At the start of every month, Air France and KLM's Flying Blue program slashes award rates on a handful of routes to and from Europe: They're called Flying Blue Promo Rewards. And June's offerings are a doozy if you're looking to get to Europe and back for less this summer or fall.
Through the end of the month, the airlines are discounting several U.S. routes to Europe in economy by 25%, bringing rates as low as just 11,250 miles each way! Whether you start your trip in New York City (JFK), Detroit (DTW), Atlanta (ATL), Miami (MIA), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), or other cities, there are some substantial savings here. If you're set on flying business class, you can find discounted rates from Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL).
And while you can use this deal to book nonstop flights to either Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or Amsterdam (AMS), you can also connect onward almost anywhere in Europe for the same rate … and sometimes even less!
These lower rates are good for a trip all the way through November 2023. And while you've technically got until the end of June to book, you may want to act fast before the best deals disappear – especially if you're trying to score a deal on a trip to Europe this summer for 30,000 points or less.
Air France and KLM tack on $60 to $80 on a one-way flight to Europe in economy or $230 or so for a roundtrip booking. But that's a small price to pay considering these fares otherwise sell for $1,500 or more, especially over the pricey summer.
Don't have Flying Blue miles? You just might. Air France or KLM miles are some of the easiest miles to earn thanks to transfer partnerships with all the major banks. So if you’ve got points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, the American Express® Gold Card, or even from paying rent through Bilt Rewards, you can instantly turn them into the Flying Blue miles you need for a trip to Europe. If you've got points on a card like the Citi Premier® Card, it gets even cheaper thanks to a 25% transfer bonus to Air France and KLM.
A word of warning, though: Using either Air France or KLM's sites can be a serious hassle.
Flights that initially price out at these discounted rates can disappear when you try to click through. You might need to search for one-ways separately rather than roundtrip. And the site is notorious for erroring out when you're checking out, asking you to call instead. For that reason, you may want to try to book via the mobile app.
But at these low rates, it's worth the extra legwork. Just look at how easy it is to snag a one-way flight from Miami (MIA) to Prague (PRG) this fall for just 12,750 miles.
Thrifty Tip: Leave the departure date blank when searching with your miles through Air France or KLM and it will pull up a month-by-month calendar like this.
You can even use this promo to make more out of your European vacation by flying into one city and home from another: Just book them separately as one-ways and you're set. For example, you could fly from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) into Florence (FLR), then make your way through Tuscany, down through Rome, hit the Amalfi Coast, and fly home from Naples (NAP) all for 33,000 Flying Blue miles and about $230 in taxes and fees.
You won't find business class deals from the states, but Canadians are in luck – or you Americans who are willing to book a separate positioning flight up north. You can book KLM business class from either Toronto (YYZ) or Montreal (YUL) for as low as 41,250 miles each way. The tally for taxes and fees is much higher at $240 or more each way, but that's easily worth it for this.
Which Routes Qualify for Flying Blue Promo Rewards in June?
The list of cities that made the cut for Flying Blue Promo Rewards in June is long.
And remember: These discounted rates are available for travel from June through November 2023. And while you've got until June 30 to book, you'll want to lock in your flights sooner before other travelers snap them up – award availability could dry up faster for many of these deals.
- Flights between Atlanta (ATL) and Europe in economy are available from 15,750 miles each way
- Flights between Austin (AUS) and Europe in economy start at 18,375 miles each way
- Routes between Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Europe in economy go as low as 15,000 miles each way
- Flights between Detroit (DTW) and and Europe in economy start at 11,250 miles each way
- Houston-Intercontinental (IAH) to Europe or vice versa in economy starts at 15,000 miles each way
- Miami (MIA) to Europe or back in economy is as low as 12,750 miles each way
- Flights between Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and Europe in economy are bookable as low as 16,750 miles each way
- New York City (JFK) to Europe or vice versa in economy starts as low as 11,250 miles each way
- Business class flights between Montreal (YUL) and Europe go as low as 41,250 miles each way
- Business class flights between Toronto (YYZ) and Europe go as low as 41,250 miles each way
Bottom Line
This is one of the best monthly promos we've seen from Air France and KLM's Flying Blue program in … well, months.
There's a long list of U.S. departure cities from which you can score flights to Europe (or back) in economy for as low as 11,000 miles and change all summer and fall. And if you're willing to make a trip up north across the border, you can score some deeply discounted business class flights across the pond, too.
Just be sure to act fast. While you've got until the end of June to book before these rates disappear, odds are that the best deals will get snapped up much faster.
Love this! On the promo rewards page, how can you tell if it’s a promo for economy vs business class?
what are the consequence of booking a Flying Blue flight? e.g. cancellation, changes? Also do the miles expire if not used?
Doh, forgot to include this in our story! There’s a flat $50 change/cancellation fee. Miles expire every 24 months without account activity (earning/redeem) – you can easily reset that clock by transferring another 1,000 points to Flying Blue.
How do you view the prices in points vs dollars on the website? Do I need to transfer points first?
You should see a tab that says “Book with Miles” right on the homepage. You don’t need to transfer miles but you will need a Flying Blue account (which is free to join).