Air France award tickets have seen several changes, including stopovers, first class restrictions, and region-based mileage adjustments.
- Stopover: A free one-way stopover option has now been added. In other words, if you fly from A to B, you can add a stop in C along the way and stay in C for a longer period of time. This is basically like getting an extra destination to visit for a few days at no additional cost. However, you need to call the Flying Blue call center (800-735-8723) to book it. If the agent does not know how to do it, try asking for a supervisor.
- First class now has elite-status restrictions: Air France has added restrictions to its own first class awards. Only Platinum members and above can book them. In addition, only one award seat is released per flight. This requirement is pretty unreasonable—having the miles is not enough.
- Award pricing has been adjusted: They introduced a region-based concept. Compared with before, some routes now require more miles while others require fewer. Overall, the changes are not too large.
The economy class chart is below.
The business class chart is below.
One of the best things about Air France is that Flying Blue is a transfer partner of multiple bank programs (UR, MR, TYP, C1). The transfer ratio is 1:1 from all of them, while Marriott transfers at 3:1. So there are still plenty of ways to get the miles.