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Flying Blue is the loyalty program for a number of airlines but the primary ones are Air France & KLM. Flying Blue has become more and more relevant for US-based travelers as it has gradually become a transfer partner for all three of the major transferable currencies in the US – Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points and, as of last month, Chase Ultimate Rewards – so any positive changes to the program are very welcome.
Flying Blue has announced that, from 1 July 2016, it will be changing its rules to allow tickets of any booking class to be upgraded with Flying Blue Miles as long as travel is on Air France or KLM.
Unfortunately it doesn’t appear as if the Flying Blue Miles Calculator has been updated yet as, when you try to upgrade a deep discount fare (T Class) for after 1 July (when the new rules are meant to kick in), you still get an error message:
The old upgrade rules for the various airlines that accept Flying Blue Miles as a currency look like this:
But, presumably, we can expect an updated chart sometime soon.
Is There Going To Be A Catch?
Under the old rules, although not all Economy Class fare codes could be upgraded, all the fares that were eligible for upgrades could be upgraded to Premium Economy AND Business Class:
In the wording of the Flying Blue press release is says (emphasis is mine):
Starting from 1 July, Flying Blue has made it easier than ever for you to treat yourself to an upgrade when you are flying with AIR FRANCE or KLM. Previously only certain booking classes were eligible for an upgrade with Miles, but from the beginning of July tickets in any booking class can be upgraded with Miles*. This means that whichever ticket you purchase, you can always use your Miles for an upgrade to a higher travel class**. It’s as easy as that!
I may be being cynical but this wording gives Flying Blue the option to restrict which Economy Class fares can upgrade to Business Class with the cheaper fares only eligible for upgrades to Premium Economy.
This would still be an improvement on the status quo as long as, after 1 July, all the fare classes that could upgrade to Business Class under the old rules can still do so.
The policy with regards upgrading to First Class remains unchanged:
Award upgrades to First Class are only possible for Elite members with a ticket in booking classes J, C or D.
Bottom Line
If we take this information at face value it’s good news for Flying Blue members but I’m going to wait and see the full details of the new rules as and when they appear on the Flying Blue website before I get too excited.
It will be interesting to see if all Economy Class fare codes will be upgradeable to Business Class and, if not, which are excluded. It will also be interesting to see if Flying Blue tinkers with the number of miles needed for the various upgrades. I guess we’ll know the answers to all these in the next few days.
