In an extremely refreshing move, Ben Lipsey, director of the Flying Blue program, has confirmed that Air France–KLM is making positive changes to its award flight pricing structure.
Positive changes
Though award ticket prices have not fallen across the board, most markets have seem some reduction. Here’s a breakdown:
- Business Class: 71% of markets now require fewer miles for a redemption.
- Premium Economy: 68% of markets now require fewer miles for a redemption.
- Economy Class: 66% of markets now require fewer miles for a redemption.
Lipsey also points out that the new pricing hasn’t been fully rolled out across all markets and that certain routes, namely fifth freedom flights, will see price reductions soon.
Standardized rates for transatlantic journeys
Another significant update pertains to flights from the United States to Europe. The pricing for saver-level award inventory has been set as follows:
- Economy Class: One-way tickets will now cost 20,000 miles.
- Premium Economy: One-way tickets will now cost 35,000 miles.
- Business Class: One-way tickets will now cost 50,000 miles.
Previously, Business class awards cost 55,000-80,000 miles between Europe and the North America depending on distance, so this is a significant price reduction for tickets to and from the West Coast.
Conclusion
It’s not often we talk about “revaluations” in airline loyalty programs, but this is a rare example of a program going against the grain–and itt’s great to see Flying Blue reward their customers’ loyalty rather than try to squeeze them for more and more money (*cough, Delta, cough*).
If you’ve been thinking about planning a trip, now is a good time to check award availability. I see plenty of flights with five or more open seats, though I expect those to book up as customers begin responding to these price cuts.
