The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program is adding some new limits to its elite status rollover feature, though it’s not universally bad news…
In this post:
Flying Blue limits surplus XPs to 300 per year
Flying Blue uses XPs (which stands for “experience points”) as the metric for earning elite status. The system of qualifying for status works a bit differently than with other programs:
- 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
Historically, Flying Blue has allowed unlimited rollover XPs. In other words, if you qualified for Platinum and then earned an additional 1,200 XPs in a year, you’d automatically have your Platinum status renewed for an additional four years. That system will finally be changing.
Flying Blue is implementing a new cap, whereby members can carry over at most 300 surplus XPs to their next qualification period, equivalent to one additional year of Platinum status. This means you’ll no longer be able to carry over unlimited surplus XPs, and must continue to regularly earn XPs in order to qualify for status.
Flying Blue doesn’t use the traditional calendar year for elite status, but rather each member has their own qualification year. This change will take place over the 12 months starting from November 1, 2024, when members maintain or upgrade their status. For example, if your next qualification period after that starts on January 1, 2024, the new capping rules would also apply as of that date.
So, why is Flying Blue adding this new cap? Here’s the company’s explanation, which doesn’t actually tell us a whole lot:
To ensure the longevity of the programme, including Platinum for life benefits, Flying Blue is evolving to ensure that those members who enjoy Flying Blue Platinum status continue to choose Air France, KLM, Transavia, Aircalin or any of our SkyTeam partners when they decide to fly.
A Flying Blue Platinum for life silver lining
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there is one positive element to this. Historically, Flying Blue has offered Platinum status for life if you earn Platinum status for 10 years, equivalent to earning 3,000 XPs over 10 years.
With this transition, for every 300 XPs earned in excess of the new 300 surplus XP cap, you’ll earn one additional year toward Platinum status for life. In other words, if you have 900 surplus XPs, you’ll earn three additional years toward Platinum for life.
So when this transition happens, a lot of people will instantly earn Platinum for life, since you’ll no longer have to wait the full 10 years.
My take on these Flying Blue changes
Obviously these changes are mostly negative, though those who were fairly close to Platinum for life but have a lot of rollover XPs will probably like these adjustments, as they’ll earn that lifetime status sooner.
I am intrigued by the decision to limit XPs, though, as Flying Blue’s explanation doesn’t actually do a lot to explain the logic for this change. A few thoughts:
- Flying Blue elite status isn’t terribly rewarding beyond standard SkyTeam Elite Plus perks, plus the ability to redeem for first class on Air France; so the cost of providing elite perk can’t be that high
- I have to imagine that the logic is that Flying Blue found that people were instead flying other airlines rather than working toward requalifying for status when they had a lot of rollover XPs; then again, what’s the point of elite status if you don’t use the perks?
- While it’s nice that excess XPs count toward Platinum for life, it does seem like a bait-and-switch to retroactively eliminate rollover XPs; for example, if you’re a first year Platinum and earned 1,200 rollover XPs, you’d get a few years toward lifetime status, but you’d lose the few years of rollover Platinum status you were supposed to get
Bottom line
Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program is implementing some changes to rollover elite status. Starting next year, you’ll be able to rollover at most 300 XPs per year, which is how many XPs you need for Platinum status. You’ll no longer be able to rollover unlimited XPs, as before. The good news, though, is that excess XPs will qualify toward Platinum status for life, and can potentially even allow you to earn it faster than in the past.
What do you make of these changes to Flying Blue XP rollovers?
Arguably this could be a good thing - oftentimes loyalty programmes drive up costs for off-duty crew commuting and passengers who are not members of the loyalty program. Nice for the executives pockets, nice for the frequent-fliers, while the crew members and passengers can't even shop at Whole Foods anymore and are forced to pick out of a dumpster due to the ever-rising price of air travel!
Crew commuting isn't a thing in Europe. As for everyone else, prices are based on demand and supply. Airlines won't lower their fares just because they saved some money if there are still customers willing to pay the original price. They will just turn the savings into more profit.
"I have to imagine that the logic is that Flying Blue found that people were instead flying other airlines rather than working toward requalifying for status when they had a lot of rollover XPs"
I have to say that logic doesn't make any sense at all.
They would have flown other airlines much sooner had it not be for rollover XPs.
Only thing I see is FB is trying to hurt 'loyal' flyers with excessive...
"I have to imagine that the logic is that Flying Blue found that people were instead flying other airlines rather than working toward requalifying for status when they had a lot of rollover XPs"
I have to say that logic doesn't make any sense at all.
They would have flown other airlines much sooner had it not be for rollover XPs.
Only thing I see is FB is trying to hurt 'loyal' flyers with excessive XPs and deter to be loyal FB flyers to switch airlines after the rollover cap.
My prediction, the end of rollover is coming.
@Lucky I don’t know if you saw that all 9 of us that commented on the Flying Blue post yesterday mentioned the issue with no award space on the RDU-CDG route ever being loaded since the announcement months ago. It’s ironic to list it as a reduced award flight when it can’t be booked. It seems like our attempts to raise the issue with agents isn’t being sent up the chain to senior management. Do...
@Lucky I don’t know if you saw that all 9 of us that commented on the Flying Blue post yesterday mentioned the issue with no award space on the RDU-CDG route ever being loaded since the announcement months ago. It’s ironic to list it as a reduced award flight when it can’t be booked. It seems like our attempts to raise the issue with agents isn’t being sent up the chain to senior management. Do you have any contacts at Flying Blue that you could reach out to ask them what’s going on please? TIA!
Ben writes:
"This change will take place over the 12 months starting from November 1, 2024, when members maintain or upgrade their status. For example, if your next qualification period after that starts on January 1, 2024, the new capping rules would also apply as of that date.
From FB:
"The change will take place over 12 months starting on 1 November 2024, when members maintain or upgrade their status. If, for example, your new...
Ben writes:
"This change will take place over the 12 months starting from November 1, 2024, when members maintain or upgrade their status. For example, if your next qualification period after that starts on January 1, 2024, the new capping rules would also apply as of that date.
From FB:
"The change will take place over 12 months starting on 1 November 2024, when members maintain or upgrade their status. If, for example, your new qualification period starts 1 January 2025, the new capping rules will apply for you as of 1 January 2025."
As DL did earlier in the pandemic with SkyMiles (selling a major part of the program itself to American Express rather than just selling a miles at a big discount to bring in cash), AFKL basically sold Flying Blue to an investment group (Apollo in this case; ironically Apollo was the rival bidder for SAS and it was the money received from Apollo for Flying Blue that allowed AFKL to make the bid for SAS).
...As DL did earlier in the pandemic with SkyMiles (selling a major part of the program itself to American Express rather than just selling a miles at a big discount to bring in cash), AFKL basically sold Flying Blue to an investment group (Apollo in this case; ironically Apollo was the rival bidder for SAS and it was the money received from Apollo for Flying Blue that allowed AFKL to make the bid for SAS).
That action dramatically changes the incentives for the airline around their FF program. Rather than in classical programs, where a largely make-believe liability is accrued for the miles handed out and the goal of the airline is to minimize the chance of the miles being redeemed in a way that costs them money (partner premium cabin redemptions are great for that: the actual amount of cash exchanged is minimal), the act of handing out the miles incurs an actual cash cost for the airline to buy the miles and the airline actually gets paid money from the program when an award is redeemed. This implies that they want to encourage award redemptions, at least on their own metal.
It's thus not surprising that, after making this change, DL started awarding elite credit for award redemptions (and will soon not penalize award redemptions when it comes to the upgrade list, now that fare class doesn't matter), implemented the 15% award discount for Amex holders, and killed off partner redemptions (a typical SkyMiles redemption has always been a domestic economy ticket and it's worth noting that for that redemption pattern, the past several years have been the opposite of devaluation). They've also sent the not-very-subtle signal that they don't mind firing high-elites who buy cheap revenue economy tickets.
This is basically the analogous move from AFKL. The reason they're not offering elite credit for awards is likely because they don't want people transferring points from Amex/Chase/Cap1/Citi and making Platinum to unlock La Premiere awards. But they do, paradoxically, want their Platinums to use miles as much as possible to fly AFKL rather than book revenue tickets. The overall goal entails optimizing the total amount of miles redeemed (rather than minimizing the value of miles redeemed: that's not really a consideration now), which sometimes means offering outsize value (see the reduction in the lowest-level award prices) and sometimes means outlandishly low value (there are plenty of situations where a one-way award for 2 from the US on AFKL tops a million FB miles or more).
The game is different, but still playable.
Making more than 600XP in a year can still be useful, if you attain 900UXP. Therefore you can qualify to the Platinum Ultimate status which has a few interesting perks (free upgrades, extended lounge access, personal assistance…)
There's quite a "pit of despair", though, for those who get more than 600UXP but don't hit 900UXP. It's no longer a status you hit incidental to trying for Platinum for Life, but a status for those who fly a lot of revenue fares and don't really have a choice about it.