The frequent flyer program of Air France and KLM, Flying Blue, could possibly be the perfect loyalty program to your subsequent redemption.
This system provides standard-level transatlantic redemptions from anyplace within the U.S. to anyplace in Europe beginning at:
- 25,000 miles in financial system
- 40,000 miles in premium financial system
- 60,000 miles in enterprise class
This implies you could possibly guide a business-class ticket from the West Coast to the far-flung corners of Europe for simply 60,000 miles in enterprise class every approach when there’s saver-level availability, which might be a superb redemption by way of worth.
Sadly, these enticing charges are for the restricted saver-level redemptions, with all different flights priced dynamically. In consequence, you might even see charges considerably larger than this, doubtlessly with an additional zero added.
To guide redemptions at saver-level charges, let’s take a look at how Flying Blue costs redemptions.
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How Flying Blue dynamic pricing works
A number of main loyalty applications value their awards dynamically. They argue that redemption costs ought to rise when money fares improve (usually in periods of upper demand).
Listed below are some necessary traits to notice.
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Flying Blue doesn’t assure any minimal variety of award seats at saver ranges
Though different European loyalty applications, similar to British Airways Membership, assure a minimal variety of seats on each flight when schedules open, Flying Blue makes no such guarantees. Even when you search 12 months upfront, the seats could solely be loaded at costs far above the saver stage.
Observe that the standardized pricing is just for flights between the U.S. and Europe.
The provider generally reduces seats to saver ranges on the final minute
Whereas low-priced awards could not instantly seem in your search outcomes, they’ll pop up nearer to departure. These last-minute reductions usually tend to occur on off-peak dates, outdoors the Northern Hemisphere’s summer season interval and main holidays, and could also be restricted to flights at much less interesting occasions, similar to the primary or final flight of the day.
Dynamic costs should not tied to money costs
Many airways align money and award ticket costs very carefully. For instance, Delta Air Traces will promote you a refundable round-trip Delta One business-class flight to Paris for $5,067 or 470,000 Delta SkyMiles plus $217. This provides you virtually a 1-cent-per-mile redemption worth in comparison with the money value.
Flying Blue is completely different. An award for a flight departing at 9 a.m. may price 200,000 Flying Blue miles, whereas a flight two hours later that very same day may price solely 100,000 Flying Blue miles, with little distinction between the money fares of the 2 flights.
It’s simpler to search out financial system and premium financial system saver awards than business-class saver awards
Like most applications, financial system and premium financial system awards to Europe are sometimes plentiful, whereas business-class awards are a lot more durable to come back by. On the whole, it’s not troublesome to search out business-class awards from the East Coast outdoors of summer season, however it’s usually laborious to search out them from the West Coast, irrespective of whenever you plan on flying.
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Flying Blue makes use of married segments when pricing awards
Simply since you discover availability on one itinerary doesn’t suggest that one (or extra) of that itinerary’s flights will carry over to different routings. This is because of “married-segment logic,” which suggests the worth relies on the precise itinerary, not particular person segments.
For instance, say you need to fly to Eire subsequent yr and also you see a number of dates with saver-level availability in February from New York, connecting by way of both Amsterdam or Paris to Dublin.
You may assume that if these costs can be found, saver costs would even be accessible for simply the New York to Paris or Amsterdam legs; in spite of everything, it is just one flight quite than two.
Sadly, Flying Blue makes use of married-segment logic in pricing metropolis pairs otherwise primarily based on what it believes to be the demand, and there could also be extra demand for a nonstop flight from New York to Paris or Amsterdam than a connecting flight to Dublin.
When you need not fear an excessive amount of about how married segments work, the lesson is that if you cannot discover a flight to a hub accessible for an honest redemption value, contemplate looking out with a further short-haul leg added. You may discover a a lot cheaper price, and it could possibly be well worth the quick detour.
Associated: 10 errors to keep away from when redeeming airline factors and miles
All the time verify the month-to-month Promo Rewards
Each month, Flying Blue publishes a listing of metropolis pairs with discounted award pricing for a set journey interval (often just a few months), offered you guide throughout that month.
It is laborious to overstate how helpful these Promo Rewards may be. For instance, this month, this system provides financial system awards from New York Metropolis’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Europe for a decreased value. As an alternative of paying the same old saver value of 25,000 Flying Blue miles, you may solely want to make use of 18,750 miles. This implies you could possibly fly to Paris after which to Spain for a really affordable value.
If you see costs even decrease than the standardized saver ranges, it is possible as a result of they’re Promo Rewards.
Easy methods to discover saver-level area
The simplest approach to discover saver-level area is to make use of the Flying Blue web site in your most well-liked route and sophistication. Nonetheless, you must depart the date discipline clean whereas looking out.
Doing so will trigger the month-to-month view to point out, permitting you to simply see which months have seats on the saver stage, plus which dates of the month they’re accessible.
You’ll be able to then click on your most well-liked date to see the flights accessible, with costs ranging from the worth indicated on the calendar.
Bear in mind, too, that Flying Blue permits you to add stopovers on award tickets for no further cost, however you may must name to take action.
Easy methods to earn Flying Blue miles
Flying Blue is a switch associate of:
Listed below are among the welcome bonuses accessible proper now that you could possibly convert to Flying Blue:
- Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (see charges and costs): Earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Specific: Earn 150,000 factors after spending $20,000 on purchases within the first three months of cardmembership.
- The Platinum Card® from American Specific: Earn 80,000 factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of cardmembership.
- Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card: Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases throughout the first three months of account opening, plus obtain a one-time $250 Capital One Journey credit score to make use of within the first cardholder yr.
- Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Ink Enterprise Most popular® Credit score Card (see charges and costs): Earn 90,000 factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Associated: How (and why) you must earn transferable bank card factors
Backside line
Sadly, past the restricted saver-level awards, there’s little logic to how Flying Blue costs its redemptions. An award that prices 60,000 miles on sooner or later may price 300,000 miles on the subsequent.
It is irritating that there could also be no low-priced seats in premium cabins for months at a time, and costs of 250,000 miles for a seven-hour flight in financial system that may in any other case price $400 just isn’t unusual.
Thankfully, viewing month-to-month costs throughout a yr to search out these helpful saver-level awards is easy, and Flying Blue miles are straightforward to earn. You’ll be able to strive including on a short-haul flight to see extra availability, and the month-to-month Promo Rewards usually provide spectacular worth, even on in style routes.
