Flying Blue

At the beginning of every month Flying Blue releases discounted awards for Economy and Business Class travel on Air France and KLM flights. The awards are advertised as offering "up to 50% off" but the rewards most will probably want to book are usually discounted by around 25%. The October Flying Blue Promo awards are now out and there are a few that look interesting.

In what appears to be a bid to offer fewer and fewer redeemable miles to customers, airlines around the world have slowly been moving to a revenue-based system for mileage accrual. In a nutshell this means that the number of miles you earn for a trip is now linked to how much you pay for your fare so, unsurprisingly, this isn't a popular development for flyers like me who like to pay as little as possible.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles don't often get much love from miles & points bloggers because, essentially, they really aren't all that useful for getting readers great value redemptions in good premium cabins. There is an exception to this that I discussed recently but, for premium cabin travel, Virgin Atlantic miles aren't going to get many pulses racing. Having said that, they are about to get a bit more interesting.....and possibly even more useful.

Flying Blue is the loyalty program for a number of airlines but the primary ones are Air France & KLM. Flying Blue has become more and more relevant for US based travelers as it has gradually become a transfer partner for all three of the major transferable currencies in the US - Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points and, as of last month, Chase Ultimate Rewards - so any positive changes to the program are very welcome.