Air France and KLM, free business class seat choice for Flying Blue elite members
Changes to the Flying Blue program continue, although it would be better to say that this change will impact all travelers, not [...]
KLM
Air France
SkyTeam
Changes to Flying Blue program continue, although it would be better to say that this change will impact all travelers, not just the loyalty program members of the two companies.
Choice of paid seat in business class
In this article:
For all tickets sold on or after April 4, for travel scheduled on or after April 13, advance seat selection will be chargeable also for business class passengers, just as has been the case for economy seats for some time.
Air France and KLM will therefore adopt the same policy as British Airways, Finnair, Lufthansa and other airlines by charging an extra fee for choosing a seat in advance. Your choice of seat will be free at check-in, digital or physical, while it will be charged between 70 and 90 euros if made at the same time as the ticket purchase.
At present, the change will not impact flights to/from the United States.
Free seat to those with Flying Blue status
Did you get your flight cancelled, miss your connection, land late?
You could get up to 600€ compensation per person
Unlike British Airways' rules that scale the possibilities for members based on the level in the executive club, all Flying Blue elite card holders, silver and up, will be able to continue their free choice of seat on board as is the case today.
While this novelty will make frequent AF/KLM travelers happy, who will have a better chance of finding the best seats free, it will also annoy all other passengers who will be forced to pay extra or wait until check-in opens to choose a seat for free.
In conclusion
I would say a forced choice to follow what the competition is doing and try to cash in as much as possible from ticket sales. Unlike other companies, who invented business class lite, which eliminates benefits such as seat choice and lounge access, the French/Dutch carrier is choosing the path of rewarding loyalty and penalizing occasional users.
