Flying Blue offers some of the best opportunities to fly to Europe using points. With Saver awards and monthly promotions, Flying Blue provides excellent value for transatlantic travel. The program also includes family-friendly perks like 25% discounts for kids, free stopovers in Paris or Amsterdam, and the ability to connect anywhere in Europe for no extra miles.

While finding Saver awards requires some strategy and patience, this guide will show you exactly how to maximize Flying Blue for your European adventures.

What Is Flying Blue?

Flying Blue is the joint loyalty program of Air France, KLM and Transavia that also covers TAROM and Aircalin. You can earn and redeem miles on Air France, KLM and their SkyTeam partners as well as on several non-alliance carriers.

Flying Blue is a transfer partner of all major credit card points, including American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Rewards and Bilt Rewards, making it easy to accumulate miles.

Tourist in Europe

Air France Regular Saver Awards

Flying Blue offers these standardized Saver-level award pricing for Air France- and KLM-operated flights between the U.S. and Europe:

  • Economy: 25,000 miles one way
  • Premium economy: 40,000 miles one way
  • Business class: 60,000 miles one way

These are the “starting from” rates. Dynamic pricing means actual rates can be much higher, especially for peak dates, popular routes or last-minute bookings. Saver-level pricing applies to flights to Europe, North Africa and even some select destinations like the Canary Islands and parts of the Caribbean for the same rate. Taxes and surcharges are usually $100 in economy and $200 to $300 each way for business class.

Finding Saver Fares: The Challenge

Saver-level awards are highly sought after and can be difficult to find, especially in business class and on nonstop flights between the U.S. and Europe. Traditionally, the Air France/KLM websites let you search only a few days at a time, making it tedious—like finding a needle in a haystack. The process can be frustrating because you’ll often see dynamic (much higher) pricing instead of the lowest Saver rates.

Pro tip: We have a dedicated video to show you how to pull up the Air France calendar view and search a full month at a time, making it much easier to spot those rare Saver dates.

Connecting Onward with Flying Blue

When booking with Flying Blue, you can connect onward beyond Paris (CDG) or Amsterdam (AMS) to almost anywhere in Europe for no extra miles, as long as there’s award space for the full itinerary.

This means you can fly from New York to Paris to Rome or from Los Angeles to Amsterdam to Prague for the same number of miles as just for the transatlantic segment. It’s a great way to maximize your redemption and see more of Europe on one ticket.

Business-Class Saver Fares

Business-class Saver fares are scarce but not impossible to find. One of the best strategies is to use married segment logic. Married segment logic is when airlines release low-level award space only when you book two or more flight segments together as a single unit (for example, New York to Rome via Paris instead of a nonstop flight from New York to Paris). The system may show availability for a connecting itinerary even if the nonstop flight is unavailable at Saver rates.

If you’re struggling to find a nonstop Saver award, try searching for an itinerary with a connection onward from Paris or Amsterdam. This can unlock lower pricing and more availability, and you’ll pay the same mileage as for the transatlantic segment alone. Use the calendar search trick mentioned above to scan a whole month at a time for those elusive Saver dates.

Free Stopovers in Paris and Amsterdam

Flying Blue also allows free stopovers on award tickets, letting you stay in Paris or Amsterdam for up to 12 months before continuing to your final destination.

You can add a stopover at no extra mileage cost, but you must call Flying Blue customer service to book it. Stopovers are available on one-way awards, and you can potentially add more than one if all flights are on the same airline. This is a fantastic way to turn a simple trip into a multi-city adventure without spending extra miles.

Kid on a flight

Kids Get 25% Off with Flying Blue

Children ages 2 to 11 get a 25% discount on award tickets when traveling with an adult. This applies to all cabins including economy, premium economy and business, even on partner flights, but typically does not stack with Promo Rewards. The discount is automatically applied during online booking if you indicate a child traveler. Miles earned by children do not expire until they turn 18, and Flying Blue allows family pooling for more flexibility.

Flying Blue Monthly Promo Awards

Every month, Flying Blue releases Promo Rewards, which are discounted award tickets, usually 25% off, on select Air France and KLM routes, including both long-haul and short-haul options. Promo Rewards are published at the start of each month and must be booked by the end of that month for travel typically over the next six months. These deals can apply to economy, premium economy or business class and are available for one-way or round-trip bookings.

Monthly Promo Saver Award Rates (one-way, U.S. to Europe):

  • Economy: 18,750 miles (reduced from 25,000 miles)
  • Premium economy: 30,000 miles (reduced from 40,000 miles)
  • Business: 45,000 miles (reduced from 60,000 miles)

Promo Rewards make it possible to book transatlantic flights for fewer miles than most other programs. You can often find availability even during peak travel periods if you’re flexible with dates and destinations. You can add a connecting flight within Europe for no extra miles if you find award space.

Other Helpful Tips for Booking Flying Blue Awards

  • Always check both Air France and KLM websites for availability, as sometimes one will show space that the other doesn’t.
  • Taxes and surcharges can be as high as $200 to $300 each way, so factor that into your budget.
  • Use flexible points to top up your account instantly if you’re short on miles.
  • If you don’t see the child discount or stopover option online, call customer service as they’re generally helpful and can manually price these itineraries.
  • Flying Blue miles can also be used on SkyTeam and select non-alliance partners, but the best value is usually on Air France and KLM-operated flights.