Final fall, it was introduced that Air France/KLM Flying Blue members would quickly have the ability to add a free stopover on reward bookings. This system has made it official, and now you can add a stopover of as much as one yr without spending a dime on a Flying Blue reward reserving.
Few loyalty packages supply such a profit, and within the latest previous, extra packages have taken this characteristic away fairly than add it. In actual fact, Flying Blue now has one of the crucial beneficiant stopover insurance policies, permitting members to remain for as much as a yr at no further value!
Free Stopovers on Air France/KLM Flying Blue Redemptions
Whereas the preliminary announcement about stopovers was made on a webinar, there may be now an official information launch on the Flying Blue web site that outlines the coverage.
You may e book a stopover of between 24 hours and a yr on reward bookings made with Flying Blue miles. There isn’t a extra value in miles or money so as to add a stopover, which is a good deal.
In the intervening time, all stopovers have to be booked over the cellphone with the decision centre, however hopefully the flexibility to e book on-line shall be rolled out sooner or later.
Final fall, when the preliminary announcement about stopovers was revealed, it was advised that the characteristic would solely be obtainable on flights operated by Air France or KLM. Nevertheless, within the FAQ part the information launch, it states that stopovers could also be added with Air France, KLM, or associate airways, which appears to recommend that any associate airline of Flying Blue needs to be eligible.
With this improvement, Flying Blue joins the ranks of different main loyalty packages that provide stopovers on reward bookings, together with Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Airways Mileage Plan, and Singapore Airways KrisFlyer.
For North Individuals, which means the pure stopover factors shall be Paris and Amsterdam, the 2 hub cities for the airways. Nevertheless, stopovers may also be doable on the airways’ “fifth freedom” routes.
For instance, if you happen to’re planning a visit to Europe, you possibly can fly from Washington to Amsterdam, keep for as much as a yr, after which proceed onward to a different vacation spot in Europe, akin to Prague, at no extra value. In economic system class, this might value as few as 12,750 Flying Blue miles, which is an unimaginable deal.
With Air France, you would fly from New York to Paris, stopover for some time, after which proceed onward to Budapest for as few as 15,000 Flying Blue miles in economic system.
Equally, you possibly can break up two long-haul flights with a stopover in Europe. For instance, you would fly from Edmonton to Amsterdam, stopover for just a few days or just a few months, after which head onwards to Nairobi at no extra value.
The stopover possibility additionally extends to enterprise class redemptions. In case you’re capable of finding pricing on the decrease finish of the dynamic vary, you possibly can journey in consolation on each long- and short-haul flights with out paying something further.
It will get much more attention-grabbing when you think about a few of the different potentialities by leveraging Air France and KLM’s fifth freedom routes.
You would fly from Paris to Singapore with Air France, take pleasure in a stopover, after which proceed onwards to Bali on KLM’s fifth freedom route.
Equally, you would fly from Amsterdam to Miami with KLM, plan a stopover for as much as a yr, after which proceed onwards to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe with Air France.
The probabilities are many, and it’s nice to see a program including extra worth as an alternative of taking it away. That is particularly the case as we’ve seen so many program devaluations within the very latest previous.
The Newest of Many Flying Blue Adjustments
Air France/KLM Flying Blue is turning into fairly a contender amongst in style loyalty packages. Within the latest previous, we’ve seen many developments which have taken this system from an afterthought to at least one that’s certainly worthy of consideration.
Flying Blue burst onto the scene when it turned the newest switch associate for American Categorical Membership Rewards in August 2021. This paved the best way for simple entry to incomes Flying Blue miles, albeit with a less-than-ideal Canadian switch ratio of 1:0.75.
We’ve additionally seen a 25% switch bonus from Amex US Membership Rewards, which was along with the a lot better 1:1 switch ratio loved south of the border.
The month-to-month Promo Rewards can supply distinctive worth for long-haul flights between North America and Europe. There are even some months the place there are reductions on enterprise class award pricing, akin to flights from Montreal to Paris for as few as 27,500 miles.
In October 2022, Brim Monetary launched the Air France KLM Flying Blue World Elite Mastercard, the primary Canadian bank card with which you’ll be able to earn Flying Blue miles in your day by day spending.
Whereas the shortage of a welcome bonus made the debut land with a little bit of a thud, it’s solely doable that we may see a greater supply within the close to future. In actual fact, in america, the Financial institution of America gives the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard with a welcome bonus of fifty,000 Flying Blue miles, so hopefully one thing comparable involves Canada.
It’s value noting that Air France and KLM will quickly implement advance seat choice charges for enterprise class passengers, which is a damaging improvement. As of April 4, 2023, passengers booked on long-haul flights with Air France or KLM must pay €70–90 to pick a seat previous to check-in.
The coverage received’t apply to North American flights to start with, which is not less than excellent news in the interim.
Conclusion
Free stopovers of as much as a yr are actually a characteristic of Air France/KLM Flying Blue rewards. You’ll need to cellphone the contact centre so as to add one to your reserving, which is a little bit of an inconvenience, however not less than it comes with none further fees in miles or money.
This improvement additional provides worth to the frequent flyer program, and is an effective way to see a number of cities on the identical journey.
