Air France-KLM Flying Blue has now announced their Covid-19 response to status and miles expiry.
Flying Blue members with status expiry between March 2020 – February 2021 will see it extended by an additional 12 months. The miles expiry for non-elite members has been extended through the end of 2020.
You can access Flying Blue’s page for coronavirus response here.
Note that Flying Blue miles won’t expire for elite members. Miles that are expiring for Explore members before the end of 2020 have been extended until December 31, 2020.
Here’s the email that Air France – KLM sent out to members:
Conclusion
This is the first step for Air France – KLM to mitigate the coronavirus effect to its Flying Blue members. The issue is that Flying Blue uses a 12-month rolling qualification period that is not tied to the usual calendar year. I believe that they need to offer more once airlines begin operating again.
Here are the frequently asked questions by Flying Blue:
1. Will I keep my current level in my next qualification period?
In case your qualification period ends between March 2020 and February 2021, you will keep your current level even if you don’t reach the XP objective. Some examples:
A Silver member with a qualification period ending in April 2020:
- If you have gained 120 XP, your counter will be offset by 100 XP to maintain Silver and you keep a surplus of 20 XP.
- If you have gained 65 XP, we will credit the missing 35 XP and then offset your counter with 100 XP to reset your XP counter to 0 and maintain your Silver level.
A Gold member with a qualification period ending in April 2020:
- If you have gained 220 XP, your counter will be offset by 180 XP to maintain Gold and you keep a surplus of 40 XP.
- If you have gained 120 XP, we will credit the missing 60 XP and then offset your counter with 180 XP to reset your XP counter to 0 and maintain your Gold level.
A Platinum member with a qualification period ending in April 2020:
- If you have gained 450 XP, your counter will be offset by 300 XP to maintain Platinum and you keep a surplus of 150 XP.
- If you have gained 250 XP, we will credit the missing 50 XP and then offset your counter with 300 XP to reset your XP counter to 0 and maintain your Platinum level.
2. When will I see this XP measure in my online account?
Not until the first day in your new qualification period will you see in your online account that your current level is maintained. In your activity overview, you’ll find either ‘XP offered by Flying Blue’ with the number of XP that are credited to reach the XP objective, or ‘Counter offset’ with the XP objective deducted from your counter. A new card will be sent to you before your current card expires. The validity date of your digital card will be updated at the end of your current qualification period.
3. I want to upgrade to a higher level. Will I also be compensated?
Our measures enable Elite members to maintain their current level. It is not applicable for members who wish to upgrade to a higher level.
4. Will I keep my current XP balance in my next qualification period?
We will automatically offset the number of XP needed to maintain or upgrade a level. Any surplus XP will remain on your account. Some examples:
A Silver member with a qualification period ending in April 2020:
- If you have gained 120 XP, your counter will be offset by 100 XP to maintain Silver and you keep a surplus of 20 XP.
- If you have gained 65 XP, we will credit the missing 35 XP and then offset your counter with 100 XP to reset your XP counter to 0 and maintain your Silver level.
A Gold member with a qualification period ending in April 2020:
- If you have gained 220 XP, your counter will be offset by 180 XP to maintain Gold and you keep a surplus of 40 XP.
- If you have gained 120 XP, we will credit the missing 60 XP and then offset your counter with 180 XP to reset your XP counter to 0 and maintain your Gold level.
A Platinum member with a qualification period ending in April 2020:
- If you have gained 450 XP, your counter will be offset by 300 XP to maintain Platinum and you keep a surplus of 150 XP.
- If you have gained 250 XP, we will credit the missing 50 XP and then offset your counter with 300 XP to reset your XP counter to 0 and maintain your Platinum level.
5. What will happen to my years counting towards Platinum for life?
If you keep your current level during your next qualification period based on our special measures that membership year will count towards the 10 consecutive years needed to qualify for Platinum for life. For example:
- You have been a Platinum member for 9 consecutive years, and your current qualification period will end on 31 December 2020. Because of our measures, you will be maintained and reach 10 consecutive years of Platinum. On 1 January 2021, your new qualification period starts and on 1 April 2021, …
- … we will change your level to Platinum for life.
- You have been a Platinum member for 7 consecutive years, and your current qualification period will end on 31 December 2020. Because of our measures, you will be maintained. On 1 January 2021, your 8th consecutive year of Platinum will start.
6. How are my Miles affected by the COVID-19 measures?
As an immediate measure, we will prevent all Miles of our Explorer members from expiring between now and the end of 2020. Since the situation is still evolving, we will continue monitoring it closely. We are committed to sharing details when available.
7. Where can I see that the validity of my Miles has been extended to the end of 2020?
As an Explorer member, you can find the updated validity date online in your Flying Blue account.
8. Will the validity of my Miles also be extended until the end of 2020?
As always, Miles are valid for life as long as you are a Silver, Gold or Platinum member. Are you an Explorer, and do you have Miles with an expiry date between March and December 2020? Then we ensure that these Miles do not expire. Miles with a validity date of January 2021 and beyond are not impacted by this measure.
9. What is the rebook and cancellation policy for reward tickets?
You may rebook or cancel your reward ticket or Promo reward ticket free of charge under the following circumstances by contacting customer service:
- If the travel date of your reward ticket or Promo reward ticket is before 30 June 2020.
- If your request for change or cancellation is made before 30 September 2020.
- If your booking was made before 16 April 2020.
For trip cancellations with reward tickets or Promo reward tickets:
- Penalty fees for trip cancellations are waived.
- Whether you have a reward ticket or Promo reward ticket, your Miles will be credited to your Flying Blue account and airport taxes to the credit card used for payment.
- Ticketing fees are non-refundable.
For change of travel dates with reward tickets or Promo reward tickets:
- For flights booked with Air France and KLM only, you will be rebooked on the same route, airline and cabin for travel until 30 November 2020. For travel as of 1 December 2020 you can rebook in the same booking class.
- For flights booked with other airline partners or in combination with Air France-KLM flights, you will be reissued a reward ticket with the same route, airline and booking class. If we are unable to do so, we will issue a new ticket upon your request. The number of Miles and airport taxes …
- … required may be different for this new reward ticket.
- A change of destination is also possible free of charge. You may use the full value of your original tickets for new tickets with Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines or Virgin Atlantic.
To request a refund or change, please contact customer service or make your request via the Air France or KLM website.
For bookings with travel from 1 June 2020, original ticket conditions apply.
10. Does Flying Blue still offer Promo rewards?
We have temporarily suspended our Promo rewards. All regular reward ticket options, Miles upgrades and extra options in Miles will continue to be available. As for other measures, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and take similar or further actions accordingly.
11. Will Flying Blue consider additional support to help members to upgrade or maintain next year?
Since the situation is still evolving, we will keep on monitoring it closely to see if additional support is required in the future. We are committed to sharing details when available.
