Head-to-Head: Air Canada Aeroplan vs. Air France KLM Flying Blue

Two of the most well-liked loyalty applications for reserving transatlantic flights are Air Canada Aeroplan and Air France KLM Flying Blue.

Aeroplan has lengthy dominated the airline loyalty house in Canada because it presents probably the most co-branded bank cards available in the market. It’s additionally accessible by transferable factors applications on each side of the border, making it a well-liked program for Individuals, too. 

Previously few years, Air France KLM Flying Blue has been making its presence recognized to North Individuals, with its aggressive award pricing, co-branded bank cards, and entry by transferable factors applications in Canada and the USA.

On this version of Head-to-Head, we’ll pit Aeroplan and Flying Blue towards one another, weighing out the respective strengths and weaknesses, with a specific concentrate on transatlantic redemptions.

1. Factors Valuation

At any time when we evaluate completely different loyalty applications, it’s helpful to first set up an estimated worth of the factors.

At current, we worth Aeroplan factors at 2.1 cents per level (CAD) or 1.6 cents per level (USD). This worth is calculated based mostly on the relative ease of incomes Aeroplan factors, the huge variety of companions accessible in this system, the beneficiant stopover coverage, and extra.

In the meantime, we presently worth Flying Blue miles at 2 cents per mile (CAD) or 1.5 cents per mile (USD) – a price that has elevated within the latest previous.

This system’s strengths lie in its aggressive transatlantic award pricing, the profitable month-to-month Promo Rewards, the beneficiant stopover coverage, including First Class associate redemptions, and easy accessibility to distinctive locations, akin to Mauritius and French Polynesia.

Verdict: Based mostly solely on our valuation, Aeroplan comes out forward by a slight margin. Nonetheless, it’s value noting that our valuation of Flying Blue miles has been trending upwards as of late, whereas our worth of Aeroplan factors has remained regular for fairly a while.

2. Ease of Incomes Factors

For the subsequent level of comparability, we’ll check out how straightforward it’s to earn Aeroplan factors and Flying Blue miles by bank cards.

In Canada, Aeroplan has a bunch of co-branded bank cards accessible from TD, CIBC, and American Categorical. It additionally presents the US-issued Chase Aeroplan Card, which is a really aggressive product.

Credit score Card	Greatest Provide	Worth
As much as 95,000 Aeroplan factors $599 annual price	As much as 95,000 Aeroplan factors	$1,147	Apply Now
85,000 Aeroplan factors $599 annual price	85,000 Aeroplan factors	$927	Apply Now
As much as 85,000 Aeroplan factors† $599 annual price	As much as 85,000 Aeroplan factors†	$924	Apply Now
45,000 Aeroplan factors $120 annual price	45,000 Aeroplan factors	$720	Apply Now
As much as 60,000 Aeroplan factors† First Yr Free	As much as 60,000 Aeroplan factors†	$714	Apply Now
As much as 50,000 Aeroplan factors† $139 annual price	As much as 50,000 Aeroplan factors†	$617	Apply Now
As much as 50,000 Aeroplan factors† First Yr Free	As much as 50,000 Aeroplan factors†	$609	Apply Now
As much as 20,000 Aeroplan factors† $89 annual price	As much as 20,000 Aeroplan factors†	$434	Apply Now
70,000 Aeroplan factors $599 annual price	70,000 Aeroplan factors	$399	Apply Now
10,000 Aeroplan factors† $0 annual price	10,000 Aeroplan factors†	$210	Apply Now

Along with co-branded playing cards, Aeroplan is a 1:1 switch associate of American Categorical Membership Rewards, which is probably the most invaluable and versatile bank card rewards applications in Canada.

Within the US, Aeroplan can be a switch associate of American Categorical US Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Final Rewards at a 1:1 ratio, which additionally occur to be the most well-liked bank card rewards applications within the US.

In relation to incomes Air France KLM Flying Blue miles, your ease of entry relies on which facet of the border you reside.

In Canada, you’ll be able to earn Flying Blue miles straight with the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard – Canada’s solely Air France KLM co-branded bank card.

Flying Blue can be a switch associate of American Categorical Membership Rewards; nonetheless, the ratio is much less beneficial than Aeroplan’s, at 1 MR level = 0.75 Flying Blue miles.

Within the US, Financial institution of America points the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard, with which you’ll be able to earn miles by a welcome bonus and on each day spending.

Flying Blue can be a 1:1 switch associate of American Categorical US Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Final Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

Due to this fact, in Canada, your choices for accessing Flying Blue are extra restricted, whereas in the USA, there are extra alternatives for incomes miles by switch companions.

Verdict: For those who stay in Canada, it’s a lot simpler to build up Aeroplan factors by bank cards, since there are rather more accessible. Nonetheless, in the USA, Flying Blue miles are simpler to return by, because it’s a switch associate with extra applications.

In relation to ease of incomes by bank cards, the victor relies on the place you reside. 

3. Redeeming Factors

When you’ve gathered Aeroplan factors or Flying Blue miles, the subsequent level of comparability is available in making redemptions.

Aeroplan’s redemption pricing is predicated on the gap flown, the origin and vacation spot, the category of service, and the airline that you simply fly with.

Air Canada flights booked with Aeroplan factors are topic to dynamic pricing, which signifies that the worth fluctuates up and down, relying on demand and various different components.

However, associate airways booked with Aeroplan are topic to fastened pricing, which signifies that you’ll all the time pay the identical quantity of factors for the flight, so long as it’s accessible to be booked with factors.

Usually talking, you’ll know you’re getting a great deal in case your Aeroplan reserving costs out on the decrease finish of the dynamic pricing spectrum with Air Canada, or on the fastened associate ranges.

For many flights to between North America and Europe, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay wherever from 35,000–80,000 factors in financial system, 50,000–100,000 factors in premium financial system, 60,000–200,000 factors in enterprise class, or 90,000–225,000 factors in First Class. The most effective offers fall on the decrease finish of these ranges.

With Aeroplan’s beneficiant routing guidelines, you’ll be able to create bespoke itineraries that actually maximize the worth of your factors. Whereas most of these bookings are extra for severe aviation lovers and fewer for the typical consumer, there’s one thing to be mentioned concerning the huge prospects at hand with Aeroplan bookings.

Air France KLM Flying Blue additionally makes use of a type of dynamic pricing on Air France and KLM flights. 

For transatlantic flights, the bottom redemption prices for flights with Air France or KLM are as follows:

• Financial system: 20,000 miles
• Premium financial system: 35,000 miles
• Enterprise class: 50,000 miles

Nonetheless, it’s value noting which you could additionally see costs of double, triple, or much more, relying on the date, which is analogous to Air Canada flights booked with Aeroplan factors.

As with Aeroplan, these numbers needs to be used as tips as as to whether or not you’re getting a terrific deal – if you could find award flights at or shut to those values, you’ll be maximizing your Flying Blue miles.

Air France and KLM provide continuous flights to Europe from many cities that don’t in any other case get pleasure from long-haul routes. In Canada, this consists of Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Quebec Metropolis, and in the USA, each Air France and KLM have nice protection.

You can even ebook award flights with SkyTeam-member airways, together with Virgin Atlantic and Delta, utilizing Flying Blue miles, although award availability is fairly scarce and pricing is greater than the baseline value of Air France and KLM flights.

Verdict: It’s very troublesome to declare a transparent winner on this class, because the ease of redeeming factors relies on so many components: routes, class of service, award availability, time of 12 months, and extra.

Flying Blue has the clear edge relating to transatlantic financial system and premium financial system redemptions, which solely get higher when you can snag a Promo Reward deal that drops the worth even decrease.

Because it pertains to transatlantic enterprise class award pricing, the baseline redemption value with Air France KLM Flying Blue is decrease than with Aeroplan (50,000 Flying Blue miles versus 60,000–70,000 Aeroplan factors), which might be lowered additional with Promo Rewards.

Nonetheless, you’d additionally should issue within the 1:0.75 switch ratio from Canadian American Categorical Membership Rewards, if that’s the way you’re incomes factors, which brings the precise value (66,667 MR factors) kind of in step with what you could find by Aeroplan (60,000–70,000 factors for many direct flights to Europe from North America).

Each applications make the most of dynamic pricing, which may definitely be unpredictable and unfavourable; nonetheless, the fastened pricing construction and availability of award redemptions with associate airways by Aeroplan is less complicated to foretell and extra bountiful than Flying Blue’s.

Due to this fact, we’ll give Aeroplan the slight edge on this measure, allowing for that this specific level of comparability may be very dynamic.

4. Taxes and Charges

Other than the price in factors or miles, one other necessary side of a loyalty program is the prices you’ll incur within the type of taxes and costs on award bookings.

Aeroplan doesn’t cross alongside carrier-imposed or gas surcharges on redemptions, and the quantity of taxes and costs you pay is sort of low, usually within the vary of $50–200 (CAD), relying in your itinerary.

For bookings with associate airways, Aeroplan imposes a $39 (CAD) associate reserving price. The rest of the taxes and costs are the unavoidable government-imposed costs, akin to safety charges, immigration charges, tourism charges, and others, which it’s a must to pay no matter the way you ebook your flights. 

For probably the most half, you’ll pay the identical quantity of taxes and costs for an financial system reserving as you’ll for a similar itinerary in premium financial system or enterprise class.

In relation to Flying Blue redemptions, you’ll encounter a average quantity of taxes and costs, which embrace carrier-imposed surcharges. Relying in your route and sophistication of service, you’ll be able to anticipate to pay $100–400 (CAD) for a one-way transatlantic reward reserving.

Which means you’ll pay greater surcharges for a one-way direct flight in enterprise class (~$375 CAD)…

Than you’ll in premium financial system (~$150 CAD)…

Than you’ll in financial system (~$100 CAD). 

Verdict: On common, you’ll pay much less out-of-pocket with an Aeroplan redemption than you’ll with a Flying Blue redemption. Due to this fact, we’ll give Aeroplan the sting relating to taxes and costs on redemptions, particularly for bookings in premium cabins.

5. Companion Airways

One of the vital engaging options of a loyalty program is the variety of companions it provides you entry to. 

Other than Air Canada, Aeroplan factors might be redeemed for flights with over 45 associate airways. These embrace Star Alliance carriers akin to Singapore Airways, EVA Air, Lufthansa, Turkish Airways, and United Airways, in addition to exterior companions akin to Virgin Australia, Oman Air, Emirates, and extra.

There are additionally some glorious redemption alternatives with Canadian regional companions, together with Calm Air, Canadian North, and Air Creebec, amongst others.

It’s value noting that Aeroplan has been experiencing some ongoing points with award availability on some associate airways within the latest previous. Whereas this impacts transpacific flights greater than transatlantic flights, the complete roster of associate airways isn’t presently accessible, although we’re assured that Aeroplan is engaged on addressing the underlying points.

As for Flying Blue, you’ll have entry to SkyTeam-member airways, together with Delta Air Strains, Virgin Atlantic, ITA Airways, and China Airways, in addition to different non-affiliated airways, akin to Etihad Airways.

Verdict: One in every of Aeroplan’s largest strengths is the quantity of associate airways which you could redeem Aeroplan factors with. With over 40 lively associate airways, we’ll as soon as once more should facet with Aeroplan.

Nonetheless, it’s value noting that Flying Blue has additionally been busy including new companions within the latest previous, and has additionally made First Class redemptions accessible with some.

Hopefully, each applications will proceed so as to add extra companions, giving members extra flexibility for redemptions.

6. Program Candy Spots

For those who’d wish to get probably the most out of your redemptions, then it’s necessary to familiarize your self with a program’s candy spots and the options that make it distinctive.

One of the vital engaging options accessible with Air France KLM Flying Blue is Promo Rewards, which is a month-to-month providing that slashes 25–50% off common redemption prices on quite a lot of routes.

Some examples of latest Promo Rewards offers we’ve seen embrace the next:

• Ottawa to Europe in Air France financial system for 15,000 miles + ~$144 (CAD) in taxes and costs
• Montreal to Europe in Air France premium financial system for 26,250 miles + ~$230 (CAD) in taxes and costs
• Calgary to Europe in KLM enterprise enterprise for 37,500 miles + ~$350 (CAD) in taxes and costs

Even with the taxes and costs considered, it’s troublesome to discover a cheaper technique to get to Europe in any class of service.

Plus, Flying Blue treats all of Europe, Turkey, and North Africa as the identical zone, which signifies that the baseline award pricing of 20,000 miles (financial system), 35,000 miles (premium financial system), and 50,000 miles (enterprise class) applies to all combos of flights between North America and people locations.

Whereas Aeroplan often reductions redemptions to particular locations, the financial savings aren’t as vital or constant as Flying Blue’s Promo Rewards. 

In relation to Aeroplan’s transatlantic candy spots, direct flights to Europe that complete lower than 4,000 miles can be found for simply 60,000 factors in enterprise class, which is a superb value. Nonetheless, enterprise class flights within the second distance band offer you as much as 6,000 miles to fly for 70,000 factors, which can be a terrific deal.

Plus, in case you have Aeroplan Elite Standing, you’ll be able to earn profitable Precedence Rewards, which knock 50% off the price of a redemption in varied courses of service, relying in your standing.

Whereas this requires you to earn standing with Air Canada, and incomes Precedence Rewards is straight tied to the amount of cash you spend on Air Canada flights, the alternatives are glorious.

For instance, you may get round-trip flights from North America to Europe for the next costs with Precedence Rewards:

• Financial system: 35,000+ factors
• Premium financial system: 50,000+ factors
• Enterprise class: 60,000+ factors

Verdict: Since Flying Blue Promo Rewards can be found to everybody, whereas Air Canada Precedence Rewards are reserved for these with Aeroplan Elite Standing, we’ll give the benefit to Flying Blue right here.

Surely, Promo Rewards provide excellent worth, and so they’re value listening to every month.

Plus, Flying Blue’s therapy of Europe, Turkey, and North Africa as a part of the identical zone permits travellers from throughout North America to fly for a similar baseline quantity of factors. 

Nonetheless, it’s value declaring that Aeroplan’s transatlantic award pricing may be very aggressive with different applications, and notably so with Precedence Rewards.

7. Different Options

Each Aeroplan and Flying Blue have various options from which members can profit.

With Aeroplan, you’ll be able to ebook a stopover of as much as 45 days at a further value of simply 5,000 factors. This can be a nice technique to embrace a number of cities on a single ticket at a really cheap value.

In the meantime, on Flying Blue bookings, you’ll be able to add a stopover of as much as a 12 months on a reserving at no additional value. This can be a very beneficiant coverage, though it’s value noting that stopovers have to be booked over the telephone, and pricing has anecdotally reported to be inconsistent.

Each applications permit members to pool factors with members of the family, by Aeroplan Household Sharing and Flying Blue Household. These options permit members to pool factors from as much as eight accounts into one, which might be useful for quite a lot of causes.

It’s value noting that Aeroplan has quickly disabled the creation of latest Household Sharing accounts since August 2023. Present Household Sharing accounts can proceed to make use of the characteristic, but it surely stays unclear when it is going to develop into accessible for brand new accounts once more.

Households who have interaction with Flying Blue may profit from a 25% low cost on reward bookings for kids aged 2–11 when travelling with an grownup on an Air France or KLM flight. That’s a pleasant technique to make household journey extra inexpensive, and it’d be nice to see one thing related added to different applications, too.

Verdict: Whereas this doesn’t cowl everything of the varied advantages accessible in each applications, we’ll give the sting to Flying Blue right here, with its beneficiant free stopovers, household pooling, and award low cost for travelling households.

8. Consumer Expertise

Let’s briefly contact upon the consumer expertise when partaking with Aeroplan and Flying Blue.

In relation to trying to find flights, Flying Blue has a “hidden” calendar search perform, which helps you to see a month’s value of lowest award pricing directly. This makes discovering dates which have the most effective award costs very straightforward.

To activate the calendar, merely depart the journey dates clean throughout your search…

And a calendar will seem within the search outcomes, making it very straightforward to identify the bottom costs accessible for the month.

With Aeroplan, you’ll be able to see as much as every week’s value of the bottom award pricing throughout all courses of service within the search outcomes (when you’re logged in); nonetheless, you’ll should manually search day-by-day and use filters to seek out the most effective flights.

Alternatively, you should utilize the United MileagePlus web site to seek out Star Alliance-partner award availability with a calendar characteristic, after which revert again to Aeroplan’s web site to ebook at higher costs.

Whereas it’s not with out its limitations, the sheer variety of flight combos accessible in Aeroplan search outcomes is exceptional, particularly compared to Flying Blue. This additionally speaks to the variety of associate airways accessible by Aeroplan.

With Flying Blue, modifications and stopovers have to be booked over the telephone, whereas many modifications to Aeroplan bookings and itineraries with stopovers can simply be booked on the Aeroplan web site.

Aeroplan has been including various self-serve options previously few years, lowering the necessity to telephone the Aeroplan Contact Centre, which typically has lengthy wait instances, particularly for members with out Aeroplan Elite Standing. Whereas some bookings nonetheless have to be accomplished over the telephone, it’s nice to have the ability to do some your self.

With each applications, you’ll be able to simply seek for and ebook easy award flights utilizing the Air Canada, Air France, and KLM apps.

Verdict: That is one other difficult class to guage, as each applications have strengths and weaknesses.

Discovering the most effective costs for award flights is less complicated with Flying Blue utilizing the calendar search; nonetheless, it’s a must to find out about it to have the ability to use it.

Looking for the most effective costs for flights with Aeroplan requires a little bit of legwork, in addition to using filters and/or different web sites, and it’d be nice to see a calendar search perform added.

With the power to make bookings with stopovers and modifications on-line, we’ll facet with Aeroplan relating to consumer expertise, acknowledging that each applications have areas that they’ll enhance in. 

Conclusion

Aeroplan and Air France KLM Flying Blue are each glorious loyalty applications, particularly relating to reserving transatlantic flights.

Aeroplan’s strengths lie within the ease of acquisition of factors, its abundance of airline companions, the power to construct advanced itineraries, its stopover characteristic, and its self-serve choices, amongst others.

The place there’s room for progress consists of the variability in dynamic pricing for Air Canada flights, in addition to the convenience of trying to find the most effective offers on the Aeroplan web site.

In the meantime, Flying Blue can be comparatively straightforward to entry (particularly within the US), presents excellent baseline award pricing, options profitable month-to-month Promo Rewards, has nice choices for households, and maintains a latest observe file of constantly including worth to this system whereas others strip it away.

The tradeoffs embrace greater taxes and costs (in premium cabins), fewer associate airways, the variability of dynamic pricing, and the necessity to use the contact centre for a lot of options.

In relation to transatlantic flights, it’s a reasonably shut name as to which program presents higher worth. Flying Blue presents decrease baseline costs in miles however greater taxes and costs, whereas Aeroplan options barely greater baseline costs in factors, however decrease prices in taxes and costs, in addition to entry to extra associate airways.

When thought-about as a complete, Aeroplan presents members extra worldwide choices to fly utilizing factors, and is a extra highly effective program for aviation lovers and informal customers alike.

Nonetheless, as Flying Blue continues so as to add companions and assert itself as a number one loyalty program, it’s definitely value listening to and fascinating with, particularly when you can leverage all of its options.