Once your Flying Blue Miles balance reaches a few thousand, award tickets become your passport to free travel (plus airport taxes). Want to fly to your favorite destination at a reduced rate? The editorial team explains how you can use your Flying Blue Miles for Air France and KLM award tickets. Time to pack your bags!

Air France and KLM award tickets are tickets that you can buy with your Flying Blue Miles.

You can book award tickets on flights operated byAir France, KLM or Transavia(although low-cost is not very advantageous), or any other member airline of theSkyteam alliance:

Flying Blue Promo Reward tickets are standard award tickets offered at discounted rates and changing on a monthly basis. With offers ranging from 25% to 50% off, these opportunities are worth checking out month after month. They are available in Economy, Premium Economy and Business cabins, with particularly attractive offers in the upper cabins.

Here too, additional taxes apply. The longer the distance and the higher the cabin, the higher the costs.

You will then be asked to log in to your Flying Blue account. To do this, you will need to enter your Flying Blue number or e-mail address.

If you choose to enter your Flying Blue number, please note that you will also be asked to authenticate yourself by e-mail or SMS. You will receive a one-time PIN code that you must enter within 15 minutes, otherwise it will lose its validity.

You will then be asked to select the flights and fares you require. Once your selection is complete, you can proceed to payment. If you do not have enough Miles to pay for the reservation, your request will be refused.

Whether you’re booking for yourself or for someone else, the process for purchasing a Flying Blue Award ticket is the same. Just make sure you enter all his personal details in accordance with his passport.

Unlike other airline programs, Flying Blue has no fixed fare structure. As a result, ticket prices are subject to change depending on dates, seasons and destinations. It’s important to note, however, that the more high-end cabins you travel in, the higher the airport taxes and additional fees you’ll have to pay in cash. These surcharges are unfortunately unavoidable.

For a one-way ticket between Paris and Montreal in Economy cabin, fares vary around 20,000 Miles and 113 euros (around $170 CAD).

For the same one-way trip between Paris and Montreal, but in Premium Economy, fares vary around 35,000 Miles and 175 euros (around $250 CAD).

Business cabin flights are sometimes available at fares similar to those in the Premium Economy cabin. For the same dates, we found a one-way ticket between Paris and Montreal in Business cabin for 37,000 Miles and 307 euros (around $455 CAD).

It’s important to note, however, that the number of seats for such fares in the Business cabin is often limited; when the threshold is reached, a seat equivalent to 135,000 Miles can be found.

You can request a change or cancellation of your award ticket up to the last check-in deadline. Depending on the conditions of your ticket, modification or cancellation fees may apply. You will be able to see the conditions of your ticket just before purchase, when you select the desired fare.

Whether you are traveling in Economy, Premium Economy or Business, a fee of around 50 euros is charged for a schedule change, plus the fare difference with the new ticket. For the same price, you can also cancel your flight, provided you do so before the first flight in your booking.

To obtain a refund for a Flying Blue award ticket, you need to go to the Air France website, under the “My reservations” tab. You will then be presented with various options for modifying or cancelling your booking. Depending on the conditions of your ticket, modification or cancellation fees may apply.

When you pay for your flight in the Economy cabin with Flying Blue Miles, it’s worth noting that the first hold baggage item weighing 23 kg is included, in addition to a carry-on bag and a personal item.

When you travel in the Premium Economy cabin, you can bring two hold baggage items weighing 23 kg each, even without Flying Blue status, and when you travel in the Business cabin, you can bring two hold baggage items weighing 32 kg each.

Whichever cabin you travel in, you can select your seat before check-in, free of charge. You are also entitled to all SkyPriority benefits.

There are many ways to earn Flying Blue Miles. In all, Flying Blue has some sixty partners with whom you can earn a maximum number of Flying Blue Miles.

The best way to earn Flying Blue Miles is with an Air France KLM American Express card. Unlike American Express cards, which earn Membership Rewards points, Air France KLM American Express Silver, Gold and Platinum cards earn Flying Blue Miles.

The best way to use your Flying Blue Miles is to get your hands on award balls and Flying Blue Promo award tickets fromAir France and KLM, even if you travel with Train + Air. That’s how you maximize the value of your Miles, even if you have to pay airport taxes. Enjoy your trip!