Flying Blue Promo Reward: Air France Biz Class from Chicago
Just the other day Flying Blue announced this month's Promo Rewards and included Miami and Chicago. While Miami includes 25% off business class on KLM, Chicago only shows 25% off economy on Air France.
However, an STTP reader (@meme.sergeant), noticed that business class on Air France out of Chicago seemed to get the 25% discount as well. Naturally, I decided to check all of the eligible dates for award space - there's plenty!
Whether this lasts, your guess is as good as mine. However, I thought it might help a few of you book a trip this winter or even next spring.
Now, let's get into the details.
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Air France Business Class - Image courtesy of Air France
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: ORD-CDG (and beyond)
Operating airline: Air France
Class of service: Business class
Dates: November 2021 - April 2022
Seats available: 2
Cabin layout: 1-2-1 (reverse herringbone)
Book with (per person, one-way):
- Flying Blue:
- 58,000 miles to CDG
- 53,000 miles to some EU cites
- Flying Blue Promo Reward:
- 43,500 miles to CDG
- 39,750 miles to some EU cities
Taxes/fees (per person):
- One-way: ~$219
- Round-trip: ~$594
Bank transfer partners:
- Flying Blue: Amex (25% transfer bonus), Bilt, Brex, Capital One (20% transfer bonus), Chase, Citi, Marriott
Don't forget to let me know if you book and how you did it!
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DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that the COVID-19 situation and the resulting travel restrictions could prevent you from traveling. Additionally, please make sure you understand the cancellation/redeposit and change fees required before booking with a particular program.
Travel Restrictions and Requirements
You can find the current entry requirements and restrictions for US travelers, as well as links to the appropriate country's official website, at the following link.
France
Flight Experience
Air France operates a 777-300 on this route with a 1-2-1 business class cabin layout. Each seat is lie-flat and has direct aisle access. While I haven't flown Air France business class yet, I have generally heard positive reviews from friends.
More specifically, I have received reports of an impressive wine selection and very nice food. The crews have been described as friendly and attentive.
I should probably fly them at some point to see for myself!
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Flying Blue requires 87,000 miles for two people during this promo.
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Available Dates
You can find seats for 2 people in business class on the following dates.
ORD-CDG
November: 6-11, 13-16, 21-23, 25-30
December: 4, 6, 7
January: 9-13, 16-19, 22-27, 29-31
February: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12-15, 17, 19-22, 24, 26-28
March: 1, 3, 5-9, 13-15, 21, 22, 26, 28-30
April: 3-5, 7, 11, 15, 19, 24, 25
ORD-CDG
November: 5, 6, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23
December: 1, 4, 7, 9, 11-14, 21, 25
January: 11, 14, 17, 18, 22, 24-29, 31
February: 1-5, 7, 8, 10-17, 20-22, 24, 26-28
March: 1-5, 7, 8, 10, 12,, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, 24, 31
April: 1, 6, 7, 12-14, 17, 19-22, 29
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The Gardens of Versailles
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Best Ways To Book
This one is pretty straightforward since you have to use Flying Blue miles to book the Promo Rewards. However, if you're transferring points, please keep in mind that Amex is running a 25% transfer bonus while Capital One is running a 20% transfer bonus.
Additionally, a number of EU cities only require 39,750 miles during this promo. You can check the Miles Price Estimator to find saver level.
If you find a city that requires 53,000 miles, that's an option that you can book for 39,750 mile during the promo. When you factor in the promo rate, you'd only need to transfer 32,000 Amex points or 33,200 Capital One Miles.
Please note that cancellations/refunds are not permitted. You can check the full terms and conditions here.
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How To Book
You can pick either Air France or KLM's site and run your search. I use Air France and the process works like this:
- Select "Book with miles"
- Select "Log in"
- Sign into your account
- Enter your origin, destination, dates, number of seats, class of service
- Run the search
- Select your flights
- Click through to book
Transfers to Flying Blue are generally instant so you don't usually need to worry about award space vanishing. However, you can call and have them hold award space for you.
In the past, calling has also been a safer option for new Flying Blue accounts as booking online caused new accounts to be frozen. I haven't heard any horror stories recently, but I wanted to mention it just in case.
I have found the contact centers in Germany and Spain to be most helpful.
Germany: +49 (0) 69 867 98 106
Spain: +34 91375 3096
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Bottom Line
The taxes/fees on these awards aren't the cheapest but for so few points/miles, I think Promo Rewards are at least worth it for a one-way ticket when booking a business class trip to Europe.
If you book I'd love to hear where you decide to visit!
Happy Booking!
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