In November, Flying Blue added stopovers to all Air France and KLM tickets, allowing members to spend up to 12 months in Paris or Amsterdam before continuing to their final destinations.
The loyalty program has now rolled out stopovers on all partner carriers, as One Mile at a Time first reported. Now that you can add a stopover to all Flying Blue partner tickets, here’s how you can maximize the Air France-KLM Flying Blue stopover.
Flying Blue adds complimentary stopovers with partners
Airline stopovers let you spend more than 23 hours and 59 minutes in your layover city. For example, if you’re traveling from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) via Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), you could use the stopover to spend a few days (as opposed to just a few hours) in Paris before continuing to London.
You can now add a stopover to eligible award flights on 34 airlines, including all SkyTeam carriers, as well as non-alliance partners like Air Corsica, Air Mauritius, airBaltic, Aircalin, Bangkok Airways, Chalair Aviation, China Southern Airlines, Copa Airlines, Gol Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Transavia, Twin Jet, WestJet and Winnair.
Here are a few things to note about Flying Blue’s stopover:
- You need to book award tickets with stopovers over the phone.
- Flying Blue stopovers must be between 24 hours and one year.
- Stopovers are allowed on one-way, round-trip and multicity awards, plus Cash & Miles tickets.
- You can combine carriers on Flying Blue stopovers.
Related: Want cheap economy award flights to Europe this summer? Focus on these programs
Maximizing Flying Blue’s stopover
Now that Flying Blue has liberalized its stopover, allowing for stopovers on all partner carriers, here are some ways you can maximize this program:
- New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on KLM, with a stopover in Amsterdam before continuing on to Jakarta, Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) on Garuda Indonesia
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to LHR on Virgin Atlantic, with a stopover in London before continuing on to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) in Mauritius on Air Mauritius
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Calgary International Airport (YYC), with a stopover in Calgary, Alberta (and a visit to Banff National Park) before continuing on to JFK on WestJet
- SFO to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), with a stopover in Taipei, Taiwan, before continuing on to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) on China Airlines
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) on Delta, with a stopover in Sao Paulo before continuing on to Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery (AEP) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Gol Airlines
You can search for award availability leg by leg on Airfrance.com or KLM.com. Once you’ve pieced together your desired itinerary, call Flying Blue at 1-800-375-8723 and advise the agent you’d like to book a stopover.
Related: 7 of the best airline award chart sweet spots
Earn more Flying Blue miles
Many U.S.-based flyers earn Flying Blue miles by using a transferable points card. You can transfer points or miles from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy to Flying Blue. Outside of Marriott, all these transfer partners offer conversions at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott Bonvoy transfers, on the other hand, are at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus awarded for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.
If you’re looking for transferable credit card points, consider these solid card welcome offers:
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the card within the first three months of card membership
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first six months of card membership, though you may be able to get a higher bonus through the CardMatch tool (terms apply)
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees): 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
Additionally, through July 31, you can transfer Capital One miles to Flying Blue with a 20% bonus.
Related: Doors, wireless charging and 4K video: A first look at Air France’s new Boeing 777 business class
Bottom line
The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program has expanded stopovers to partner airlines. This policy is now one of the most generous in the industry, allowing travelers to enjoy free stopovers on all partner airlines. You can call Flying Blue to request pricing and book a stopover on your redemption.
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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
