Flying Blue, the loyalty programme of Air France and KLM (and some partner airlines), has made a no-notice change to award pricing for redemptions. While the last time it happened was in December 2024, it was attributed to a technology error and rolled back, this time, the devaluation has been implemented for good.

Flying Blue’s award pricing changes

While Flying Blue no longer publishes an award chart, its pricing has been consistent. This changed on January 13, 2025, when this new pricing was introduced (as per reporting by Travel on Points).

Award pricing has increased globally. For instance, flights between India and Europe, which used to cost 25,000 FB Miles at the minimum in Economy, now cost 30,000 FB Miles + INR 6000 onwards for flights on Air France or KLM.

The minimum pricing for Premium Economy has increased from 40,000 to 50,000 FB Miles, and for Business Class, it has increased from 70,000 to 85,000 miles. While the numbers look small in absolute terms, they have increased by 15-25% at entry-level flights. Some partner awards have also been hiked, but not by much. It is only 500 – 1000 miles more.

Finding saver-level award availability with Flying Blue has been increasingly challenging. While the programme advertises an attractive base price, many flyers pay far more – sometimes over 100,000 miles for a Business Class seat.

Flying Blue is reportedly planning to boost award availability, although there is no direct way to confirm this without observing trends for some time.

The truth is that even at these levels for the lowest-priced awards, Flying Blue is a very competitive option. Considering the number of bank conversion programmes where Air France/KLM Flying Blue is a partner for point transfers, you will realise it is not as bad as it sounds.

Bottomline

Flying Blue’s sudden devaluation is meh, but on an absolute number, it is minor if the programme delivers on improved availability. While the program remains competitive for premium cabin redemptions, the increased cost warrants careful consideration.

Air France-KLM awards have seen the most significant price increases. The good news is that there will be more award availability, per some of the comments from Flying Blue. There are also some partner airline award changes, though they seem to be milder than for travel on Air France-KLM, with increases starting from 500 miles.

What do you think of this Flying Blue award pricing change?

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