{"id":24078,"date":"2018-06-13T03:05:54","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T07:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=24078"},"modified":"2022-10-27T14:03:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-27T14:03:46","slug":"june-2018-flying-blue-promo-awards-and-devaluation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/june-2018-flying-blue-promo-awards-and-devaluation\/","title":{"rendered":"June 2018 Flying Blue Promo Awards and Devaluation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>This promotion has ended, however, you can check out the <a href=\"\/blog\/link\/current-flying-blue-promo-rewards\" rel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\">Current Flying Blue Promo Rewards<\/a> or see our <a href=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/credit-cards\/flying-blue-transfer-partners\/\">guide on which points transfer to Flying Blue.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Flying Blue has announced its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flyingblue.es\/en\/flights\/promo-rewards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">monthly Promo Awards for June 2018<\/a>; however, unlike previous versions of the promo this time around it is subject to the changes in the Flying Blue Program that came into effect as of June 1, 2018.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Promo_Awards_Overview\">Promo Awards Overview<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Flights need to be booked by June 30, 2018<\/li>\n<li>Travel period on most routes is August 1, through September 30, 2018<\/li>\n<li>Bookings only valid if made via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.klm.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KLM.com<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.airfrance.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AirFrance.com<\/a>; phone bookings are not possible<\/li>\n<li>Tickets cannot be canceled, changed, or refunded<\/li>\n<li>Tickets are sold as one-way or roundtrip<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Key_Changes_To_Flying_Blue\">Key Changes To Flying Blue<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The following changes came into force on June 1, 2018:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flying Blue has eliminated award charts<\/li>\n<li>The cost of awards will depend on \u201cvarious factors\u201d although Flying Blue has not said what the factors are<\/li>\n<li>They have created a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flyingblue.us\/en\/flights\/reward-tickets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">calculator page to work out award pricing for routes<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Prices on the calculator page are starting rates, and there is no indication on how availability affects them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"North_America_Route_Options\">North America Route Options<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This month there are two US destinations participating in the promo awards. Awards from Chicago O\u2019Hare International and San Francisco International Airport to Europe are discounted by 50% and 25% respectively. The discount only applies to Economy award flights.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_The_Changes_Affect_The_Promo_Awards\">How The Changes Affect The Promo Awards<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>According to the Flying Blue calculator, a flight from Chicago O\u2019Hare International to Amsterdam, Schiphol will normally set you back 27,500 miles one way in Economy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24079\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"1556\/523\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24079 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-award-pricing.png\" alt=\"Chicago to Amsterdam award pricing\" width=\"1556\" height=\"523\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-award-pricing.png 1556w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-award-pricing-300x101.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-award-pricing-1024x344.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1556px) 100vw, 1556px\" \/><center><em>Chicago to Amsterdam award pricing<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>With the promo awards, this should price at 13,750 miles which is a great value.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24080\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"1358\/709\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24080 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-Promo-Award-e1528851396950.png\" alt=\"Chicago to Amsterdam Promo Award\" width=\"1358\" height=\"709\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-Promo-Award-e1528851396950.png 1358w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-Promo-Award-e1528851396950-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-Promo-Award-e1528851396950-1024x535.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Amsterdam-Promo-Award-e1528851396950-768x401.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1358px) 100vw, 1358px\" \/><center><em>Chicago to Amsterdam Promo Award<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>Things start to get strange when you try and book a promo award to a European destination other than Paris or Amsterdam. Trying to book Chicago to Rome via Amsterdam yields a price of 53,000 miles plus taxes and fees. This is huge and effectively means that you are being charged 39,250 miles to fly from Amsterdam to Rome one way.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24081\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"975\/788\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24081 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Rome-Promo-Award.png\" alt=\"Chicago to Rome Promo Award\" width=\"975\" height=\"788\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Rome-Promo-Award.png 975w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Rome-Promo-Award-300x242.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><center><em>Chicago to Rome Promo Award<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>Things get even stranger if you decide to break up the route and book two separate awards, the first from Chicago to Amsterdam for 13,750 miles and then a separate award from Amsterdam to Rome. The second segment will set you back 25,500 miles one way which is significantly lower than the 39,250 miles it would cost to book a single award.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24082\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"986\/691\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24082 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Rome-standard-award.png\" alt=\"Amsterdam to Rome standard award\" width=\"986\" height=\"691\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Rome-standard-award.png 986w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Rome-standard-award-300x210.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px\" \/><center><em>Amsterdam to Rome standard award<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>The situation is the same if you select a European destination participating in the promo awards like Gothenburg GOT, Sweden, which comes in at 9,600 miles one way in Economy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24083\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"298\/300\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24083 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Gothenburg-298x300.png\" alt=\"Amsterdam to Gothenburg\" width=\"298\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Gothenburg-298x300.png 298w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Gothenburg-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Gothenburg.png 670w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 298px) 100vw, 298px\" \/><center><em>Amsterdam to Gothenburg Promo Award<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>Booking Chicago to Gothenburg direct you end up with a price of 27,000 miles, which is greater than the cost of booking both segments separately at 23,350 miles (13,750 + 9,600).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24084\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"976\/540\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24084 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Gothenburg-Promo-Award.png\" alt=\"Chicago to Gothenburg Promo Award\" width=\"976\" height=\"540\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Gothenburg-Promo-Award.png 976w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Chicago-to-Gothenburg-Promo-Award-300x166.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><center><em>Chicago to Gothenburg Promo Award<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>Astonishingly if you book a promo award from Chicago to Amsterdam (13,750 miles), and then book a standard award with no discount from Amsterdam to Gothenburg which costs 12,000 miles, you will still be paying less (25,750 miles) than trying to book the whole journey on one award ticket.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"981\/561\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24085 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Gothenburg-stanadard-award.png\" alt=\"Amsterdam to Gothenburg standard award\" width=\"981\" height=\"561\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Gothenburg-stanadard-award.png 981w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Amsterdam-to-Gothenburg-stanadard-award-300x172.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 981px) 100vw, 981px\" \/><center><em>Amsterdam to Gothenburg standard award<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<p>These changes eliminate much of the value of promo awards, unless you are interested in flying to\/from Paris or Amsterdam. You can no longer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make connections<\/li>\n<li>Combine two promo awards and benefit from cumulative pricing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Our_Take\">Our Take<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This change to the Promo Awards is disappointing, and while the program has been uninteresting in recent months, with few options for North America, the new program is just as bad with too many restrictions, that ultimately make it very poor value.<\/p>\n<p><em>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flyingblue.es\/en\/flights\/promo-rewards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flying Blue<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"ftoc\"><div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Promo_Awards_Overview\">Promo Awards Overview<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Key_Changes_To_Flying_Blue\">Key Changes To Flying Blue<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#North_America_Route_Options\">North America Route Options<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_The_Changes_Affect_The_Promo_Awards\">How The Changes Affect The Promo Awards<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Our_Take\">Our Take<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Flying Blue has announced its monthly Promo Awards for June 2018; however, unlike previous versions of the promo this time around it is subject to the changes in the Flying Blue Program that came into effect as of June 1, 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":6580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12069],"tags":[12777,13586],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-24078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-air-france-flying-blue","tag-award-sales"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24078"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27474,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24078\/revisions\/27474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24078"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=24078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}