Does dropping to Gold and regaining Platinum reset the PfL counter?

Unfortunately, no. If you dropped to Gold, it means your previous qualification year ended without reaching 300 XP, and that year broke your consecutive Platinum streak. Your Platinum for Life counter resets to zero at that point.

Here is what actually happens in your scenario, step by step:

1. Year N (the drop year): You held Platinum status but did not earn 300 XP during your qualification year. At the end of this period, Flying Blue's Soft Landing drops you one level to Gold. This year does not count as a Platinum year for PfL, because you did not reach the 300 XP threshold.
2. Year N+1 (the recovery year): You start as Gold and earn 300+ XP. Flying Blue upgrades you back to Platinum (immediately when you hit the threshold). This year does count as a Platinum year, but it is year 1 of a new consecutive streak, not a continuation of your old one.

The key rule is: Platinum for Life requires 10 consecutive qualification years in which you earn at least 300 XP. It is not about which status card you hold, but whether you actually qualified for Platinum each year. One year below 300 XP resets the counter entirely, even if you bounce back the very next year.

To protect your streak in future years, consider using XP rollover. Flying Blue lets you roll over up to 300 XP from one qualification year to the next, which can act as a buffer in a lean travel year. And if you hold a Flying Blue Amex card, the annual XP bonus (up to 60 XP for the Platinum card) gives you a head start each year.