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Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles are some of the most versatile miles around. And the program just got even better with Flying Blue unveiling AirBaltic as its newest partner. Effective immediately, you can earn miles when flying with AirBaltic (with some restrictions), and you can redeem your Flying Blue miles for awards aboard AirBaltic flights.
Earning Flying Blue Miles on AirBaltic Flights
You can earn miles and gain XP (elite status credits) when flying AirBaltic-operated fights that are marketed as Air France or KLM flights. That means an AirBaltic flight with an Air France or KLM flight number on your boarding pass.
Flying Blue members will not be eligible to earn miles on the following flights:
- Flights that are both marketed and operated by AirBaltic.
- Award flights booked using miles aboard AirBaltic.
From the description, it seems there is a codeshare agreement between AirBaltic and Air France KLM, and your earnings are restricted to just these codeshare flights. This is unlike a formal alliance partnership where you earn miles on all partner airline flights regardless of marketing.
Flying Blue Redemptions Aboard AirBaltic
As its name suggests, AirBaltic operates out of three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. AirBaltic hubs are found in the capitals of these countries: Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius, respectively. The airline's scope of operations is limited to Europe, with the furthest destinations being Tbilisi, Dubai, and the Canary Islands. As of August 2022, AirBaltic serves 73 destinations across 30 countries.
This makes AirBaltic a great option to redeem miles for travel around eastern Europe. Typically, AirBaltic does not include a luggage allowance on its basic fares. And that also seems to be the case for Flying Blue awards booked aboard AirBaltic.
Flying Blue Award Pricing on AirBaltic
Like most Flying Blue award pricing for European travel, the prices are not great. For example, the relatively short flight from Riga to Berlin costs 11,500 miles one-way. The taxes and fees are modest at around 10 euros (~$10).
The award pricing doesn't get much better looking at flights from Tallinn to Prague. The cheapest one-way economy award on this route starts at 16,500 miles plus modest taxes and fees.
These examples are on the cheaper side compared to most routes we explored. On other routes, you can expect to pay more than that.
Our Take
More choices to earn and burn miles is always great news. That being said, redeeming Flying Blue miles for short hops on AirBaltic awards doesn't seem worth it. You are better served by using your miles on a long-haul premium award. On the hand, the ability to earn miles for flights around eastern Europe that would have previously earned you nothing is great news!
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