ultra low cost carrier competition at the airport.
It’s a bit different than the story of the Dutch subsidiary, where both KLM and Transavia operate out of Amsterdam Schiphol, and overlap on a limited number of routes. In Amsterdam, Transavia operates mostly on heavily leisure routes, so the airline isn’t trying to quite gain market share with the same strategy.
Bottom line
The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program is rolling out elite perks on Transavia, though only when flying on the French subsidiary, and not when flying on the Dutch subsidiary. Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members can expect priority airport services, and on top of that, Transavia is taking over Air France’s lounge.
What do you make of Flying Blue rolling out elite perks on Transavia?
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