A few weeks ago, Air France/KLM and Etihad Airways signed a new cooperation agreement whereby the airlines would codeshare on some routes and also eventually provide elevated frequent flyer benefits to flyers. While the agreement went into place a while ago, we haven’t been able to redeem miles on each other’s flights. This is now live – it is possible to redeem Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles for travel on Etihad Airways and the same in reverse – use Etihad miles on Air France/KLM flights.
Earn Miles on Flights
- you can earn miles with Air France/KLM when you fly on Etihad Airways
- you can earn miles with Etihad Airways when you fly on Air France/KLM
Redeem Etihad Airways Guest Miles on Air France/KLM Flights
You can now redeem Etihad Airways miles for flights operated by Air France and KLM. The redemption rates follow Etihad’s standard partner award chart, which isn’t that amazing.
To give you some examples:
- a flight in Economy Class up to 500 miles in length costs 6k miles
- a flight in Business Class in the distance band of 2,000 – 2,500 miles costs 50k miles
- a flight in Business Class in the distance band of 4,001 – 5,000 miles costs 100k miles
It is not possible to book Air France First Class using partner miles, so Etihad’s First Class award rates do not apply.
You probably won’t really be redeeming Etihad miles for Air France/KLM at these rates, since you can do so at much better rates through Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic, in some cases.
Redeem Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles on Etihad Airways Flights
The real gem with this partnership is being able to redeem Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles on Etihad Airways flights.
A few things to keep in mind:
- you can book these award flights directly online
- Flying Blue doesn’t have an award chart, so there is no reference of how much a flight will cost
- Flying Blue does impose fuel surcharges
What are Etihad Airways flights pricing out as? Here are some examples (one-way):
- Abu Dhabi to Doha
- Economy Class: 3,500 miles + ~$75
- Business Class: 5,000 miles + ~$115
- Abu Dhabi to Kuwait
- Economy Class: 5,000 miles + ~$80
- Business Class: 9,500 miles + ~$120
- Abu Dhabi to London
- Economy Class: 28,500 miles + ~$108
- Business Class: 50,500 miles + ~$208
- Abu Dhabi to Geneva
- Economy Class: 25,500 miles + ~$108
- Business Class: 45,000 miles + ~$208
As you can see, when combined with the taxes/fees, those are not the world’s best rates, but they aren’t bad either.
Transfer in Points to Flying Blue
Being able to redeem Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles on Etihad Airways is exciting because Flying Blue miles can be acquired fairly easily, you can transfer them in from:
- American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio)
- Capital One Rewards (1:1 ratio)
- Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1 ratio)
- Citi ThankYou Points (1:1 ratio)
- Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio)
Flying on Etihad Airways is such a joy in the premium cabin, so being able to easily book their flights through Flying Blue is so cool.
There are frequently transfer bonuses to Flying Blue – from the major bank programs. For example, right now there is a promotion whereby if you transfer Chase points to Flying Blue, you will get a 25% bonus.
All in All
The more redemption opportunities, the better – and this one is really cool. When you pair a Flying Blue transfer bonus with a decently-priced redemption on Etihad Airways, you should get great value for your miles. The surcharges on the medium-haul flights are decent in Business Class, so this is definitely a great opportunity to fly on Etihad Airways and when you do, be sure to stopover in Abu Dhabi for a few days!