Air France Flying Blue: One of the Best Ways to Get to Europe

In the interest of full disclosure, some links in this article contain a referral bonus. Opinions expressed here are the author’s own. 

Dreaming of a European adventure? Booking a flight to Europe with Air France Flying Blue offers you a world of possibilities. As one of the most renowned and trusted frequent flyer programs, Flying Blue offers a seamless way to unlock the continent’s treasures. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the process of booking a flight with Air France Flying Blue from the United States to Europe, including the crucial step of transferring credit card points to Flying Blue miles.

Getting to Know Air France Flying Blue

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of booking your flight, let’s take a moment to understand what Air France Flying Blue is and its benefits. Air France Flying Blue is the frequent flyer program associated with Air France-KLM, a major player in the global airline industry. The program is renowned for its extensive network, strong airline partnerships, and ease of earning and redeeming miles.

Extensive Route Network: Flying Blue covers a wide range of destinations across Europe and the world, making it a perfect choice for your European adventure. As of writing this article, they have 16 direct flights from Paris to the United States.

Partnerships: Air France is a Sky Team member and has a host of partner airlines, including KLM, Delta, Air Europa, Kenya Airways, and more. This means you can use Flying Blue miles to book flights on these carriers.

Elite Status: Flying Blue offers different elite statuses (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Club 2000) that provide additional benefits like priority boarding, lounge access, and extra baggage allowance.

Miles & Cash Option: Flying Blue allows you to combine miles and cash to book flights, making it more accessible for those who might not have enough miles for a full ticket.

Transfer Partners: Flying Blue has several transfer partners, including American Express, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One. This means you can transfer credit card points to Flying Blue miles.

Earning Flying Blue Miles

Now, let’s explore how to earn Flying Blue miles so that you can start building your travel fund.

You can earn Flying Blue miles by booking flights with Air France, KLM, and their partner airlines. The number of miles you earn depends on factors such as the distance of your flight, your fare class, and your Flying Blue status.

One of the most efficient ways to accrue Flying Blue miles is by using credit cards that partner with the program. It is the most flexible option and how most people will earn Flying Blue miles. All 4 major flexible mile earning programs transfer to Flying Blue and here’s how to go about it:

American Express Membership Rewards: If you hold an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points, you can transfer these points to Flying Blue miles. To do this, log in to your American Express account, navigate to the transfer partners section, and follow the instructions to initiate the transfer.

Chase Ultimate Rewards: Chase Ultimate Rewards points can also be converted into Flying Blue miles. Simply log in to your Chase account, visit the Ultimate Rewards portal, and find the option to transfer points to Flying Blue. To transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Flying Blue you must hold either the Chase Saphire Preferred or Reserve Card. These cards will unlock the ability to transfer points to travel partners.

Capital One: Capital One has a transfer partner relationship with Flying Blue. You can transfer your Capital One miles to Flying Blue miles by logging in to your Capital One account and following the transfer process.

Citi: Citi has a transfer partner relationship with Flying Blue as well. You can transfer your Citi ThankYou Points to Flying Blue miles by logging in to your Citi account and following the transfer process.

Bank of America: Bank of America offers a Flying Blue co-branded credit card. Those travelers who are loyal to Air France or KLM may benefit from this card but the flexible points/mile programs from other banks listed above are likely a better option for most.

Promotions and Special Offers

Keep an eye out for promotions, special offers, and events that can help you earn bonus Flying Blue miles. These could include double-mile promotions, bonus miles for certain routes, or special partner offers. As of writing this article, Chase currently has a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue. This can be a significant benefit and will reduce the miles required for your trip by 25%! American Express and Capital One do have similar promotions throughout the year.

The Booking Process

Once you’ve accumulated enough Flying Blue miles, it’s time to embark on your European adventure. Here’s how to book your flight:

1. Start by visiting the official Flying Blue website. Here, you can create a Flying Blue account if you don’t already have one. You’ll need this account to complete your booking.
   
2. After creating or logging into your Flying Blue account, use the search function to find available flights from the United States to your desired European destination. You can search for one-way or round-trip flights, depending on your travel plans. It is highly recommended to use one-way bookings when using points and miles. It offers the most flexibility and will be much easier to find award availability.
   
3. Once you’ve found a suitable flight, select it. The website will display the number of miles required for your chosen route and class of service.
   
4. After knowing how many miles are required for the flight, you will then want to transfer miles from one of 4 major credit card programs if you do not have enough Flying Blue miles in your account. DO NOT TRANSFER MILES UNTIL YOU HAVE CONFIRMED AVAILABILITY. This is extremely important as you cannot transfer miles back to your credit card program.
   
5. During the booking process, you can customize your experience by adding services like seat selection, checked baggage, and more. You can also use a combination of miles and cash to pay for your flight if you don’t have enough miles to cover the entire cost.
   
6. After reviewing your booking details, click the “Continue” or “Confirm” button to finalize your booking. You’ll need to enter your payment information and confirm your flight.

Finding Award Availability

Being flexible with your travel dates can help you find flights with lower mileage requirements, especially if you’re booking during the off-peak season. In the above example, one day was 71,000 miles while others around it required 156,000 miles. This can be a big difference especially when booking multiple tickets.

It’s generally easier to secure award seats when you plan and book your flights well in advance. Award availability tends to decrease closer to the departure date. There is a bit more flexibility when booking economy class fares. Business class tickets are more difficult to find.

Flying Blue allows stopovers on one-way awards, which means you can explore two European cities on a single trip. Make the most of this feature to maximize your experience.

25% Discount for Children on Reward Bookings

For those looking to book a trip with young children, Flying Blue offers a 25% discount on reward bookings for children aged 2 to 11. This policy was designed to make family travel more affordable and encourage parents to use their Flying Blue miles to book flights for their children. Important to note that award availability still needs to be available as the child still requires a ticket.

Start Planning Your Next European Vacation

Booking a flight to Europe with Air France Flying Blue is an exciting journey in itself. With an extensive network, strong airline partnerships, and the ability to transfer credit card points to Flying Blue miles, the process becomes even more accessible. By earning and redeeming Flying Blue miles strategically, you can turn your European dream into a reality. So, start collecting miles, plan your adventure, and explore the wonders of Europe with Air France Flying Blue as your trusty guide through the skies. Bon voyage!

In the interest of full disclosure, some links in this article contain a referral bonus for anyone who’s approved through some of the links. These are the best publicly available offers (terms apply) that we have found for each product. Opinions expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent any opinions of the bank, airplane, hotel chain, or product manufacturer/service provider, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.