Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
We are calling it the "summer of savings," as there have been some absolutely incredible deals this year — even at the last minute.
The TPG team is finding a ton of last-minute award availability to and from Europe in KLM or Air France business class for as few as 60,000 miles one-way right now.
You can visit European cities including Amsterdam, Paris and Bordeaux, France, from various U.S. gateways on Air France or KLM using as few as 60,000 Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles each way.
We are finding saver-level availability from nearly all of Air France and KLM's U.S. cities, including Houston, Miami, New York, Chicago and more. The best availability appears to be in the peak summer season during July and August.
Related: Paris Pocket Guide: What to see, do and eat in the City of Light
Award pricing for Air France business-class flights — which include priority boarding, lounge access, lie-flat seats, meals and amenity kits, among other perks — can often cost upwards of 200,000 Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles. But by taking advantage of this deal immediately, you can snag a seat for as few as 60,000 Flying Blue miles per person for a one-way, nonstop flight.
If you're having trouble finding dates that work, use this work-around for navigating the Flying Blue calendar search tool.
Deal basics
Airlines: Air France and KLM
Routes: From Miami, New York City, Houston, Chicago and other U.S. cities to Paris and other European cities
How to book: Browse Air France-KLM Flying Blue for available dates and pricing
Travel dates: Availability varies based on route, but dates generally range from July through August
Book by: As soon as possible
Sample flights
A nonstop business-class flight from New York City to Paris can sometimes require as many as 260,000 miles (or more). However, thanks to this deal, award pricing is as low as 60,000 Flying Blue miles.
For example, this flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Bordeaux-Merignac Airport (BOD) with a stop at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) only costs 60,000 Flying Blue miles, plus $260 in taxes and fees, each way.
I found flights from JFK to CDG for the same 60,000 Flying Blue miles (plus $241 in taxes and fees).
You can also fly from Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia to JFK for just 60,000 Flying Blue miles.
Or how about O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on Aug. 12 for just 60,000 Flying Blue miles and $242?
There is widespread availability here, but I don't expect it to last — so jump on it while you can. I had better luck with one-way searches than with round-trips, and with last-minute flights over far out searches, but it doesn't hurt to keep hunting.
Should you need to top off your Flying Blue miles, you can transfer points and miles from several other programs:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Bilt Rewards
- Capital One
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Rewards
Maximize your purchase
Don't forget to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases to cover your taxes and fees, such as:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): 2 points per dollar spent on travel
- American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel®
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): 8 points per dollar spent on flights booked through Chase Travel℠ and 4 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline
- Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar spent on air travel
Bottom line
Right now, there is some great discounted business-class availability from various U.S. cities to Amsterdam, Paris and beyond. If you have flexible travel dates and want to use points or miles for your booking, now is a great time to find discounted rates.
Related reading:
- How to find the cheapest redemption rates using Flying Blue miles
- Flying Blue expands free stopovers on award tickets to all partner airlines
- Save big on fees: Why Flying Blue is the new best way to book Virgin Atlantic award tickets
- Flying Blue standardizes prices of saver-level redemptions to Europe
