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Flying Blue Glossary
Canonical definitions of every Flying Blue term. Reference these when discussing the Air France-KLM loyalty program.
Core Terms
- XP (Experience Points)
- Status-qualifying points earned from flights with Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam partners. Silver requires 100 XP, Gold 180 XP, Platinum 300 XP per qualification year. Full guide
- UXP (Ultimate XP)
- Points earned only on Air France and KLM marketed flights. 900 UXP required for Ultimate status, on top of Platinum qualification. Capped at 1,800 per year, rollover max 900. Full guide
- Miles
- Reward currency earned from flights, credit cards, shopping, and 24 transfer partners. Used for award flights, upgrades, and non-flight rewards. Do not expire with account activity every 24 months. Full guide
- Status Level
- Membership tier based on XP earned. Five levels: Explorer (default), Silver (100 XP), Gold (180 XP), Platinum (300 XP), Ultimate (900 UXP). Each level adds benefits like lounge access, bonus miles, and priority services. Full guide
- Qualification Year
- Rolling 12-month period starting from first XP-earning flight. XP earned during this period determines your next status level. Resets when status is awarded or renewed. Full guide
- Soft Landing
- Protection that limits status drops to one level per year. A Platinum member who does not requalify drops to Gold, not Silver. Applies at each renewal. Full guide
- Choice Benefits
- Reward milestones for Platinum and Ultimate members at 450, 600, and 750 XP or UXP. At each threshold, choose one reward: bonus miles, status gift card, XP boost, or miles overdraft. Full guide
- Award Ticket
- Flight booked using Miles instead of cash. Pricing varies by route, cabin, and availability. Monthly Promo Rewards offer 25-50% discounts on award pricing. Full guide
- XP Rollover
- Unused XP that carries over to the next qualification year. Capped at 300 XP for Platinum members and 900 UXP for Ultimate members. Full guide
Calculation Terms
- Cost Per Mile (CPM)
- What you effectively pay per mile when purchasing through credit cards, transfers, or buying directly. CPM = total cost / miles received. Lower CPM = better value. Full guide
- XP Efficiency
- Ratio of XP earned to money spent on flights. Higher efficiency means reaching status at lower cost. Business class earns more XP per segment but costs more per XP than Economy on some routes.
- Miles Value
- What each mile is worth when redeemed for flights. Value = cash price / miles required. Expressed in EUR cents per mile. Higher value = better redemption. Full guide
- Break-Even Point
- The number of flights or spend level where a subscription (like Flying Blue Extra) or credit card pays for itself through earned benefits.
Advanced Terms
- Mileage Run
- A flight taken primarily to earn XP for status qualification, not for the destination. Optimized for maximum XP per euro spent. Also called XP run. Full guide
- Status Match
- When an airline matches your elite status from a competing loyalty program. Flying Blue periodically offers status match challenges. Full guide
- Transfer Partner
- A credit card or bank rewards program that converts points to Flying Blue Miles. Flying Blue has 24 transfer partners including Amex, Revolut, Citi, and Chase. Full guide
- Sweet Spot
- An award booking where the miles required are significantly lower than the cash value of the ticket. Often found on specific routes or in premium cabins. Full guide
- Stopover
- A deliberate layover of 24+ hours at a connecting city during an award trip. Flying Blue allows stopovers on some multi-city award bookings. Full guide
- Open Jaw
- An award ticket where you fly into one city and return from another (e.g., fly into Paris, out of Amsterdam). Can reduce miles cost compared to separate round-trip bookings.
Original content published at skystatus.pro/glossary by Remco de Graaf. All rights reserved.