Flying Blue

What Flying Blue is

Earning miles

Flying Blue rewards money spent, not distance flown. On KLM and Air France flights every euro spent counts toward miles, with the carrier surcharge included and other taxes and fees left out. The rate grows with the level, and the values are in the table in the status section.

For Switzerland, KLM offers the Flying Blue World Mastercard. Spending on the card earns miles and extends their validity. We found no sourced card route for Germany or Austria and therefore state nothing for them.

Redeeming Flying Blue miles

How many miles a reward ticket costs depends, according to an Air France press release, on where you depart, where you go and the flight date. There is no fixed chart, so the same flight can cost more or fewer miles on another day.

At booking, up to 25% of a reward ticket can be paid in cash. The discounted promo rewards have their own article, Promo Rewards at Flying Blue.

Changing or canceling a reward ticket can cost a fee, depending on the ticket conditions, and after departure neither is possible.

Taxes, surcharges and fees

Taxes and airline surcharges cannot be paid with Flying Blue miles, and they are due separately at booking. The terms also put each tax, fee and surcharge that arises when a reward is issued, changed, canceled or used on the member, carrier surcharges included where they apply.

Moving miles to another member costs a fee whose size rises with the number of miles. The pages we checked name no amounts in CHF or EUR, so we give no figure. We also state no value per mile in rappen or cents, because we lack a sourced basis.

Expiry of miles

Flying Blue lets miles lapse when 2 years pass without a suitable activity. For Explorer members aged 18 and older, miles stay valid for 2 years under the terms and are then canceled, unless a registered earn activity extends the period. Once an activity counts for all miles, the clock runs out only 2 years after the last such activity. That means any activity that earns XP, such as eligible flights, and any further earn activity that Flying Blue explicitly labels this way. Purchases with the Swiss Flying Blue World Mastercard also extend validity.

The published terms apply from March 28, 2022 and supersede all earlier versions.

Status levels from Explorer to Ultimate

Flying Blue has status levels from Explorer to Ultimate. A new member starts as Explorer. Silver requires 100 XP. On the way to Gold another 180 XP follow, and to Platinum a further 300 XP after that.

How many XP a flight brings depends on the travel class and the destination. Under the terms the qualification period lasts at most 12 full calendar months and ends sooner once the XP for the next level are in. When a member moves up, the terms subtract the XP required from the XP counter. You keep a level by earning its XP within a 12-month qualification period. For Ultimate, 900 UXP in one qualification year count.

Silver

Silver mainly eases things at the airport. It includes one more checked bag at no charge on flights with KLM or selected partner airlines. Priority check-in and priority boarding come on top. Standard seats can be chosen at no charge, and some further seat options become free 24 hours before departure. We found no sourced statement on lounges or upgrades.

Gold

Gold is where the lounge opens for the first time. Members get in at no charge and may bring 1 guest on the same flight. The flight must come from KLM, Air France, Air Mauritius, China Southern, GOL, Qantas or a SkyTeam partner. Further benefits include SkyPriority, meaning priority throughout the airport. An extra piece of checked baggage comes with KLM or some airline partners. Seats are free to choose from 72 hours before departure, and standard seats at any time. We have no statement on upgrades.

Platinum

Platinum mostly expands baggage and seat choice. Any seat can be chosen at no charge, and on flights with KLM, Air France or some partner airlines 2 additional checked bags travel along. The lounge is open, and 1 guest on exactly the same flight may join. The priority from SkyPriority runs from check-in through bag drop to boarding. For upgrades at this level, too, we have no sourced statement.

Ultimate

Ultimate contains everything Platinum offers and is the only level with sourced upgrade vouchers: four per membership year, each for one cabin. KLM and Air France lounges are open to the member and up to 8 travel companions, and SkyPriority covers the companions as well. In addition come 2 extra checked bags at no charge with KLM, Air France or some partner airlines. The member also receives a Flying Blue Platinum card to hand to one travel companion.

For Explorer we have no sourced benefits beyond the earning rate.

Departing from Switzerland, Germany and Austria

KLM flies from all three countries together with partner airlines, so Flying Blue works as a frequent flyer program in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. From Switzerland this includes Geneva (GVA) and Zurich (ZRH). In Germany, KLM names Berlin (BER), Düsseldorf (DUS), Frankfurt (FRA), Hamburg (HAM) and Munich (MUC), among others. In Austria the list includes Graz (GRZ), Innsbruck (INN), Salzburg (SZG) and Vienna (VIE).

Who Flying Blue is not for

Flying Blue as an alternative to Miles & More

Whether Flying Blue suits you better than another program depends on your departure airport and the airlines you use. If you are looking for alternatives to Miles & More, put Flying Blue directly next to Miles & More. It is also worth a look at SAS EuroBonus or the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. All programs are in the program archive, and how we verify facts is described on the methodology page.