Skyteam is de naam van de alliantie waar KLM en AirFrance onderdeel van zijn. Wanneer je vliegt met een maatschappij van dezelfde alliantie geniet je van de voordelen die horen bij het partnerprogramma.

Is Flying Blue gratis?

Flying Blue zelf is helemaal gratis. Wanneer je af en toe vliegt en Flying Blue member bent, dan blijf je de Explorer status behouden. Wanneer je een hogere status wil behalen, zul je vlieguren moeten gaan maken om het benodigde aantal XP’s te behalen. Hier zul je in moeten investeren, maar voor Flying Blue zelf hoef je niet te betalen.

Hoeveel Flying Blue miles per euro?

Hoeveel miles je ontvangt per bestede euro is afhankelijk van je status. Ben je Explorer dan ontvang je 4 Miles per bestede euro. Ben je Silver dan ontvang je 6 Miles per bestede euro. Gold-members ontvangen 7 Miles per euro en Platinum-leden 8 Miles per bestede euro.

Hoeveel Flying Blue miles nodig voor upgrade?

Het aantal miles dat je nodig hebt voor een upgrade is afhankelijk van de vlucht die je hebt geboekt. Een upgrade op een korte vlucht is beschikbaar voor minder miles dan een lange (intercontinentale) vlucht. Daarbij is het belangrijk om te weten dat je oorspronkelijke boekingsklasse blijft staan als je een upgrade koopt of betaalt met miles. Je krijgt dus XP’s en Miles op basis van je originele boeking en niet op basis van de upgrade.u003cbr/u003eDe prijs van een upgrade is afhankelijk van duur van de vlucht / afstand en beschikbaarheid op een vlucht. Drukke of (bijna) volle vluchten zijn daarom duurder. Een duidelijke prijs in miles voor een upgrade is dan ook niet te geven. In je account en boeking vindt je bij de boeking het aantal miles die je nodig hebt voor een upgrade.

Is Flying Blue de moeite waard?

Het aanmaken van een Flying Blue account en miles sparen als Explorer kost je niets. Wanneer je regelmatig vliegt met een Skyteam partner zorgen de miles ervoor dat je op den duur een gratis ticket kunt boeken. Of het interessant is om een hogere status te behalen, is afhankelijk van het aantal reizen die je jaarlijks maakt en hoeveel waarde je hecht aan comfort.

Hoe kom je aan goedkope Business Class tickets?

Er zijn meerdere mogelijkheden om goedkoop Business Class te vliegen. Zo kun je sparen voor miles en hier een ticket mee boeken, je kunt op zoek gaan naar relatief goedkope Business Class tickets (aanbiedingen buiten het hoogseizoen) of fora en reissites in de gaten houden om aanbiedingen of prijsfouten aan te schaffen. Houd er rekening mee dat het gemakkelijker is als je flexibel bent met reisdata. Lees hier mijn tips om voordelig miles te sparen.

How Flying Blue works [2025] - comprehensive guide

The Flying Blue Frequent Flyer Program

you participate in a frequent flyer program, you naturally want to get the most out of it. While it is very personal how you get the most out of an affiliate program, there are quite a few tips that are useful for many of us.

Maintaining Flying Blue status

When you sign up for Flying Blue, you are automatically assigned Explorer status. You don’t have to do anything for this, but it also gets you very little. When you achieve status, you naturally want to keep it. You do this simply by flying—there are no alternatives. When you achieve status – for example Gold, you need 180 XP each year to maintain your status. This also applies to Silver (100 XP) and Platinum (300 XP).

If you don’t manage to accumulate enough XP, you will drop one level. Good to know: to move up a level, you must accumulate the XP required for each status level along the way. If you want to achieve Gold for the first time, you will need 100XP + 180XP (total 280 XP) and for Platinum 100 XP + 180 XP + 300 XP = 580 XP.

Flying blue levels

Maintain silver status
To maintain your silver status, you need to save 100 XP annually.
Maintain gold status
To maintain your gold status, you need to save 180 XP annually.
Maintain platinum status
To maintain your platinum status, you need to save 300 XP annually.

How much do you have to fly?

you earn 5 XP in Economy and 15 XP in Business Class for a one-way ticket from Amsterdam to Spain. If you book a return, the number of XP goes times 2. Or 10XP or 30XP for a return ticket to a Spanish city.

For a long flight (e.g. to Bali or Vancouver), you save 10XP in Economy and 30XP in Business Class. For a return flight, a total of 20XP or 60XP applies. So how much you need to fly to get your XP is hard to answer. Intercontinental flights in Business Class add up quite quickly (3 return trips is 180XP), flying within Europe is a bit slower (6 return trips in Business Class or 12 in Economy).

Feeling overwhelmed by these numbers? Then check out my tips on how to save faster without paying more here

What does it cost and what do you get in return?

Nice, all those perks. But what do you actually get in return? First of all, creating a Flying Blue account is free. By signing up, you also immediately become a member of the Skyteam Alliance. If you are going to fly anyway, you might as well save some XPs and miles. After all, those miles are worth money. However slow your accumulation may be, one day you can use them for a free ticket. Even if it’s a return ticket within Europe. Still a nice bonus. If you take a more fanatical approach, you can gain a lot of advantages at relatively low cost. This benefit cannot always be expressed in money, but it can be expressed in peace of mind and comfort.

These days, many people can work location independently and we are freer to plan trips. After all, on the Spanish coast, you can also open your laptop. That freedom puts you in a position to book a cheaper ticket. Websites like Fly4free often share keen tickets that are available for a short time. This gives you the opportunity to book a Business Class ticket for a nice price. This in turn will help you save up for your status faster.

A second option is to book a flight with more transfers via Google Flights or Ita Matrix. This might sound like a lot of hassle, but it is very interesting if you want to save XP. Moreover, you get to use the airport lounges thanks to your status. Here you can eat and drink, shower and relax for free.

The extra transfers allow you to combine European and intercontinental flights. If you manage to create a flight from Amsterdam to Paris, Düsseldorf and then via Kuala Lumpur to Bali, you pay nothing extra but earn XP and miles (for discounts) very quickly.

Flying Blue benefits

Signing up to Flying Blue has a number of benefits. As I mentioned, this is not always directly monetisable, but to give you an idea: the benefit can amount to over €100 in benefits per person, per flight. Depending on what you normally spend at an airport and whether you choose emergency exit seats or comfort seats. Want to get even more benefit? Then also check out an American Express card. You can read about its advantages here.

Access to airport lounges
In the lounge, you can eat for free. Since airport food can be expensive, this quickly saves ~30,- per person per flight.
Free seat selection and comfort seats
Not only does this offer comfort, it also saves you up to 75,- per person per flight.
Sky Priority
Thanks to Sky Priority, you can board first and won’t have to stand in a long queue.
Special check-in desk
Thanks to Sky Priority, you can check in at a desk for status holders, so you don’t have to queue here either.

When do you buy a ticket and when do you pay with miles?

KLM Reward tickets

When you buy a ticket with miles, you are not saving XP. It is good to realise that you are not saving XP when you buy a ticket with miles and that may influence your choice. If you still need XP to maintain your status and are a bit later in the year, it makes more sense to buy a ticket and save miles. That way, you retain your status and save the miles for the next ticket.

In addition, pay attention to the number of miles you have to put on a flight and how much you have to pay extra. There can be big differences here.

Also good to know: When redeeming a ticket with miles, you still need to pay taxes and surcharges. When you book a ticket with miles, you often pay a small amount extra. This amount covers the carrier’s surcharges and taxes. These costs vary from country to country. So take into account your travel plan for the coming period and see how you can use your miles as efficiently as possible, paying as little as possible.

Finally, the different periods in which you book flights are important. This is because there is a big difference in the amount of miles to spend. For example, Business Class tickets (the most interesting ticket to buy with miles) vary between 70,000 points for a single ticket from the Netherlands to Asia, up to 310,000 points in the high season. On KLM’s website, you can browse through the different months and see the different prices (‘select book with miles’ in the search filter). In addition, you can keep an eye on their Promo rewards.

How do you start saving?

If you want to start saving, you can easily open a KLM Flying Blue account. Here you can earn miles and XPs without any obligations. Would you like to achieve status and make the most of the partner programme? Then I would take a look at an American Express credit card. Read more about the benefits of an American Express credit card when you travel a lot here. Wondering how this all works? Check here how exactly flying with air miles works.

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Flying Blue: frequently asked questions

What is Skyteam KLM?

Skyteam is the name of the alliance that KLM and AirFrance are part of. When you fly with an airline of the same alliance, you enjoy the benefits that come with the partner programme.

Is Flying Blue free?

Flying Blue itself is absolutely free. If you fly occasionally and are a Flying Blue member, you maintain Explorer status. If you want to reach a higher status, you will have to start flying hours to gain the required number of XPs. You will have to invest in this, but you do not have to pay for Flying Blue itself.

How many Flying Blue miles per euro?

How many miles you receive per euro spent depends on your status. If you are an Explorer, you will receive 4 Miles per euro spent. If you are a Silver member, you will receive 6 Miles per euro spent. Gold members receive 7 Miles per euro spent and Platinum members receive 8 Miles per euro spent.

How many Flying Blue Miles do you need for an upgrade?

The number of miles you need for an upgrade depends on the flight you have booked. An upgrade on a short flight is available for fewer miles than on a long (intercontinental) flight. Thereby, it is important to know that your original booking class remains when you buy or pay for an upgrade with miles. So you get XPs and Miles based on your original booking and not on the upgrade.
The price of an upgrade depends on flight duration/distance and availability on a flight. Busy or (almost) full flights are therefore more expensive. A clear price in miles for an upgrade can therefore not be given. In your account and booking, you will find the number of miles you need for an upgrade.

Is Flying Blue worth it?

Creating a Flying Blue account and earning miles as an Explorer costs you nothing. If you fly regularly with a Skyteam partner, the miles will eventually allow you to book a free ticket. Whether it is interesting to achieve higher status depends on the number of trips you make each year and how much you value comfort.

How do you get cheap Business Class tickets?

There are several ways to fly Business Class cheaply. For instance, you can save up for miles and use these to book a ticket, you can look for relatively cheap Business Class tickets (off-season offers) or keep an eye on forums and travel sites to purchase offers or price bumps. Keep in mind that it is easier if you are flexible with travel dates. Read my tips to save miles cheaply here.