Air France/KLM Flying Blue is an extremely beneficial airline mileage program whether or not you are seeking to fly Air France or KLM to Europe, e-book Delta flights for fewer miles, or fly on different companion carriers. And it is getting even higher.
Late final 12 months, the airways rolled out the flexibility so as to add a free stopover when utilizing miles to fly Air France or KLM, letting vacationers take pleasure in just a few days (or weeks and even months) in Amsterdam or Paris en path to their closing vacation spot. That is a uncommon and profitable perk within the airline world: Most carriers cost you extra miles for a stopover or solely permit it on roundtrip bookings … in the event that they allow you to do all of it.
However as One Mile at a Time first seen, Flying Blue’s stopover coverage is much more expansive. As of late final week, now you can add a free stopover to any award ticket booked utilizing Flying Blue miles … whether or not you are flying Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Delta, or dozens of different companion airways.
For now, you’ll be able to solely e-book these flights with stopovers by telephone. However that is simply well worth the trouble, particularly with how simple Flying Blue miles are to earn by bank card transfers. For those who’ve received factors on prime journey bank cards just like the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card, Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card, or the American Specific® Gold Card, you are set.
The New Stopover Guidelines for Flying Blue
Consider stopovers like a layover on steroids.
A stopover is any connection of roughly 24 hours … or way more. It is an effective way to see two locations for the value of 1, heading into town the place you are connecting for just a few days earlier than hopping on one other flight to your closing spot.
Many airways closely prohibit stopovers when utilizing their miles to e-book flights – and most simply do not permit them, interval. With this transformation, Air France/KLM Flying Blue’s stopover program is likely one of the most beneficiant of all.
Here is what it boils all the way down to:
- You may add a stopover to any Flying Blue award reserving with out paying extra miles
- One-way flights are eligible for a stopover – roundtrip flights aren’t required
- Stopovers can final between 24 hours to at least one complete 12 months
- You may add a stopover to flights operated by Air France, KLM, or nearly any of its 30-plus companion airways together with Delta, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet, Korean Air, and plenty of extra
- You may even mix a number of airways in a single award ticket with a stopover
- Award bookings with a stopover should be made by telephone – they are not obtainable on-line (but)
That’s superior. To this point, the very best main airline mileage applications for reserving stopovers have been Alaska Mileage Plan (which additionally permits free stopovers on any one-way award ticket) and Air Canada Aeroplan (which tacks on an additional 5,000 factors for stopovers). Now Air France and KLM are firmly within the combine.
After all, you can e-book Air France enterprise class or KLM enterprise class to Europe and make a pitstop in Paris or Amsterdam, respectively, for just a few days, weeks, or extra earlier than persevering with onward to Prague (PRG) or elsewhere.
Nevertheless it’d additionally work to spend just a few days in Taipei (TPE) earlier than heading all the way down to Bangkok (BKK) when utilizing Flying Blue miles to e-book Taiwanese service China Airways.
Nevertheless it works even in case you’re flying two (or extra) totally different companion carriers utilizing Flying Blue miles. And it does not get a lot better than this: Fly Air France enterprise class abroad, spend just a few days in Paris, then proceed all the best way to Hanoi (HAN) with Vietnam Airways … for a grand whole of simply 55,000 miles.
How one can Guide a Stopover
Sadly, the method of truly reserving a Flying Blue ticket with a free stopover built-in shall be a little bit of a ache.
At present, you’ll be able to’t do it on-line. You will must name Flying Blue at 1-800-375-8723 with the intention to e-book an award ticket with a stopover. The airways are reportedly engaged on bringing this performance on-line, however there is no timeline for that.
You will additionally must discover award availability to really e-book your two flights utilizing miles together with that free stopover – and you will wish to do this earlier than calling.
Let’s say you wish to fly to Prague however take a stopover in Paris for 4 days on the best way there. You’d wish to search individually for award availability on every of these flights – for instance, a flight from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on March 20, then a second flight from Paris onward to Prague (PRG) on March 25.
Are each flights bookable with miles? Nice. Copy down the dates and flight numbers for each segments then name up Flying Blue, inform an agent you’d wish to e-book an award ticket with a stopover, and relay the knowledge for each flights.”
Backside Line
Air France/KLM Flying Blue has turn into a useful mileage program whether or not you’ve got received your coronary heart set on Europe or flying a companion airline elsewhere. This new, free stopover possibility – obtainable irrespective of which airline you are flying with – makes it even higher.
Lead picture courtesy of Chris Lundberg through Flickr