Flying Blue

Flying Blue logo

Flying Blue is the loyalty program of Air France and KLM that offers rewards to passengers travelling on certain types of tickets. In June 2005, the frequent flyer programmes of Air France (Fréquence plus) and KLM (Flying Dutchman) were combined to create the Flying Blue program after the two companies merged into a single parent company. Apart from KLM and Air France, Flying Blue is also the loyalty scheme of various carriers which formerly shared Air France's Fréquence plus or KLM's Flying Dutchman schemes, including Kenya Airways (partly owned by KLM) and Aircalin (partly owned by Air France). On June 15, 2007, it also became the loyalty scheme of Air Europa as the company was moving towards becoming an associate member of SkyTeam sponsored by Air France (associate members had to abandon their own frequent flyer programme and adopt that of the sponsoring carrier). The program was subsequently adopted by the Swiss carrier FlyBaboo in 2009 and, in 2010, by Skyteam-inductee TAROM of Romania. Flying Blue members can earn and spend mileage points on flights and services of Air France-KLM, other companies of the SkyTeam airline alliance and assorted other financial, travel, and transportation companies.

Airline partners

SkyTeam member airlines

Airline	Frequent Flyer Program	Earn Miles	Redeem Miles
Aeroflot	Aeroflot Bonus	x	x
Aeroméxico	Club Premier	x	x
Air Europa	Flying Blue	x	x
Air France	Flying Blue	x	x
Alitalia	MilleMiglia	x	x
China Airlines	Dynasty Flyer	x	x
China Eastern Airlines	Eastern Miles	x	x
China Southern Airlines	Sky Pearl Club	x	x
Czech Airlines	OK Plus	x	x
Delta Air Lines	SkyMiles	x	x
Kenya Airways	Flying Blue	x	x
KLM	Flying Blue	x	x
Korean Air	SKYPASS	x	x
TAROM	Flying Blue	x	x
Vietnam Airlines	Golden Lotus Plus	x	x

Future airline partners

• Aerolíneas Argentinas
• Garuda Indonesia
• Saudi Arabian Airlines

These airlines are future SkyTeam members.

Non-airline partners

Financial services

Company	Earn Miles	Redeem Miles	Convert Miles
American Express Membership Rewards	x		x
Diners Club Rewards	x		x
Flying Blue-American Express card	x
Travelex	x

Telecom

Company	Earn Miles	Redeem Miles	Convert Miles
Travelling Connect	x
World Telecom Teleconnect	x

Car rental

Company	Earn Miles	Redeem Miles	Convert Miles
Avis	x	x
Europcar	x
Hertz	x	x
National Citer	x
Sixt	x	x
Verstraaten BT	x

Hotels

Hotel Company	Earn Miles	Redeem Miles	Convert Miles	Hotels
Accor	x			Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, all seasons
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide	x			Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, The Luxury Collection, Westin, Le Méridien, Four Poins by Sheraton, W Hotels, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Aloft
Best Western	x			Best Western
Carlson Hotels	x		x	Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Blu, Radisson Edwardian, Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts
Concorde Hotels & Resorts	x			Concorde Hotels
Hilton Hotels	x		x	Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations Club, The Waldorf-Astoria Collection, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Homewood Suites by Hilton
Global Hotel Alliance	x			Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, Kempinski Hotels, Marco Polo Hotels, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts, The Doyle Collection, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, First Hotels, Mirvac Hotels & Resorts, Mokara Hotels & Spas, Tivoli Hotels & Resorts, Lungarno Collection, Shaza Hotels
Golden Tulip Bucuti Beach Resort Aruba		x
Golden Tulip Hotels, Inns & Resorts	x		x	Golden Tulip, Royal Tulip
Hyatt	x		x	Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, AmeriSuites
Louvre Hotels	x	x		Campanile, Kyriad, Kyriad Prestige
Marriott	x		x	Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Mariott Vacation Club, Mariott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts Residence Inn by Mariott, SpringHill Suites by Mariott, TownePlace Suites by Mariott
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group	x
Meliá Hotels International	x	x	x	Meliá, Meliá All Inclusive, Innside by Meliá, Gran Meliá, Paradisus, ME by Meliá, Sol Hotels, Tryp by Wyndham
NH Hoteles	x	x		NH Collection Hoteles, NH Hoteles, NH Express Hoteles
Oberoi Hotels	x			Oberoi Hotels, Trident Hotels
Preferred Hotel Group	x			Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Boutique, Summit Hotels & Resorts, Sterling Hotels, Historic Hotels of America
Intercontinental Hotel Group	x			InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Express by Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces	x			Taj Luxury Hotels, The Gateway Hotels, Vivanta by Taj; lunch & dinner: Bombay Brasserie, Quilon
Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts	x
Tulip Inn	x			Tulip Inn
Worldhotels	x

Service and support for members

Flying Blue is supported by the respective web sites on www.AirFrance.com and www.KLM.com and to a greater extent through the dedicated Flying Blue Service Centres located around the world. For instance, the European office is in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, while the service centre for North America, South America and the Caribbean is in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada.

Structure

Members of the Flying Blue programme can gain Level Miles and Award Miles.

Level and award miles

Flying Blue contains four membership levels – Ivory (Basic level), Silver (SkyTeam Elite level), Gold, and Platinum (SkyTeam Elite Plus level). Level miles are gained by taking any flights with an AF or KL code (this includes codeshares not operated by SkyTeam members; however, getting mileage credited for such flights may take written complaints), or flights operated by one of SkyTeam's airline companies under the code of any other SkyTeam airline, or flights operated by Kenya Airways (including some feeder flights operated on behalf of KQ by regional carriers).

Each mile flown on KL and AF is one level mile and one award mile (minimum 750 for international and 500 for domestic). International long-haul flights in the bottom economy fare classes (class L) only get 25% of the mileage flown credited, with a minimum of 187 miles (fare classes N and V on KLM, L on AF, V on Kenya Airways and NWA). Other discounted economy fares score 50% or 75%. The full 100% is only credited when flying on flexible, full-fare tickets. Some French domestic fare classes on AF (fare class N is well-known) do not accrue any mileage. Passengers in Business or First Class get a bonus. For airline partners, the precise mileage earning rules vary (including by fare class).

Award miles for flights on AF, KLM, SkyTeam partners and Kenya Airways correspond to the level miles earned, augmented by a status-dependent bonus of 50% (Silver), 75% (Gold), or 100% (Platinum) for elite members. Flights on non-SkyTeam airline partners (except Kenya Airways) yield award miles only, but no elite bonus is granted. Detailed mileage earning rules vary by airline partner. Award miles can be earned through several partners like hotels, car rental companies, and affiliated credit cards, among others.

Award Miles can be used for free flights, discounts, ticket upgrades, gifts and donations. However when used to buy Economy class tickets, Award miles are worth little or nothing: often the additional charges and taxes levied are equal to the cost of a similar ticket on a low cost airline. To be of any value the Award miles have to be used for intercontinental business class tickets.^{[citation needed]}

To retain Award Miles one needs to fly on a paid, Award Mile-earning ticket at least once every twenty months, otherwise the total balance expires.

Elite benefits

Each membership level above Ivory offers an increasing amount of advantages: priority boarding and extra baggage allowance for Silver level members; lounge access for Gold and Platinum. Silver level members enjoy SkyTeam Elite status with SkyTeam partner airlines; Gold and Platinum level members enjoy SkyTeam Elite Plus status.

Lounge access is granted to Air France and KLM lounges when on a same-day SkyTeam flight; to SkyTeam partner lounges when on a same-day international SkyTeam flight (this benefit is only available to SkyTeam Elite Plus level members, i.e., Platinum and Gold). Gold and Platinum members may invite one guest to join them in lounges, when that guest is also travelling on a same-day SkyTeam flight. When partner airlines use contract lounges, lounge access rules might differ from the above summary.

Elite members of Flying Blue are also eligible for confirmed upgrades to domestic First Class when flying Delta Air Lines flights in the contiguous United States and Canada.

2009 April Fools' Day

As of April 1, 2009; the earning levels of Flying Blue were severely reduced, devaluating thus the attractivity of the Flying Blue program. Moreover, some of the changes were announced at the last minute; with Air France later refusing to honour the previously booked tickets under the old rules (i.e.valid at the time of booking). This caused a severe reduction of top-tier members and a significant outflow of members towards concurrent schemes, mainly Miles&More, which offered a status match (same level membership) to all those wishing to change their FFP.

Community

There is an active community of Flying Blue members at Flyertalk.

References

• Flying Blue Information page by Air France
• Flying Blue Information page by KLM