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In light of the current 25% transfer bonus from Amex MR to Air France KLM Flying Blue, it’s a great time to revisit some Flying Blue sweet spots. I’ve mentioned recently that I’m loving Flying Blue, although there has since been one negative change. Overall, Flying Blue remains one of the strongest frequent flyer programs with many compelling use cases.
The key is knowing where Flying Blue still offers outsized value (and where it doesn’t).
Flying Blue Promo Rewards: Transatlantic Business Class for 45,000 Miles
The go-to use case for Flying Blue is its monthly Promo Rewards, which offer discounts on certain flights. Premium cabins are often discounted by 25%, making for a great redemption. Promo Rewards apply to Air France or KLM metal, and the most popular routes are between North America and Europe. Usually, it costs 60,000 points one-way, and with a promo reward, it goes down to just 45,000 Flying Blue miles one-way in business class.
In recent weeks, Flying Blue has increased the fuel surcharges for redemptions on its own metal. For example, a one-way business class flight from Ottawa to Paris on Air France used to cost around $300 in fuel surcharges and now costs around $500.
This is indisputably a negative change, but I’d say it’s still worth it, given fuel surcharges have gone up across the board, including on cash tickets, due to the current aviation fuel situation. However, here are two cases that are definitely still worth it:
- Combining Amex transfer bonus with a promo reward
- Flying from the West Coast to Europe in business class
With the current 25% transfer bonus from Amex MR, 45,000 miles is just 36,000 Amex MR. That’s a strong deal even with ~$500 in fuel surcharges, but it’s an even better deal if you’re flying from the West Coast. That’s because Air France uses a region-based award chart so it’s the same price no matter where in North America you’re flying from.
Compare this to Aeroplan, which is both region- and distance-based. For example, a friend of mine just paid 70,000 Aeroplan points for Vancouver–Frankfurt–Prague. With a Promo Reward and an Amex transfer bonus, Vancouver–Paris–Prague would cost just 45,000 Flying Blue or 36,000 MR.
China Airlines Transpacific for 65,000-73,000 Miles
China Airlines is a great redemption on Flying Blue, with routes like Vancouver–Taipei available for just 65,000 miles. Last October, I booked Phoenix–Taipei for 72,500 Flying Blue miles + ~$180 in taxes/fees. Availability can be inconsistent, so set alerts with seats.aero and sign up for alerts with services like Thrifty Traveler (I actually booked from a Thrifty Traveler alert). Pricing varies slightly between routes, but remains reasonable — Los Angeles costs 69,500 miles for example.
Flights on Delta and WestJet: Domestic & International
Transborder flights on Delta offer excellent value with Flying Blue and often a better deal than redeeming directly through Delta SkyMiles.
The same applies to international flights on Delta. As a fun example, consider a flight from New York to Dakar for just 71,000 Flying Blue miles + $64 CAD in taxes/fees.
With WestJet, Flying Blue is hands-down the best way to book, period. Book short-haul flights like Toronto–Montreal for only 5,000 miles or longer flights like Seattle–Calgary–Ottawa for 21,500 miles.
You can also book flights to sun destinations on WestJet at a spectacular deal. Consider a 6.5-hour flight from Calgary to Montego Bay, Jamaica for 26,500 miles.
Routes Not Touching North America
Like Delta SkyMiles, some of Flying Blue’s best sweet spots are flights that don’t touch North America. I’m personally eyeing a flight from Tashkent to Shanghai for just 41,000 miles in business class.
Flights within the Asia-Pacific region can be surprisingly long, and a flight from Taipei to Sydney is over 9 hours of flight time. You can book this on China Airlines for just 47,000 Flying Blue miles in business class.
Takeaway
Despite recent increases in fuel surcharges on Air France and KLM metal, Flying Blue still offers some of the best sweet spots available, especially for transatlantic business class, China Airlines redemptions, and both short- and long-haul flights on Delta and WestJet. The current 25% Amex transfer bonus makes these deals even more compelling.
If you know where to look, Flying Blue remains one of the strongest programs to use right now.
