Last edit by: irishguy28
Introduction
As you have been following the past thread, the Flying Blue programme will change as of 1 April 2018. In order to split the discussion from the earlier thread, we have created a new thread.
On 6 November Flying Blue has organised a press conference to inform the public about the changes to the programme. In addition, a mailing will be sent out to all members on the 6th and 7th of November and more information can be found on the designated website (link: https://explorefurther.flyingblue.com).
As an introduction, please find a summary of the changes below.
Please note that at the current time there is no difference expected to the benefits of the current tier.
Change 1: no more level miles, no more segments, but Experience Points
As of 1 April 2018 you will no longer earn level miles and segments per flight, but you will earn Experience Points (XP). The number of XP earned per flight depends on your cabin (multiplier times 2 for Premium Economy, 3 for business, 5 for La Premiere) and the type of flight (distinction between domestic, medium haul, long-haul 1/2/3).
For flights between 1 January – 31 March 2018 all earned level miles and segments will be converted into XP (1 segment = 7 XP; 1,000 level miles = 5 XP for members outside France). Please note that the highest conversion applies (it is not cumulative).
The number of XP required per tiers is:
- 100 for Silver;
- 180 for Gold;
- 300 for Platinum;
- 1,800 for Platinum Ultimate (in 2 years).
Please note that for current flyers who qualify on segments based on only intra-EU flights this could see an increase in the number of flights required. However, if you fly a mix if intra-EU and intercontinental (but qualify on segments), this will most likely see a reduction in the number of flights required to qualify.
For elite members, there is a roll-over of all XP above your tier threshold.
The rules for soft-landing have been extended. It is now no longer required to make at least 1 qualifying flight and in case you do not meet your threshold you will only drop one tier.
Change 2: number of miles earned dependent on fare paid (including fuel surcharge)
The number of award miles (for AF/KL/A5) earned is now depending on the fare paid (including fuel surcharge). Ivory members earn 4 miles per Euro, Silver 6, Gold 7 and Platinum 8.
Also earn award miles on AF/KL purchases (relating to seats, baggage and meals) according to the above schedule.
Earnings on partners remains as-is (based on fare class and distance flown).
Change 3: dynamic pricing of award tickets (on AF/KL/HV)
Another change will be that award tickets will have dynamic pricing, e.g. an award AMS-JFK could be more expensive than an award DUS-AMS-JFK. This is also in line with change 2, as flights from AMS are also more expensive than flights from DUS (you also earn more miles).
This also implies that we will see a difference in the number of miles required per flight. For example, an award from continental Europe to continental USA will currently set you back 25,000 miles for a one-way in economy. It does not matter if you fly to LAX or NYC, the number of miles is currently fixed. Under the new proposition, this will change. The cheaper flight (in this example: NYC) will see a slight reduction in the number of miles required, whilst LAX will see a slight increase in the number of miles required.
Furthermore, there will be a standard base level for the number of miles required per destination. As the standard revenue price increases, so does the number of award miles.
Change 4: status valid for 12 months (+ 3 months), personal membership year
FB will be moving away from membership year = calendar year (in case of upgrade of tier). Instead, FB will have an individual membership year. This means that after obtaining the higher tier, you will have 12 months to requalify. Benefit of this is that members are not bound by the calendar year (e.g. members who earn 20,000 level miles in a December of a given year and 20,000 level miles in January of the next year, do not have any benefit of their flights in case limited flights before/after).
I know some will feel that this is a significant downgrade compared to the current – at maximum – 27 months. Please note that based on FB information the majority of members (re)qualify in the last quarter of the year.
In addition, please note that for an Ivory member would like to go obtain Platinum in one year, as it will become more difficult, as (s)he will have to earn each threshold (so not 300 XP in the first year, but (100 + 180 + 300 = 580 XP).This is only applicable in the first year.
Change 5: changes to the co-branded American Express credit cards (FR/NL)
Currently you earn segments and level miles (on AF/KL purchases for Gold and Platinum card holders). This will change that you will receive additional XP when reaching your membership anniversary each year.
As you have been following the past thread, the Flying Blue programme will change as of 1 April 2018. In order to split the discussion from the earlier thread, we have created a new thread.
On 6 November Flying Blue has organised a press conference to inform the public about the changes to the programme. In addition, a mailing will be sent out to all members on the 6th and 7th of November and more information can be found on the designated website (link: https://explorefurther.flyingblue.com).
As an introduction, please find a summary of the changes below.
Please note that at the current time there is no difference expected to the benefits of the current tier.
Change 1: no more level miles, no more segments, but Experience Points
As of 1 April 2018 you will no longer earn level miles and segments per flight, but you will earn Experience Points (XP). The number of XP earned per flight depends on your cabin (multiplier times 2 for Premium Economy, 3 for business, 5 for La Premiere) and the type of flight (distinction between domestic, medium haul, long-haul 1/2/3).
For flights between 1 January – 31 March 2018 all earned level miles and segments will be converted into XP (1 segment = 7 XP; 1,000 level miles = 5 XP for members outside France). Please note that the highest conversion applies (it is not cumulative).
The number of XP required per tiers is:
- 100 for Silver;
- 180 for Gold;
- 300 for Platinum;
- 1,800 for Platinum Ultimate (in 2 years).
Please note that for current flyers who qualify on segments based on only intra-EU flights this could see an increase in the number of flights required. However, if you fly a mix if intra-EU and intercontinental (but qualify on segments), this will most likely see a reduction in the number of flights required to qualify.
For elite members, there is a roll-over of all XP above your tier threshold.
The rules for soft-landing have been extended. It is now no longer required to make at least 1 qualifying flight and in case you do not meet your threshold you will only drop one tier.
Change 2: number of miles earned dependent on fare paid (including fuel surcharge)
The number of award miles (for AF/KL/A5) earned is now depending on the fare paid (including fuel surcharge). Ivory members earn 4 miles per Euro, Silver 6, Gold 7 and Platinum 8.
Also earn award miles on AF/KL purchases (relating to seats, baggage and meals) according to the above schedule.
Earnings on partners remains as-is (based on fare class and distance flown).
Change 3: dynamic pricing of award tickets (on AF/KL/HV)
Another change will be that award tickets will have dynamic pricing, e.g. an award AMS-JFK could be more expensive than an award DUS-AMS-JFK. This is also in line with change 2, as flights from AMS are also more expensive than flights from DUS (you also earn more miles).
This also implies that we will see a difference in the number of miles required per flight. For example, an award from continental Europe to continental USA will currently set you back 25,000 miles for a one-way in economy. It does not matter if you fly to LAX or NYC, the number of miles is currently fixed. Under the new proposition, this will change. The cheaper flight (in this example: NYC) will see a slight reduction in the number of miles required, whilst LAX will see a slight increase in the number of miles required.
Furthermore, there will be a standard base level for the number of miles required per destination. As the standard revenue price increases, so does the number of award miles.
Change 4: status valid for 12 months (+ 3 months), personal membership year
FB will be moving away from membership year = calendar year (in case of upgrade of tier). Instead, FB will have an individual membership year. This means that after obtaining the higher tier, you will have 12 months to requalify. Benefit of this is that members are not bound by the calendar year (e.g. members who earn 20,000 level miles in a December of a given year and 20,000 level miles in January of the next year, do not have any benefit of their flights in case limited flights before/after).
I know some will feel that this is a significant downgrade compared to the current – at maximum – 27 months. Please note that based on FB information the majority of members (re)qualify in the last quarter of the year.
In addition, please note that for an Ivory member would like to go obtain Platinum in one year, as it will become more difficult, as (s)he will have to earn each threshold (so not 300 XP in the first year, but (100 + 180 + 300 = 580 XP).
Change 5: changes to the co-branded American Express credit cards (FR/NL)
Currently you earn segments and level miles (on AF/KL purchases for Gold and Platinum card holders). This will change that you will receive additional XP when reaching your membership anniversary each year.
Upcoming changes to Flying Blue in 2018
#1606
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,364
Actually I recalculated now and i got almost 100% of miles which are due for the 2nd fare component (EUR 377.5) for my PAR-HEL flight. Slightly more. So something is absolutely wrong here, maybe this autoadjusts later when i get the miles for other segments posted. We will see...
And yes, PAR-HEL distance was around 16% of the 2nd fare component distance.
And yes, PAR-HEL distance was around 16% of the 2nd fare component distance.
#1607
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: SE England
Programs: AF-KL Platinum, ALL Platinum
Posts: 755
From the sublime to the ridiculous (was it ever sublime? ). The FB program in its revamped version has become a complete tomfoolery. I just checked my FB account and realized that I gain more miles on short, domestic flights on DL than on long-haul, transatlantic flights on AF or KL. Case in point, a flight from Chicago to Boston in W yields over 2,500 miles, whereas a flight from Boston to Paris in W gives me 2,200 miles. What a sad joke! Of course, the XPs gained with the former won't help towards the Ultimate status, while the latter does, but at this point, do I really care?
Macaron54
#1609
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Champaign, IL
Programs: AF/KL FB Ultimate Platinum for Life/Club 2000, UA MileagePlus
Posts: 524
Macaron54
Last edited by Macaron54; May 21, 2018 at 1:40 pm
#1611
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,928
Actually I recalculated now and i got almost 100% of miles which are due for the 2nd fare component (EUR 377.5) for my PAR-HEL flight. Slightly more. So something is absolutely wrong here, maybe this autoadjusts later when i get the miles for other segments posted. We will see...
The distance is irrelevant for the new FB rules. Each component of a multi leg trip posts as per its fare component in the total fare paid. You can see an example of this I have posted for a CDG-AMS-BKK and return trip on page 106 of this thread.
#1612
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,364
The distance is irrelevant for the new FB rules. Each component of a multi leg trip posts as per its fare component in the total fare paid. You can see an example of this I have posted for a CDG-AMS-BKK and return trip on page 106 of this thread.
#1613
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: SPG Platinum, HH Diamond, MR/RC Plat, KLM Plat, AS MVPG75K, UA Gold
Posts: 229
Does anyone know how miles are earned on "Bulk" tickets? I have flights that are booked in Z class on Air France flight numbers (but Delta operated) and I don't see anything which talks about how we will earn on these tickets. Will it be based on the "old" earning chart since there is not fare value on the ticket?
#1614
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 🇸🇬 🇭🇰 🇫🇷
Programs: Many
Posts: 4,749
Also might be useful to understand why the ticket was reissued and recalculated.
#1615
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,928
I don't think that I would post that info publicly and attract attention to it if I were the OP as it sounds like he might have been attributed more miles than he should have received. The distance is relevant in the sense that, if I got it right, what the OP is saying is that he has an itinerary like AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD which has cost him €ZZZ and where he has only done the AAA-BBB segment which represents a small fraction of the whole itinerary and has nonetheless received miles corresponding to the the total €ZZZ cost as if he had flown the whole AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD.
Sorry, didn't know there were several configuration of the site (I have 15 posts per page). The post I was quoting is #1589.
#1616
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,928
Does anyone know how miles are earned on "Bulk" tickets? I have flights that are booked in Z class on Air France flight numbers (but Delta operated) and I don't see anything which talks about how we will earn on these tickets. Will it be based on the "old" earning chart since there is not fare value on the ticket?
#1617
Join Date: May 2017
Location: LYS
Programs: FB Plat
Posts: 438
Either that, or it could be a Flight Bundle (can't find the same link for Air France / Hop flights).
#1618
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: AMS
Programs: KL PFL; BA Gold; A3 Silver; EY Silver; SU Silver
Posts: 2,488
I don't think that I would post that info publicly and attract attention to it if I were the OP as it sounds like he might have been attributed more miles than he should have received. The distance is relevant in the sense that, if I got it right, what the OP is saying is that he has an itinerary like AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD which has cost him €ZZZ and where he has only done the AAA-BBB segment which represents a small fraction of the whole itinerary and has nonetheless received miles corresponding to the the total €ZZZ cost as if he had flown the whole AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD.
The distance is relevant as this is how the miles per EUR spent are allocated between individual flights.
#1619
Moderator: Aegean Miles+Bonus
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AMS / ATH
Programs: AFKL Plat, A3 Gold
Posts: 7,342
Actual distance: 517
Cabin bonus: 200%
Elite bonus: 75%
Award miles received: 1419
So this only matches up if: No minimum distance is used (all calculations based on 517 miles), and, the elite bonus only applies on the base distance (not on top of the cabin bonus).
(517 * 2) + (517 * 0.75) = 1422 miles
The minimum distance used to be 750 if I remember correctly. Class bonus seems to have applied on that as well in the past. So if there was still a minimum distance then the calculation should have been:
(750 * 2) + (750 * 0.75) = 2063 miles
That's about 50% more for short flights like these!
Still, I received almost 8K miles for a AMS-LIN-ATH r/t - which is about 5K more than what I would have received if the miles were calculated based on the fare price. But..this is definitely a change, and partner airlines do indeed earn less than they used to.
Last edited by Xandrios; May 22, 2018 at 4:57 am
#1620
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,742
According to Example 2 of the "Hoe het werkt" explanation page linked to from every partner page, it does. The only short-haul example is on Tarom, for which they state that there is a 500 miles minimum amount for domestic RO flights. Note that neither the Tarom partner page ( nor Alitalia, nor any other that I can see) mention the existence of minimum miles or what the relevant numbers are, for the partners.
EDIT: In the "old" FB, the minimum distance for AZ was 500miles.
EDIT: In the "old" FB, the minimum distance for AZ was 500miles.
Last edited by irishguy28; May 22, 2018 at 7:44 am