Big news from Flying blue, the loyalty program of Air France and KLM. Flying Blue will have more free stops for ticketing on Air France and KLM metal in the coming days, as first reported by One mile at a time.
The news was announced on Monday in a webinar by Ben Lipsey of Flying Blue, senior vice president of customer loyalty. “Now, you can stop at no extra charge for up to a year.”
For now, let’s say you’re booking a cruise from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). In that case, Flying Blue’s stay rules allow you to stay in Amsterdam for a maximum of 23 hours 59 minutes. If you want to stay longer in Amsterdam, you have to book two one-way tickets: LAX to AMS and then AMS to FCO.
The free stopover will allow you to stay in Amsterdam for up to 12 months at no extra cost. According to the webinar, Flying Blue’s free stop will be available on flights connecting Air France to Air France, KLM to KLM, Air France to KLM and KLM to Air France metal.
For example, if you are traveling from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Air France Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), passengers will be able to stop for up to 12 months in Singapore before resuming their flight. KLM. fifth free flight from Singapore to Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS). In theory, this journey would have the same mileage as going straight from Paris to Bali.
Similarly, you can fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on KLM, stay a few days, then continue on to Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG) for the same price as ticket from New York to Prague.
Lipsey also said that for now, the free stopover offer will only apply to Air France and KLM metal flights, so customers connecting from Delta to KLM, for example, won’t be able to take advantage of it. use free stops.
Of TPG Favorite shows now allow stopping to be Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines Mileage Package and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Each of these shows has a different stop. Aeroplan charges 5,000 miles per stop, but you can add stops to a partner ticket. Meanwhile, Alaska allows you to add stops on partner tickets, but you can’t combine partners and can only stop at the airline’s hub. Singapore only allows stops on its own ticket.
Related: The complete guide to maximizing stops and expanding opportunities on award tickets
Sign up for our daily newsletter
What a free Flying Blue stop could mean for travelers
During the webinar, Lipsey confirmed that Flying Blue’s free stopovers will allow customers to stay up to 12 months at one stopover before continuing on to their final destination.
Paris and Amsterdam are likely the two cities that will have the most stops, as virtually all Air France and KLM flights originate or end at their hubs. The free stops will give travelers another city to visit without the extra mile or allow you to break up two long flights with more than 24 hour hiatus.
When traveling from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to South Africa earlier this year, a few days in Amsterdam or Paris would be ideal to say goodbye to two red-eyes for 10 hours straight and adjust to regional times. .
With up to 12 months to split flights, travelers can be strategic about how they want to book connecting flights. For example, students studying abroad in Europe might have Amsterdam or Paris as their stopover city and another European city as their final destination over the next few weeks. It’s the perfect case for a weekend getaway.
Of course, many questions remain. Is the free stop valid on a one-way ticket? What about short-haul inter-European flights? While we haven’t been given the details yet, we’ll be sure to let you know as we learn more.
Related: Doors, wireless charging and 4K video: First look at Air France’s new business-class Boeing 777
But site improvements need to be made first
We like the idea of Flying Blue adding stops, but there will be obstacles that Flying Blue needs to overcome regarding its website.
Currently, both Air France and KLM have websites that are difficult to use, especially when searching for awards.
To check prize availability, you must visit the website of either airline and log in to your Flying Blue account. After selecting “Book with miles”, you can enter your starting point, destination, departure date, number of passengers and desired cabin. You will see a preview of the days of the week and their respective mileage prices. In our tests, the preview price doesn’t always match the actual price when you click on a certain date.
But most disappointingly, after that first search, Air France and KLM both had a technical glitch that wouldn’t allow you to do another search during that session. If you want to check out another pair of cities or adjust the number of travelers, you’ll need to close the tab, clear your cookies, and sign in again before entering all your search details for another search.
These problems make the Flying Blue award time consuming and difficult to find. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine adding an online stopover would be a pleasant experience if these problems persist, so we’d love to see Flying Blue dedicate its resources to a reservation tool in advance.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Earn and Redeem Points with Air France / KLM Flying Blue
Key point
Finally, we’re excited to see Flying Blue launch free stops, and we’ll be sure to keep you informed on ways to maximize them. While the program uses a volatile dynamic pricing model, we are optimistic that the free stop will increase Flying Blue’s customer value.
Please note, Flying Blue miles are transferable at a rate of 1:1 from Rewards for American Express members, Bilt Rewards, Capital One mile, Citi Thank You and Chase the ultimate reward.
