Air France KLM Flying Blue Guide

With many frequent flyers still reeling from the shock changes to BA Club, some may be looking to leave the alliance all together. Several airlines have taken the advantage by entice travellers with status matches, Air France chef amongst them !

Flying Blue is the joint loyalty program of Air France and KLM, offering a range of benefits for frequent flyers within the wider SkyTeam Alliance. Here, whie redeemable miles earned are spend based, crucially XP points, which determine status are still distance based !

It is the only program within the SkyTeam  that I use and for many reasons I’d illustrate below, is one of my favourites!

1. Overview of Flying Blue

Key Features:

• Revenue-Based Earning Model: Miles are earned based on the ticket price in Euros (excluding taxes and fees) rather than distance flown.
• Dynamic Award Pricing: The cost of award tickets varies depending on demand, seasonality, and route.
• Elite Status Tiers: Explorer (entry-level), Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
• Monthly Promo Rewards: Discounted award tickets on select routes.
• Miles Validity: Miles do not expire as long as there is qualifying activity every 24 months.
• Partnerships: Earn miles with SkyTeam airlines, non-alliance airlines and hotel, car rental, and financial partners.
• Elite Perks: SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus status benefits apply across all partner airlines.

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2. Earning Flying Blue Miles & XP (Experience Points)

Flying Blue operates on a revenue-based model for earning miles and a separate XP (Experience Points) system for status progression.

2.1. Earning Miles

Flying with Air France, KLM & Partner Airlines

• Standard Earning Rates (Base fare + carrier-imposed surcharges):
  • Explorer (Base Member): 4 miles per €1 spent
  • Silver: 6 miles per €1 spent
  • Gold: 7 miles per €1 spent
  • Platinum: 8 miles per €1 spent
• Flying on Partner Airlines (SkyTeam & Others): Miles earned depend on the fare class and distance.

Earning Miles Beyond Flights

• Credit Cards (Europe & US):
  • UK: American Express Membership Rewards transfers at 1:1 ratio.
  • US: Flying Blue-branded credit cards (by Bank of America) & transfers from Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Capital One Miles (all 1:1).
• Hotels & Car Rentals: Hilton, Marriott, Accor, Hertz, Avis, etc.
• Shopping & Dining: Flying Blue Store, partnered restaurants.

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2.2. Earning XP for Elite Status

XP (Experience Points) determines elite status. They are earned based on the flight segment and cabin class.

XP Earning Table

Flight Type	Economy	Premium Economy	Business	First
Domestic (France, US)	2 XP	4 XP	6 XP	N/A
Medium-haul (<2,500 miles)	5 XP	10 XP	15 XP	20 XP
Long-haul (2,500+ miles)	10 XP	20 XP	30 XP	60 XP

There are additional ways in which you can earn extra XP points per year

• Mileage donation to charities
• Sustainable fuel initiatives
• Partner credit cards :
• Air France KLM – American Express Silver Card = 15 additional XP per year
• Air France KLM – American Express Gold Card = 30 additional XP per year
• Air France KLM – American Express Platinum Card = 60 additional XP per year

One of the unique features I love about this programme is that if you are already an Elite member i.e Silver or above, you can rollover any unused XP points onto the following year! So for examples

If you are Gold in 2024, and in 2025 you earned 250 XP points, which is enough to retain Gold. The 70 XP surplus carries over so you have an easier time to try and level up to Platinum !

3. Flying Blue Elite Status & Benefits

Flying Blue offers four membership tiers: Explorer, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, with increasing benefits.

3.1. Status Requirements

Status	XP Required (per year)
Explorer	Entry Level
Silver (SkyTeam Elite)	100 XP
Gold (SkyTeam Elite Plus)	180 XP
Platinum (SkyTeam Elite Plus)	300 XP

3.2. Status Benefits

Benefit	Silver	Gold	Platinum
SkyTeam Elite Status		Elite Plus	Elite Plus
Priority Check-in & Boarding
Extra Baggage
Lounge Access
Free Seat Selection
XP Rollover
Dedicated Call Center

• Gold & Platinum Members get access to SkyTeam lounges worldwide.
• Platinum members get XP rollover, so excess XP above the 300 requirement carries over to the next year.

3.2. Ultimate

There is an additional tier which is the highest possible Tier you can reach with Air France / KLM. This would be equivalent to British Airways Gold Guest List

This can only be earned by earning from Air France and KLM metal exclusively, for which you will earn UXP points instead of XP. You need to earn 900 UXP points in a 12 month period to quality, which is no easy feat !

Additional benefits over and top of Gold/Platinum level:

• Earn 9 Miles for each euro spent
• Dedicated Ultimate Assistant available around the clock to help with anything you need for your travels
• Complimentary entry to Air France and KLM lounges for you and up to eight guests (conditions apply)
• More check-in baggage allowance on Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam flights ( the limit does not seem to be specified !? )
• Ultimate and/or SkyPriority airport services for you and up to eight travel companions
• Four one-cabin upgrade vouchers per membership year
• One partner Flying Blue Platinum card

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4. Flying Blue Award Flights (Spending Miles)

Flying Blue uses a dynamic award pricing model, meaning award prices vary by demand and season.

4.1. Award Ticket Pricing

• One-way awards start from:
  • Economy: 7,500 miles (Europe), 11,500 miles (US to Europe)
  • Business Class: 60,000 miles (US to Europe)
• First Class La Première: Only available to Flying Blue Platinum members.

4.2. Monthly Promo Rewards

Flying Blue releases Promo Rewards every month, offering 25-50% off award tickets on select routes.

• Great for UK/US travellers: Business class awards to/from the US can sometimes drop below 40,000 miles one-way.
• This month, there are no Business promos but you can fly to far off destinations such as Buenos Aires, Ho Chi Min City or Johannesburg for only 22,500 miles in Economy !

4.3. Cash & Miles

You can part-pay for flights with miles (starting at 2,000 miles for €10 off).

4.4. Spend Miles in Retail

You can spend your miles through the Flying Blue Store – however that is rarely a good way to spend your miles !

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5. What Makes Flying Blue Unique?

Compared to Other SkyTeam Programs

Feature	Flying Blue	Delta SkyMiles	Aeromexico Club Premier
Award Pricing	Dynamic	Dynamic	Fixed (some routes)
Promo Awards	Monthly Discounts
Earning Structure	Revenue-Based	Revenue-Based	Distance-Based
Elite Qualification	XP System	MQD/MQM/MQS	Level Points
First Class Redemptions	La Première (Platinums only)

• XP system is more straightforward than Delta’s complex Medallion Qualifiers.
• Promo Rewards are a standout feature missing from many competitors.

Compared to OneWorld & Star Alliance Programs

Feature	Flying Blue	British Airways Executive Club	Lufthansa Miles & More
Award Chart	Dynamic	Distance-Based	Distance-Based
Avios-like Discounts	(Promo Rewards)	(Reward Flight Saver)
Elite Rollover	(Platinum)
Best for Business Class Awards			(Lufthansa First)

• BA Reward Flight Saver offers low fees for short-haul awards, but long-haul surcharges are high.
• Lufthansa Miles & More has better First Class access but is harder to earn miles in the UK/US.

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6. Best Ways to Maximize Flying Blue

1. Use Promo Rewards for discounted business class flights.
2. Earn via UK/US credit cards (Amex, Chase, Citi).
3. Strategically use XP system to maintain elite status.
4. Ability to book La Première awards via Platinum status.
5. Take advantage of partner airline redemptions (e.g., Delta, Virgin Atlantic).

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Overall Thoughts

Flying Blue is one of the most reliable programmes out there and consistently offers frequent flyers great value. Value and benefits that can be enjoyed across a bigger group of airlines than the oneworld alliance!

For UK based travellers, Virgin joining the alliance also makes it a more compelling programme to consider alongside Flying Club

It’s not often you hear of programmes that reduce miles required for redemptions, yet that is precisely what Flying Blue did a couple of years back when it reduced US-Europe Business Class saver awards from 55,000 to 50,000! Unfortunately this year it went up to 60,000 – still at a very reasonable level!

Talking of Business Class Saver awards – they are not always easy to come by at peak times but if you persist from early enough they will show up! For grabbing a bargain with the Promo rewards, remember they are launched on the 1st of each month for select destinations – the sooner you look on/after the 1st the easier it will be to find the advertised deals for your dates!

If you are wondering what Air France and KLM are like to fly with you can read some of my recent reviews below:

Air France 777 Business Class to New York

Air France A350 Business Class Atlanta To Paris

KLM 787 World Business Class To Chicago