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Flying Blue finally fixes its award search, making it easier to book award tickets

Dec. 05, 2022
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4 min read
KLM Boeing 787-10 Premium Comfort Economy
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If you've used Flying Blue, the award currency for Air France and KLM, chances are you're well aware of its uber-obnoxious technical glitch when searching for award tickets.

Finally, Flying Blue award searches are working properly after years without a solution, as One Mile at a Time first reported.

What was the glitch?

Air France plane
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

You can search for Flying Blue award tickets on Air France or KLM's websites. To search for award space, you must first log in to your Flying Blue account and select "Book with miles" from the homepage.

Before the recent update, the site would bring you to a flight selection page displaying the various award prices after entering your search criteria. This used to be your single chance at booking without running into trouble, as any attempt to change your search by selecting "back," "change" or making other search adjustments would often trigger the aforementioned glitch.

Booking a flight from MAD to IAD
AIRFRANCE.FR

Effectively, this glitch would terminate your search session because none of the search criteria could be changed. So, there were two common fixes:

  • Move to the other airline's website (e.g., if searching on KLM's website, go to Air France's, log in to your Flying Blue account again and enter your alternative search preferences).
  • Close your Air France or KLM tab, clear your browser cookies and restart your search.
  • Use an Android (some readers reported this was an effective workaround, though TPG never confirmed it.).

This pesky glitch resulted in award searches taking much longer than they should have for travelers who didn't give up coping with this technical hurdle.

Related: The ultimate guide to earning and redeeming with Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Searching for Flying Blue awards

KLM business class meal
A KLM business-class meal. TARAH CHIEFFI/THE POINTS GUY

As previously suggested, Flying Blue has fixed this glitch at the time of writing. When you select the "change" button, you're now brought back to the original booking page without needing to log in again or clear your cookies.

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Searching for a flight from MAD to IAD
AIRFRANCE.FR

Interestingly, your previous search gets a bit jumbled. In our tests, selecting the "change" button defaults the next search to a round-trip cash ticket with a departure date one day before your previously searched itinerary.

When you start by selecting "Book with miles," you can fix these details with a few clicks. While Flying Blue's search functionality still has room to improve, this is a big step forward from the now-fixed glitch.

Related: Doors, wireless charging and 4K video: A first look at Air France's new Boeing 777 business class

Bottom line

Flying Blue miles are some of the easiest to earn since they're transferrable from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. Not to mention, any day now, the program will be launching complimentary stopovers on award tickets, which will make the program even more appealing to frequent flyers.

For as long as I can remember, this troublesome technical glitch on Flying Blue's award tickets made searching for awards tiresome. Fortunately, you should now be able to do Flying Blue award searches without too much trouble.

Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.