Flying Blue Devalues Some Award Prices up to 25%

Flying Blue, the loyalty program of European giant Air France-KLM, has raised the prices of award seats overnight and without notice.

Here’s what we know about this unfortunate Flying Blue devaluation.

Business Awards Are 20% Higher; Coach Is up 25%

Unlike a similar occurrence in late December which Flying Blue said was due to a glitch, this award price hike — an event otherwise known as devaluation, since it makes miles worth less — appears to be intentional. Travel on Points reported on Monday that devaluations are consistent across the board; our findings mirror that.

The silver lining is that the new prices, while higher than before, are still relatively low and the taxes and fees on award seat redemptions with Flying Blue are the same (around $200 for one-way trips from the U.S. to Europe, or $300 in the other direction.)

We have asked Air France-KLM for confirmation and have yet to hear back, but when searching for awards on Monday, we saw devaluations across the board.

A calendar search for business class tickets between New York and Paris showed the lowest price for these award tickets is now 60,000 miles one-way. Before this devaluation, the lowest price for business class award tickets from the U.S. to Europe was 50,000 miles. The new “floor” is 20% higher.

In economy class, the new minimum between the U.S. and Europe is 25,000 miles, compared to 20,000 before, based on searches we ran. While the number of miles needed for a seat is obviously lower than for business class, the devaluation in coach is relatively higher at 25%.

Rates for other regions appear to have moved in the same way. For example, Paris to Cairo, Egypt (CAI) on Air France now costs 25,000 miles in coach and 60,000 in business.

We found the smallest percentage devaluation in premium economy. These start at 40,000 miles, compared to 35,000 before, or 14% more.

Flying Blue said in an emailed statement that, while raising base prices, it will also make more award seats available at those levels:

“Recently, we made a slight adjustment to award mile pricing and corresponding inventory access to address a common concern: finding availability at the lowest award levels. By rebalancing the entry-level pricing, we significantly increased entry-level award availability (average 30%), making it easier for members to book flights at the lowest mileage levels.”

Partner-Airline Awards Are Also More Expensive

Flying Blue has historically been a good program for scoring good domestic seats with Delta Air Lines in the U.S., often at cheaper prices than Delta’s own SkyMiles program. However, after the devaluation, that may not always be true.

A search for award seats in February between New York and Atlanta on Flying Blue returned a minimum price of 11,000 miles in coach and 28,500 in business (which is what Flying Blue calls first class on Delta) one-way.

Running the same flight search on Delta’s site showed consistently lower prices for coach tickets than what Flying Blue is charging: 7,500 SkyMiles one-way in economy (Main Cabin, not basic economy). First class, however, was still cheaper with Flying Blue.

Other partner prices are now higher too. For example, when looking at flights on Etihad Airways, a partner outside the SkyTeam Alliance, prices had risen. In business class, flights from Paris to Abu Dhabi (AUH) on Etihad had gone from a minimum of 46,500 miles to 50,500 with the devaluation.

What You Can Do About the Flying Blue Devaluation

If the devaluation of Flying Blue awards has put a prospective trip out of your current reach, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a good alternative, at least between the U.S. and Europe. You can snag a business-class seat between the U.S. and London for just 29,000 points.

Virgin Atlantic is a member of SkyTeam along with Air France, Delta, and KLM, so you can use its loyalty program to book domestic awards on Delta. In addition, Virgin is currently offering attractive award rates prices to its other destinations from London, including Africa and Asia, which can be great for U.S.-based travelers.

Flying Blue also has periodical Promo Rewards, which offer discounts on its typical award pricing to destinations worldwide.

Final Thoughts

Devaluations are a fact of life in loyalty programs. Just like cash prices for flights change, mostly upward, so do award prices. Despite this devaluation, Flying Blue remains an attractive program with many transfer partners. Even its higher prices — in some cases up to 25% — are worth consideration. And, in any case, there are alternatives to consider, like Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program.