Flying Blue (Air France, KLM, and Other Partners) - Air Europa - miles and flight segments

I have a couple of flight sectors with Air Europea coming up (GVA-MAD) plus an onward sector on a flight number operated by train. Do these train segments (with a UX flight number in the 300 series) count as level segments? Any recent experiences with Air Europa and mileage credit?

A search reveals that last year a number of members of this forum expressed dissatisfaction and problems with the creditng of UX flights and miles. Have things improved, I wonder.

I have just noticed the following text on the KLM Flying Blue page:

*Note: You cannot earn or spend Flying Blue Miles on charter flights operated by Air Europa with flight numbers between UX200 and UX999, between UX3000 and UX3799, UX3065, UX3066, UX3154, UX3155, UX3160, UX3161, UX3164, UX3165, UX3168, UX3169, UX3170, UX3171, UX3174, UX3175, UX3333, UX3334, UX3948.

I wonder if 'charter flights' includes train operated flight numbers.

UX train segments almost certainly do not earn miles or segments! FB website has the following:

You can earn Miles on all flights marketed UX, AF, KL or SkyTeam and operated by Air Europa.

Underline is mine; the trains are not operated by UX but by RENFE.

-- Henry

I have just noticed the following text on the KLM Flying Blue page:

*Note: You cannot earn or spend Flying Blue Miles on charter flights operated by Air Europa with flight numbers between UX200 and UX999, between UX3000 and UX3799, UX3065, UX3066, UX3154, UX3155, UX3160, UX3161, UX3164, UX3165, UX3168, UX3169, UX3170, UX3171, UX3174, UX3175, UX3333, UX3334, UX3948.

I wonder if 'charter flights' includes train operated flight numbers.

Bolding mine. I think that the 300 'flights' fall in that category.

UX train segments almost certainly do not earn miles or segments! FB website has the following:

You can earn Miles on all flights marketed UX, AF, KL or SkyTeam and operated by Air Europa.

This is one of my pet peeves about Flying Blue: inconsistent treatment amongst FB member airlines. (I can understand that SkyTeam partners airlines are treated differently, but I don't see why there should be different rules amongst the airlines for whom FB is their home FFP).

In particular:
- For AF/KL, anything with an AF/KL code is eligible to earn miles (subject to fare class, of course) - including trains, flights operated by non-ST airlines, etc. (The only exception, which I've just discovered on the AF FB pages, is some AF-coded flights to/from Corsica, operated by CCM)

- Meanwhile, for KQ/RO/UX (who also have FB as their FFP), flights with their code are only eligible to earn miles if they are operated by themselves or another ST partner. So, trains, etc aren't eligible.

Hopefully one day this will be resolved...

This is one of my pet peeves about Flying Blue: inconsistent treatment amongst FB member airlines. (I can understand that SkyTeam partners airlines are treated differently, but I don't see why there should be different rules amongst the airlines for whom FB is their home FFP).

In particular:
- For AF/KL, anything with an AF/KL code is eligible to earn miles (subject to fare class, of course) - including trains, flights operated by non-ST airlines, etc. (The only exception, which I've just discovered on the AF FB pages, is some AF-coded flights to/from Corsica, operated by CCM)

- Meanwhile, for KQ/RO/UX (who also have FB as their FFP), flights with their code are only eligible to earn miles if they are operated by themselves or another ST partner. So, trains, etc aren't eligible.

Hopefully one day this will be resolved...

I very much agree. For what it's worth, though, the explaination is that FB is 'AF and KL's frequent flyer programme' while UX, KQ, RO, and SB 'adopted it' (incidentally, adopting one of Skyteam airline's FFPs was one of the conditions of 'associate status' which is the route that all the above airlines except SB used). Of course, things are even worse for SB than for the other 3 as SB flights do not earn you level miles/flights, meaning that someone who came to FB because he/she is a super frequent SB traveller will never make status. Fully agree with you about the absurdity of this.

The only exception, which I've just discovered on the AF FB pages, is some AF-coded flights to/from Corsica, operated by CCM)

This is indeed true. The only FB eligible AF-coded flights to Corsica operated by CCM (now called Air Corsica) are those between ORY and Corsica (and reverse). So all flights operated by CCM from province cities, and particularly the numerous MRS-Corsica and NCE-Corsica flights, all operated by CCM in code-share with AF, are not eligible :mad:
This has changed about 2 or 3 years ago, without notice, and is really a very bad move as many AF routings to Corsica involve a connection in MRS or NCE, especially when flying to secondary airports like CLY or FSC.

*Note: You cannot earn or spend Flying Blue Miles on charter flights operated by Air Europa with flight numbers between UX200 and UX999, between UX3000 and UX3799, UX3065, UX3066, UX3154, UX3155, UX3160, UX3161, UX3164, UX3165, UX3168, UX3169, UX3170, UX3171, UX3174, UX3175, UX3333, UX3334, UX3948.


Strange that they go to the bother of listing so many individual flight numbers in the UX3000 space, when all but one of them falls within the "between UX3000 and UX3799" range anyway, and are therefore already "covered" by the text.

the explaination is that FB is 'AF and KL's frequent flyer programme' while UX, KQ, RO, and SB 'adopted it' (incidentally, adopting one of Skyteam airline's FFPs was one of the conditions of 'associate status' which is the route that all the above airlines except SB used).

Interesting - I don't think I had explicitly heard that explanation before (although I knew that adopting an ST FFP was a condition of 'associate status'). However, while it may be (sort of) true for RO/SB/UX, of course KQ was part of the Flying Dutchman FFP, long before AF and FB came on the scene...

Anyhow, to some extent I think that should all be irrelevant. The average frequent flyer on KQ/RO/SB/UX today probably isn't interested in the history of how their FFP came into being - but they may well be concerned why they're not earning miles on flights coded by their chosen airline.... (As evidenced by the question which started this thread...)

Interesting - I don't think I had explicitly heard that explanation before (although I knew that adopting an ST FFP was a condition of 'associate status'). However, while it may be (sort of) true for RO/SB/UX, of course KQ was part of the Flying Dutchman FFP, long before AF and FB came on the scene...

Anyhow, to some extent I think that should all be irrelevant. The average frequent flyer on KQ/RO/SB/UX today probably isn't interested in the history of how their FFP came into being - but they may well be concerned why they're not earning miles on flights coded by their chosen airline.... (As evidenced by the question which started this thread...)

I agree! Even though for me - just now - segments are rather significant in terms of requalification, I think that any FFP program in SkyTeam should reward its members for taking any SkyTeam flight*. Otherwise, what loyalty reward is one getting by choosing a deep-discount SkyTeam flight over a similarly priced LCC (or other competitor) option?

-- Henry

* Even if it's a code-share or train.

While I would be happy if code-shares of Skyteam airlines with non-Skyteam airlines counted for status, codeshares probably do not give ST enough income to consider these flights valuable enough for rewarding loyalty. As for AFKL, they probably can't afford taking their own codeshare flights out of the scheme without damaging the relevance of their own FFP.

I see your point - but at the same time, if we are not showing enough "loyalty" by taking certain flights sold to us by SkyTeam airlines (bearing in mind that some of these flights are not just SkyTeam, but actual Flying Blue airlines!!) then one wonders why they bother to offer such flights to us at all??? :confused:

While I would be happy if code-shares of Skyteam airlines with non-Skyteam airlines counted for status, codeshares probably do not give ST enough income to consider these flights valuable enough for rewarding loyalty. As for AFKL, they probably can't afford taking their own codeshare flights out of the scheme without damaging the relevance of their own FFP.

I see your point - but at the same time, if we are not showing enough "loyalty" by taking certain flights sold to us by SkyTeam airlines (bearing in mind that some of these flights are not just SkyTeam, but actual Flying Blue airlines!!) then one wonders why they bother to offer such flights to us at all??? :confused:

Hmmm. I suppose I can agree on the point about codeshares, cityflyer369, but there's still the matter of "Pigs being more equal than other animals:" a segment of an itinerary operated by a non-SkyTeam, non-FB-affiliate airline (or even a train) booked under a KL or AF code gets miles/segments, but a similar (or even the same) segment booked under a UK/RO/KQ code does not! If it's 'worth it' for KL/AF, why not for the others?

Also, if the deep-discount (promo) fares on KL/AF qualify, why not the equivalent fares on AZ*, KE and, especially, UX, RO & KQ? It seems that we are expected to sacrifice our FB accounts if we wish to take up these promotional offers.

And don't even get me started on the SB (Air Calin) issue! If I were a Flying Blue member resident in New Caledonia (or that part of the world), I would indeed be miffed when I discovered how nearly impossible it was to achieve elite status.

-- Henry

* A personal gripe and slightly OT, I know; but I've been looking for some 'cheap' domestic AZ segment runs recently. ;)

Some 'cheap' domestic AZ segment runs? I thought most them earned nothing and it quickly gets too expensive to be worth bothering with. I have considered that route too, as Milan is an easy reach from Montreux by train. Can't even get reasonably priced multi-sector itineraries starting from German airports like DUS any more.

Seriously, though, I hope the Air Europa segments that I have booked for August yield miles and sectors, as I will need one more at that stage to get back into Silver (having stayed away since the 2009 changes). The RT ticket from GVA-MAD was only EUR127.

Well, of course, the Air Europa flights and segments that I took recently did not credit automatically. A mess, because I was counting on them to tip me over into Silver membership and therefore ensure correct crediting of the Avis accumulator rentals. Probably going to be an ages long manual retroactive credit (you can't even do it on the FB website).

By the way, horrible airline, with ghastly POB service on board (and it really was crap and expensive, I can tell you), and it just simply didn't feel good. At least with Iberia, you have a feeling that there is a sense of tradition because they have been operating for years, and crews are really friendly. To be avoided.