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Changes to This Frequent Flyer Program Could Affect Folks Planning a Trip to Europe

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    Via The Points Guy, Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France and KLM, has removed the option for stopovers on award tickets.  

    This is unfortunate news, especially because Flying Blue didn’t publicize the change very well…if at all!

    Planning a Trip to Europe on a Flying Blue Award Ticket? Heads-Up! You’re No Longer Allowed a Free Stopover.
    Here’s more about what these changes mean for you.

    No More Stopovers on Flying Blue Award Tickets

    A stopover is when you stop in a city for more than 24 hours on the way to your final destination.  For example, if you were flying between New York and London, you could stop in Paris for 24+ hours without paying extra.

    But without notice, Flying Blue has stopped allowing free stopovers on round-trip award tickets.  So you can no longer add a stopover without paying extra miles or taxes and fees!

    This likely will NOT affect the majority of folks.  But it’s disappointing that Flying Blue didn’t do a better job of warning customers that the change was coming.  Because it certainly makes your Flying Blue miles less valuable!

    If you’re looking for a way to book an award ticket with a stopover (or 2!), you could consider flying with United Airlines, Cathay Pacific, or Singapore Airlines.  Because they still allow stopovers on award tickets, even though the specific rules for stopovers vary by airline.

    Ways to Earn Flying Blue Miles

    There are LOTS of ways to earn Flying Blue miles!  The 4 major flexible points programs transfer to Flying Blue at a ratio of 1:1.  You can transfer:

    And don’t forget about the Flying Blue promo awards that are released every month!  They can be a great way to save on award tickets to Europe. 😉

    Bottom Line

    Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France and KLM, has changed its award ticket rules.  And you can no longer add a free stopover to round-trip award tickets!

    That means you will NOT be allowed to add a 24+ hour stop to your award ticket without paying extra miles or taxes and fees.

    This news comes as a surprise.  And it’s unfortunate Flying Blue didn’t give it’s customers fair warning before the changes went into effect.  But if you were planning an upcoming trip to Europe, these changes might affect you!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)