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Every so often, you'll log into a frequent flyer program to book an award and find higher rates than you did yesterday — despite no notice from the program. The example du jour is Air France/KLM Flying Blue. Based on what we're seeing now, the cheapest awards between the U.S. and Europe now require as much as 25% more miles.
Here's what Flying Blue fans need to know about this devaluation.
Flying Blue Devalues Awards Between the U.S. And Europe
Flying Blue awards between the U.S. and Europe have been devalued. Unlike when we saw higher award rates a couple of weeks ago — which Flying Blue attributed to tech issues — this change looks doesn't seem to be temporary. One Mile at a Time reports that Flying Blue confirmed this change is intentional.
We'll re-iterate that Flying Blue has had its fair share of tech issues lately. Beyond the faux Christmas devaluation and the delayed implementation of the program’s monthly Promo Rewards, there’s still a chance this could be related to something similar.
It's reasonable to believe that if Flying Blue could take the time to confirm the worst with the media, it could also take a similar step and let consumers know about the state of the program. That hasn't happened yet.
But with that context in mind, here are the Flying Blue award prices we're seeing now. Then, you can decide whether to lock in a saver-level award while they're still (sort of) available or wait for the dust to settle.
Current Flying Blue award rates to/from Europe
In October 2023, Flying Blue standardized award prices between North America and Europe. The result? Flying Blue awards priced as low as the following:
- 20,000 miles in economy
- 35,000 miles in premium economy
- 50,000 miles in business
But if you look for saver-level awards now — and by that, we mean the cheapest available (excluding Flying Blue's monthly Promo Rewards) — you'll notice pricing that looks like this instead:
- 25,000 miles in economy (25% increase)
- 40,000 miles in premium economy (14% increase)
- 60,000 miles in business (20% increase)
However, finding business class awards right now is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Take Chicago (ORD) to Amsterdam (AMS), for example. The only day through the end of the bookable calendar you can lock in a one-way ticket for 60k Flying Blue miles is…today. So, pack your bags!
It's the same story with premium economy. Availability was spotty at best on a few of the routes we checked. However, these issues are the apparent silver lining of the Flying Blue deviation. OMAAT reports more availability is coming to compensate for the higher prices — but it hasn't been reflected in the system yet.
On the other hand, economy class is widely available — on virtually every route — for 25k miles. The exception is the routes included in the program's Promo Rewards. Right now, those tickets still reflect the vintage promotional pricing.
From what we can tell, some of Flying Blue's partner award sweet spots have remained intact — at least for now. For instance, last month, Delta awards between coastal North Carolina and New York LaGuardia started at 7,500 Flying Blue miles per person. And those same rates are available today.
Related: How the Flying Blue Mileage Overdraft Benefit Works
Final Thoughts
Air France/KLM Flying Blue devalued saver-level awards between the U.S. and Europe. This is unfortunate news for those who could successfully find and book the program's cheapest awards across the Atlantic. The cheapest award tickets now require up to 25% more miles.
That said, if the additional availability is as promised, this devaluation could work to award travelers advantages — at least for those who book premium economy and business class. Finding economy award availability at 20k miles was never an issue. Despite that, Flying Blue economy awards underwent the worst devaluation percentage-wise.
The last thing we'll say is that this devaluation feels like a slap in the face. Just weeks ago, the program appeared to have devalued, walked it back, apologized for the inconvenience, and then…did this. No-notice devaluations are a part of life in the points and miles game, but it's worth taking note of the programs that are the most serious offenders. As the saying goes, trust is a two-way street.
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