There could be plenty of worth to having airline elite standing, although it goes with out saying that not all elite standing ranges are created equal. On this publish I needed to take a better take a look at Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue Final elite standing.
I’ve written lately about Flying Blue elite standing — significantly Platinum and Gold standing — however not in regards to the tier above that, which I needed to cowl on this publish. Whereas this can be a printed elite tier, it’s very unique, and the necessities are manner past what you’d in any other case want for standing.
Every of the “massive three” airline teams in Europe has such a standing — Lufthansa Miles & Extra has HON Circle standing, whereas British Airways Govt Membership has Gold Visitor Checklist standing.
How do you earn Flying Blue Final standing?
Flying Blue makes use of “XP” (which stands for “expertise factors”) because the metric for incomes standing. For the three predominant elite tiers, the necessities are as follows (in every case while you earn a membership tier, your 12-month qualification clock resets for the following tier):
- 100 XPs will get you Flying Blue Silver standing
- You then want 180 further XPs to earn Flying Blue Gold standing
- You then want 300 further XPs to earn Flying Blue Platinum standing
Flying Blue Final standing, by comparability, has a lot greater elite necessities:
- Flying Blue Final standing requires incomes 900 UXPs, so meaning the necessities are 3 times as excessive as qualifying for Platinum standing
- Not solely that, however Final standing relies on incomes UXPs and never XPs; UXPs are earned solely for journey on Air France and KLM, and never for journey on companion airways (in any other case you may qualify for Flying Blue standing primarily based solely on journey with companion airways)
As you may see, Final standing is manner, manner, manner more durable to earn. It has triple the necessities of Platinum standing, plus solely journey on Air France and KLM counts towards it.
For context, under is the speed at which you ordinarily earn XPs.
So simply for instance, incomes 900 UXPs would require:
- 9 roundtrip first-class tickets yearly on lengthy haul flights (as much as 5,000 miles)
- 15 roundtrip enterprise class tickets yearly on lengthy haul flights (as much as 5,000 miles)
- 90 roundtrip financial system tickets yearly on quick haul flights (as much as 2,000 miles)
What are the perks of Flying Blue Final standing?
What advantages do you obtain for having Flying Blue Final standing, above and past Flying Blue Platinum standing (which will get you SkyTeam Elite Plus advantages, and extra)?
- An Final Assistant, who may help you with making all your journey plans, and helping with any operational points
- 4 improve vouchers per yr; you want one voucher to go from financial system to enterprise on a brief haul flight or from financial system to premium financial system on an extended haul flight, and two vouchers to go from financial system to enterprise on an extended haul flight (skipping premium financial system)
- The power to appoint a companion to Flying Blue Platinum standing
- The power to take as much as eight visitors into Air France and KLM enterprise class lounges
- Extra personalised service at airports, together with an unique check-in facility, an unique space in most lounges, pre-boarding on demand, and quick monitor immigration upon arrival (the place allowed by legislation)
- If flying in La Premiere first-class, you may carry two visitors into the lounge, relatively than the everyday one
- The power to overdraft a mileage steadiness; you may redeem for an award as much as 20% greater than your present mileage steadiness, as much as 100,000 miles
- Hertz Platinum standing
There’s little question that a big a part of the worth with Flying Blue Final standing is healthier “delicate” therapy from employees. From check-in brokers, to lounge brokers, to flight attendants, you may anticipate that you simply’ll get extra consideration.
As you may see, Flying Blue Final standing doesn’t really get you entry to a greater lounge. Moderately, you may carry extra visitors into the lounges that you’ve entry to. Moreover, you’ll discover that almost each Air France and KLM lounge has a roped off space for Flying Blue Final members.
How does this standing examine to British Airways & Lufthansa?
How do the perks of Air France-KLM Flying Blue Final standing examine to the perks of Lufthansa Miles & Extra HON Circle standing and British Airways Govt Membership Gold Visitor Checklist standing? I’d say there’s one greatest level of differentiation:
So I do suppose that in all probability makes HON Circle and Gold Visitor Checklist standing extra compelling by way of the incremental perks supplied. On the similar time, I perceive why this distinction exists:
- Air France tries to make its first-class product unique in a manner you gained’t discover on the different airways, so it’s not shocking that Final members don’t get entry to the Air France La Premiere Lounge; conversely, alcohol choice apart, I discover the British Airways Concorde Room to not even be pretty much as good as a number of the world’s finest enterprise class lounges
- Flying Air France is definitely nice for essentially the most half, and the service has phenomenal merchandise in A350 enterprise class and 777 enterprise class; in the meantime on Lufthansa, you need to put up with a reasonably awful product to earn that standing
Backside line
Flying Blue Final is the highest tier elite standing within the Air France-KLM program. This has triple the necessities of Platinum standing, plus solely permits you to qualify primarily based on flying with Air France and KLM.
Flying Blue Final members can anticipate particular therapy all through their journey, from particular check-in, to unique seating in lounges, to pre-boarding on demand, and extra. On prime of that, Final members obtain Platinum standing for a companion and Hertz Platinum standing.
Are any OMAAT readers Flying Blue Final members? If that’s the case, what has your expertise been with the standing?
