The inevitable that was supposed to happen last month referred to as an error, is now back with some changes. Flying Blue Miles are now devalued starting 13th Jan 2025. However, this devaluation hits award flights of Air France, KLM, and Partner Airlines. Devaluation is part and parcel of points and miles; however, these should not be brutal like United did last year. This devaluation is mild, and there’s more. Here is what changed from Monday the 13th.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Miles Devaluation 2025 for Each Cabin
The Air France-KLM flying blue miles devaluation is approximately 5000 to 15000 miles, depending on the cabin. Here are the number of increases in miles you would need to pay in addition to earlier award pricing starting 13th Jan 2025 for each cabin class:
- Economy: 5000 Miles
- Premium Economy: 5000 to 10000 Miles
- Business Class: 10000 to 15000 Miles
These miles increase is of Air France & KLM’s own metal.
- Now, from India to Amsterdam or Paris will cost 30K in economy, up from 25K, 50K in premium economy, up from 40K, and 85K in Business Class, up from 70 K.
- Similarly, from the US to Amsterdam or Paris will now cost 25K in the economy, increase from 20K, 40K in the premium economy, increase from 35K & 60K in Business Class, and increase from 50K.
No Impact on Ongoing Flying Blue Promo Rewards
- There is no impact on ongoing Flying Blue Promo Rewards. That means you can still book Air France-KLM flights at old pricing minus the discount you get with Flying Blue Promo Rewards. If you have miles and your route is featured in this month’s promo rewards, it makes sense to book it this month.
- It is best to use Flying Blue miles to book the Business Class award featured in promo rewards. For example, you can book a Mumbai-Amsterdam flight in business class for as low as 52500 Miles, and this will increase to a minimum of 85000 miles from 1st February 2025 unless this route again features in promo rewards.
- Below is the Flying Blue Promo Reward pricing I checked today, which is the same as the Promo Reward Pricing:
Partner Award Devalution
The increase is not significant for partner awards. The flying miles for partner awards have increased between 500 and 2000 miles for economy cabins and 500 to 4000 Miles for Business Class Cabins.
Examples:
- Aeromexico: MEX to LHR used to cost 37500 and now costs 38000 miles for the economy cabin.
- Etihad: The flight between Abu Dhabi & London in Etihad Airways Business Class used to cost 51000 miles. Now, it costs 53500 miles.
- Malaysia Airlines: The Business Class cabin on Malaysia Airlines between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta used to cost 18500 miles, but it now costs 19000 Miles.
Similarly, some partner awards have increased.
Increased Availability At Saver Level
Last night, when I found out about the devaluation, my first thought was whether this has been done to make available increased awards to members. I even checked the Air France website using their monthly calendar to see if availability has increased or if it is the same. It appears it is still the same. However, Onemileatatime has received confirmation from Air France-KLM that the devaluation is part of the process to make available increased saver-level inventory.
I have always found flying miles for Air France-KLM flights unreasonable. However, if this increase has been made to increase availability, then it surely is good news. However, we don’t know the date when this will be implemented.
I am still skeptical about increased Saver award availability.
Thoughts
Nobody likes devaluation, specifically no notice devaluation. However, Flying Blue does not publish an award chart, and award pricing is dynamic. Such programs usually do devaluations overnight and carry this risk. That said, the flying blue miles devaluation at the start of 2025 is mild, as mileage has only increased by around 20%. I still like this program since I can earn Flying Blue Miles fairly quickly by transferring credit card points. Also, from a SkyTeam perspective, apart from flying blue, another decent option is Virgin Atlantic; however, earning Virgin Points in India is not easy unless you have Amex or buy these points during the promotion. I would continue using Flying Blue Miles specifically to cater to my SkyTeam travel and book some partners.
