Flying Blue (Air France, KLM, and Other Partners) - Expired FB miles - any hope to recover them?

I've been a loyal KLM customer for over 10 years (and Platinum for 6 or 7 out of those 10), but since I live in the US now - I started to mostly use my Delta card, and during the last year I stayed at home with my family. Shame on me for not watching it closely (but I had more important things on my plate) - I was not aware about 20 months expiration policy and the remainder of my miles (86K) expired in April.

Is there any way to recover them? The last flight I did with KLM was in January (but Delta card was used). First time I spoke to a KLM representative - she was nice and told me that I should put a request, which most likely will be denied, but then I should escalate it and it may work. This is what I did, but now every time I seem to get an arrogant [beep] on the phone, who does not seem to care which airline I will resume flying in the future.

Is there a KLM customer relations office or something similar, who can address this?

No offense, but why would Flying Blue help you? The 20 months expiration limit is clearly advertised, and you are not giving them any business anyway.

The fact that they don't care which airline youre flying is not that strange, Flying Blue is not KLM or AF. The FFP is separate, and youre not crediting any flights to them anyway. In a way you have already left them for their competitor.

So yeah I doubt they would reinstate the miles. And that sucks. But it could have been prevented by reading the rules and crediting a flight every once in a while..

I'm afraid you have little to no chance of now getting your miles re-instated.

(Note, also, that you should be talking to Flying Blue staff, rather than KLM staff - KLM does not administer the frequent flyer programme, it is run on their (and others') behalf by Flying Blue).

Flying Blue did have an interim arrangement in place for a short period - just 6 months beyond the introduction of the new rule in April 2009 - it's detailed on this forgotten/non-updated page on the Armenian Air France pages (http://www.airfrance.com/AM/en/local/resainfovol/meilleuresoffres/promo_FB.htm):

If you haven´t flown with a purchased ticket with KLM, AIR FRANCE or another SkyTeam partner after 1 August 2007, but are planning to fly before 30 September 2009, any expired Miles will be renewed and added to your account.

Other threads on this very same subject:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/flying-blue-air-france-klm-other-partners/1234394-almost-300k-miles-expired.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/flying-blue-air-france-klm-other-partners/1106500-lost-450000-miles-can-i-get-them-back.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/flying-blue-air-france-klm-other-partners/1086116-262500-expired-miles-happy-ending.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/flying-blue-air-france-klm-other-partners/1155665-i-got-back-my-miles.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/klm-flying-dutchman/1031645-kudos-klm-flying-blue.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/flying-blue-air-france-klm-other-partners/1215258-lost-702k-miles-expiry-any-tips-what-write-get-them-reinstated.html

Sadly little hope in my opinion. I have a directly related and unhappy experience.

I called to cancel an award booking but at the time I was aware this would take the account to beyond 20 months. I had what I thought was a very useful and clear conversation with the operator/clerk who advised me in no uncertain terms that the points would continue to be valid.

In due course said points were swept away and no amount of protestation that I had been advised to the contrary was accepted. In hindsight I should have had one of those recording mobile phone utilities, but even had I done that I wonder whether they would have conceded.

So in your case I think any protest will be futile.

Oddly enough time moves on. I now have too many FB points to know what to do with.

I don't think you have much of a chance but if were to mention your intention to book a redemption with those miles maybe they will change their minds. The chance to earn some money on the YQ might please them. :D

In hindsight I should have had one of those recording mobile phone utilities, but even had I done that I wonder whether they would have conceded.



It is actually illegal to record people without their consent and you would have found yourself in potentially serious trouble for doing that. The rules about miles expiry are as clear as it gets: you need a qualifying transaction within 20 months and the list of transactions considered to be qualifying (which does not include 'booking an award ticket') are equally clear. If anyone told you that you would have your miles validity extended in a way which was not covered by these rules, you shouldn't 'record them' but rather ask them to send a confirmation in writing (email would be fine) and consider that this was too good to be true if you don't receive it promptly.

It is actually illegal to record people without their consent and you would have found yourself in potentially serious trouble for doing that.Actually, in many jurisdictions, it is legal, at any rate for a private individual, to record communications on their own phones. What you might come across, however, are restrictions on how those recordings are used. For instance, in the UK, as a private individual you can record telephone conversations to which you are a party as long as it remains for your own personal use and is not divulged to a third party.

What is better to do, however, in such circumstances is make sure that you keep a note of whom you called and at what time. Many companies routinely record calls and what has been said can be accessed that way.

If you have a flight planned write indicating you had a hiatus in flights for personal reasons but are looking forward to flying KL often again and whether they can reinstate miles. Provide data on flight you are going to take. This seems to have worked in the past.

Thanks Nick you got there before me.

Orbit's advice seems questionable, but thanks for your input.
Here is a general summary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_recording_laws

and in any event, it would be unbalanced that a large corporate has the rights to record conversation in absence of quid pro quo. Perhaps more to the point, corporates should be responsible for the inaccurate advice of employees.

Anyway, back on topic, the fact remains that it will be a tough battle for OP to reclaim his points. There is only one approach which may be worth a shot, but it's untested by me personally.