Redeem Flying Blue Miles On EL AL At Good Rates

Redeem Flying Blue Miles On EL AL At Good Rates

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Air France-KLM and EL AL have just rolled out a loyalty collaboration, and this includes reciprocal opportunities to earn and redeem miles. The most exciting development here is the ability to redeem Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles for travel on EL AL, so I wanted to go over the details of that in this post.

I continue to be impressed by the direction that the Flying Blue program is taking, as we see more and more interesting partner award redemption opportunities rolled out. This latest development follows Flying Blue recently adding award redemptions on Etihad and adding award redemptions on Oman Air.

The basics of redeeming Flying Blue miles on EL AL

It’s now possible to redeem Flying Blue miles for travel on EL AL directly through the Flying Blue website and app. EL AL doesn’t belong to any major global airline alliance, and while it has loyalty partnerships with programs like Alaska Mileage Plan and Delta SkyMiles, the redemption opportunities aren’t great in some cases.

There are several things to note about redeeming Flying Blue miles on EL AL:

  • The award pricing seems to be route based, so pricing isn’t consistent by region
  • Award pricing is per segment, so if you fly multiple segments, the pricing is additive
  • Flying Blue allows stopovers on one-way awards, but that’s not of much value when pricing is additive, since you’re paying the per-segment price anyway
  • Flying Blue isn’t imposing surcharges on these redemptions, so you won’t have to pay much cash for these tickets
  • Redemptions are available in business class, premium economy, and economy
  • Award availability on EL AL is unfortunately quite limited, especially for redemptions in premium cabins
  • This opportunity is useful for those with transferable points currencies, since Flying Blue partners with all major transferable points currencies, and we also often see transfer bonuses, which could be an opportunity to get even more value
EL AL business class Boeing 787

Flying Blue’s redemption rates on EL AL are quite competitive, especially when you consider how easy the points are to earn. DansDeals has a rundown of redemption rates, but generally speaking, you can expect to pay the following:

  • One-way economy awards from the United States to Israel cost 44,000-61,000 miles
  • One-way premium economy awards from the United States to Israel cost 80,500-110,000 miles
  • One-way business class awards from the United States to Israel cost 77,500-106,500 miles

Yes, in some cases business class is cheaper than premium economy, and I don’t really get that. Regardless, this new opportunity is the best option for using transferable points currencies for travel on EL AL, in a vast majority of cases.

Redeem Flying Blue miles on EL AL

It’s possible to earn Flying Blue miles on EL AL

While perhaps less exciting than the redemption opportunities, it’s worth noting that you can also earn Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles for travel on EL AL, assuming the flight is marketed and ticketed by the airline. Below you can find the mileage earning chart.

Flying Blue mileage earning rates on EL AL

Flying Blue no longer awards XPs (the metric by which you earn elite status) for travel on non-SkyTeam partners, so EL AL flights wouldn’t count toward elite status.

Bottom line

Flying Blue has rolled out award redemptions on EL AL, which is a cool development. Redemption rates are reasonable, and there are no carrier imposed surcharges. This is a useful option for those with transferable points currencies to redeem miles for EL AL, including in premium cabins.

What do you make of redeeming Flying Blue miles on EL AL?

Conversations (24)
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  1. Samo Guest

    It's a pity that flying El Al comes with such strict safety measures. Of course I understand that unlike other security theatre, these are objectively needed and have a purpose, but it really puts me off flying El Al which is otherwise a very nice airline :/ Especially these days I'd love to support them with my money as I'm sure the demand is down, but it's just too much hassle to go through.

    1 more reply
  2. Indopithecus Guest

    Remember: Boycott, Divest, Sanction. All the more reason after Oct. 07.

    1. Samo Guest

      I remember to proudly support Israeli products and companies (I just discovered Tubi60 thanks to that and it instantly became my favourite spirit, highly recommended!). It's the least we can do for a nation facing such barbaric attacks.

  3. Ehud Gavron Guest

    Great stuff. I don't get business being cheaper than premium economy ...at...all...

    Genocide should apply to all who hijack and airline mileage award program thread to opine on something they know nothing about. Kill the stupids. Cue Idiocracy.

  4. Gerald Guest

    Alaska miles will no longer be able to be redeemed for El Al flights after this month. Qantas miles can be redeemed for El Al flights at decent rates.

  5. 3 more replies
  6. Hammerofguam Member

    Cue the measured and reasonable, on-topic comments about El Al and Israel.

    7 more replies
  7. LeonR Member

    I miss the days of Amex transfer bonuses to Flying Blue :(

    1 more reply
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Brodie Gold

Go back to Mom's tunnel.

3
Ehud Gavron Guest

Great stuff. I don't get business being cheaper than premium economy ...at...all... Genocide should apply to all who hijack and airline mileage award program thread to opine on something they know nothing about. Kill the stupids. Cue Idiocracy.

1
Nick In Chicago Guest

Genocide.

1
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