--- title: "Flying Blue Stopover: Free Stop on Award Tickets" locale: "en" canonical_url: "https://skystatus.pro/guide/flying-blue-stopover" updated_at: "2026-10-08T09:57:39.559883+00:00" --- # Flying Blue stopover: free stop on award tickets Last updated: 8 October 2026 - 8 min read - [See sources]() ![Remco de Graaf](/authors/remco-de-graaf.webp) By [Remco de Graaf]() Founder of SkyStatus, Flying Blue member since 2005, currently Ultimate. Also Managing Director and co-owner at Reshift Digital. Founder of Zoom.nl (120,000 users) and Zoom Academy (80,000 paying students). Experience includes at least 15 mileage runs and visits to at least 60 countries. Most people [redeeming Flying Blue miles]() book one route to one place and call it a trip. You can do better. The stopover rule turns a single award ticket into two destinations, letting you spend days in a second city before flying on, without spending extra miles. The catch is that it only works under specific conditions, and one wrong booking choice quietly forfeits it. This guide shows exactly when it applies, how to build the itinerary, and where travelers lose the free stop. ## What is a stopover? A **stopover** is a planned stop of at least 24 hours on your award ticket. Flying Blue allows you to add a free stopover to an award ticket. For example, you can fly from New York to Bangkok with a stopover of a few days in **Paris**, on a single award ticket, without paying extra miles. This also works on [partner airlines](). ## Quick facts Cost Free No extra miles Duration 24 hours - 1 year Minimum 24-hour stop Locations Any connection city Usually Amsterdam or Paris Booking Phone only Not available online ![Flying Blue stopover route diagram: New York JFK to Paris CDG, free stopover of 24 hours to 1 year, then CDG to Bangkok BKK at the JFK-BKK miles rate](/guide/images/stopover-route-en-202610.svg?v=d0a194a686d2859d) Flying Blue stopover: add a free city stop at any connection point on your award ticket, for stays from 24 hours up to 1 year, without paying extra miles. ## How does a Flying Blue stopover work? Flying Blue prices an award by the origin and destination of the whole itinerary. Add a stop at a connecting airport in between and the trip can still price as one award, so you pay no extra miles. Air France and KLM funnel almost everything through Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol, so that is where most stopovers land. The stopover must last at least 24 hours, and in practice no more than a year, because the booking has to be made within 365 days of the last segment. In practice, this means you combine two destinations on a single award ticket: - **Segment 1:** your origin to the hub city (e.g. New York to Paris) - **Stopover:** 1 day to 1 year in Paris - **Segment 2:** the hub city to your final destination (e.g. Paris to Bangkok) You pay the miles rate for the **whole route** (in this case New York to Bangkok via Paris). The stop in Paris is included for free. You only pay the taxes and surcharges for all segments in cash. Two routing conditions decide whether the itinerary keeps that single price, and [Flying Blue spells them out](). First, Air France or KLM operate every flight around the stop: bring in a partner airline, for example a KLM feeder onto a partner long-haul, and the partner's segments are priced separately per partner. Second, your onward flight keeps going in the same direction. If it heads back the way you came, "the stopover breaks the fare, and two segments are quoted", with an exception for itineraries inside Europe. Booking-class availability is a separate question: a stopover "can only be booked for the entry price if the lowest booking class is available on all flights", so with the cheapest bucket closed the miles price can rise while the route still prices as one award. Keeping every flight on Air France or KLM is therefore required, not a guarantee. Have the agent confirm the miles price before they ticket it. **Why is this valuable?** Adding a few days in Paris or Amsterdam "for free" to your trip is one of Flying Blue's best-kept secrets. You are flying through a hub anyway. Instead of a quick connection, you turn it into a mini-vacation. On an intercontinental award ticket, you easily save EUR 200-500 on a separate ticket or hotel in the hub city. ## Step by step: booking a stopover Booking a stopover requires a phone call. Check the miles price of your route in the [Miles Calculator]() before you call to book. Here is how to do it: Booking process 1. **[Check availability online]():** go to [klm.com]() or [airfrance.com](). Search each segment separately with "Book with miles" - 1 passenger, one-way. Note the available dates and miles prices for both segments. 2. **Verify the route:** the stopover must be on a logical connection. Amsterdam works for KLM routes, Paris for Air France routes. Your two flights have to connect at that city. 3. **Call Flying Blue customer service in your country:** - Netherlands (KLM): **+31 20 474 7747** - France (Air France): **+33 9 69 39 36 54** - Other countries: see the [Flying Blue contact page]() 4. **Request an award ticket with a stopover:** provide your preferred flights, dates and cabin class. Make sure to state explicitly that you want a stopover (not just a connection). 5. **Confirm the price:** you should pay the same number of miles as for a direct flight to your final destination. The surcharges (taxes + fees) may be slightly higher due to the extra segment. **Phone booking fees:** some Flying Blue call centers charge a booking fee for phone bookings (around EUR 20-25). This is a service fee, not a surcharge on the award ticket. Check this with your agent. Elite members (Gold and above) are often exempt from this fee. ## Concrete examples Example 1: Amsterdam - Bangkok via Paris (Business Class) - **Segment 1:** AMS to CDG (Air France, 1 hour) - **Stopover:** 3 days in Paris - **Segment 2:** CDG to BKK (Air France, 11 hours) - **Miles:** 85,000 miles one-way (same as direct AMS-BKK) - **Bonus:** 3 days in Paris on your award, without extra miles Example 2: Paris - Tokyo via Amsterdam (Economy) - **Segment 1:** CDG to AMS (KLM, 1 hour) - **Stopover:** weekend in Amsterdam - **Segment 2:** AMS to NRT (KLM, 11 hours) - **Miles:** 30,000 miles one-way (same as direct CDG-NRT) - **Bonus:** weekend in Amsterdam included for free Example 3: New York - Cape Town via Amsterdam (Business Class) - **Segment 1:** JFK to AMS (KLM, 7 hours) - **Stopover:** 5 days in Amsterdam - **Segment 2:** AMS to CPT (KLM, 11 hours) - **Miles:** 60,000-80,000 miles one-way - **Bonus:** five days in Amsterdam on a single award ticket **Illustrative amounts:** The miles amounts above are examples, not quoted prices. Ask the agent to confirm the total before ticketing. ## Rules and conditions The Flying Blue stopover has a number of important rules: | Rule | Details | | --- | --- | | Ticket type | **No official restriction.** [Flying Blue's stopover page]() names no ticket type, and specialist trackers report the stop on one-way as well as round-trip awards. Either way it can only be booked by phone. | | Stopover location | Any airport where two eligible flights connect. Flying Blue allows the stop "during a connection between 2 flights, operated by Air France, KLM or our airline partners". In practice that means Amsterdam (AMS) or Paris (CDG), or the operating airline partner's hub on a partner award. | | Minimum duration | 24 hours. Anything shorter counts as a regular connection. | | Maximum duration | Up to a year in practice. Flying Blue states no maximum length ("without a maximum connection time"). The ceiling comes from the booking window: a stopover can only be booked up to 365 days before the last segment, so the whole trip has to fit inside that year. | | Number of stopovers | No limit stated: [Flying Blue]() says "You can add an unlimited number of stopovers to the booking without a maximum connection time." Its own worked examples carry two stops. Every extra stop still has to pass the pricing rules, so more stops can mean more miles. | | Extra miles | None, as long as the itinerary prices as one award. The entry price also needs the lowest booking class to be available on all flights. | | Booking method | Phone only. Cannot be booked online. | | Partner airlines | Stopovers also work on awards operated by Flying Blue's airline partners, which reach beyond SkyTeam: the program's own examples use Delta and Qantas. Partner-operated segments are always priced separately per partner, so a routing that brings in a partner loses the single price. | | Payment | Miles or Cash & Miles. Taxes and surcharges are paid in cash on top. | | Promo Rewards | **Not combinable.** Promo Rewards only apply to standard one-way or round-trip bookings. | | Cabin class | Both segments may be in different cabins (e.g. Economy outbound, Business after the stopover). | **Note on round-trip bookings:** online you can only book standard round-trip tickets, without a stopover. Flying Blue puts no cap on the number of stops per booking, so an agent can add one in each direction. Booking two separate one-way awards does the same and keeps the two dates independent. The total miles cost is the same as a round trip. **From September 8, 2026:** Air France and KLM award fares come in [Light, Standard and Flex](), and options only combine within the same brand across cabins. For a stopover itinerary that means every segment ends up in the same option: one leg that needs Flex flexibility makes the whole booking Flex-priced, and a Light booking leaves every segment without voluntary changes or refunds. ## Smart stopover strategies ### 1\. Combine a Promo Reward outbound with a stopover return Promo Rewards offer up to 25% off but do not allow stopovers. The smartest strategy: book the **outbound as a Promo Reward** (cheaper in miles) and the **return as a regular award with stopover**. This way you benefit from both advantages. Example: Amsterdam - Bangkok round trip with maximum value - **Outbound (Promo Reward):** AMS-BKK, Business Class, 63,750 miles - **Return (regular + stopover):** BKK-CDG (stopover 4 days Paris) - CDG-AMS, 85,000 miles - **Total:** 148,750 miles + 4 days in Paris for free - **Without strategy:** 170,000 miles (regular round trip, no Paris) - **Savings:** 21,250 miles AND 4 days in Paris ### 2\. Build in a mini-vacation A stopover of 2-5 days in Amsterdam or Paris is the perfect mini-vacation. You are in the city for your connection anyway. Instead of waiting 2 hours at Schiphol or Charles de Gaulle, spend a weekend in the city center. Hotels in Amsterdam and Paris cost EUR 100-200 per night, but the flight portion is free. ### 3\. Use stopovers to make long trips more enjoyable A stopover makes long journeys more pleasant. Instead of waiting hours at an airport, you explore a city. This works on both award tickets and paid tickets. Note: for [mileage runs]() focused on [Flying Blue XP](), you need a paid ticket, since award tickets do not earn XP. ### 4\. Mix cabin classes You may book different cabin classes per segment. Fly Economy to the hub city and Business Class for the long segment, or the other way around. This can reduce the total miles price if Business Class on the short segment is relatively expensive. ### 5\. Combine with a paid ticket for XP Award tickets (booked with miles) earn **no XP**. Want both a stopover and to earn [Flying Blue XP]()? Then book a paid ticket with a connection and stay more than 24 hours in the hub city. Alternatively, book the outbound as a paid ticket (for XP) and the return as an award with stopover (for the extra city). **No XP on award tickets:** Flying Blue does not award XP on flights booked with miles. This also applies to award tickets with a stopover. Only SAF you buy for the flight earns XP. If you want to earn XP and do a stopover, combine a paid ticket with a separate award ticket. ![SkyStatus Flights, Toronto award journey 5 to 8 February 2026 in Business: each flight +8 XP including 8 SAF, 16 XP including 16 SAF in total.](/guide/images/stopover-award-xp-from-saf-202610.webp?v=0ee77965227b782e) An award trip to Toronto in Flights: each Business flight cost only taxes and shows 8 XP, all of it from SAF. The flights themselves earned no XP, only the SAF bought for them did. ### Track your miles for your next stopover Keep track of how many miles you have, and plan your next award with a stopover. [Start tracking for free]() ## Stopover vs. open jaw vs. multi-city These three terms are often confused. Here is the difference: | Type | Explanation | Example | With Flying Blue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Stopover** | Stop of 24+ hours at a connecting city, same ticket | AMS - CDG (3 days) - BKK | No extra miles when the route prices as one award (by phone) | | **Open jaw** | Return from a different city than your destination | Out: AMS-BKK, return: Singapore-AMS | Book as two separate one-way awards | | **Multi-city** | Multiple destinations on one ticket | AMS-BKK-SIN-AMS | Not offered as a single award online. By phone, extra stops are allowed on one booking, but a leg that doubles back towards your origin is quoted separately, so this example is two awards. | The advantage of one-way awards with Flying Blue is flexibility. You can simulate an open jaw by booking two separate one-way tickets, each with its own stopover. This gives you more control over dates and cabin classes than a round-trip ticket. ## Frequently asked questions What is a Flying Blue stopover? A stopover is a planned stop of at least 24 hours and up to 1 year on your award ticket. You can add a free stopover to a Flying Blue award ticket. The stop is at the connecting airport on your route, usually Amsterdam (AMS) or Paris (CDG). You pay no extra miles as long as the itinerary still prices as one award. Is a stopover free? **Usually, but not automatically.** The stop itself adds no miles. Whether the whole itinerary still prices like a direct flight depends on the routing and availability conditions set out under [how a Flying Blue stopover works](). Taxes and surcharges may be slightly higher because of the extra segment. How do you book a stopover? Stopovers must be booked **by phone** through Flying Blue customer service. Online booking is not possible. Call Flying Blue customer service in your country and request an award ticket with a stopover. In the Netherlands that is KLM on +31 20 474 7747, in France Air France on +33 9 69 39 36 54. Other countries are on the [Flying Blue contact page](). Can I combine a stopover with Promo Rewards? **No.** [Promo Rewards]() only apply to standard one-way or round-trip bookings. Stopovers, multi-city and open-jaw bookings are excluded. You can book the outbound as a Promo Reward and the return as a regular award with stopover. Which cities allow a stopover? Any airport where two flights on your award itinerary connect. Because Air France and KLM funnel their networks through Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), most stopovers land in one of those two. On an award flown by an airline partner, the connecting city is that partner's hub instead. Do I earn XP on an award ticket with a stopover? **No.** Award tickets (booked with miles) do not earn [Flying Blue XP](), even with a stopover. Want to earn XP and include a stopover? Then book a paid ticket with a connection and stay more than 24 hours, or split your trip: paid ticket outbound (for XP) and award with stopover on the return. ## Sources and verification Last verified: August 24, 2026. The core stopover rules were re-read on this date on the official Flying Blue pages and cross-checked against at least two independent specialist sources. - [Flying Blue - Complimentary stopover]() - official stopover rules and FAQ, read 24 August 2026 - [Flying Blue - Reward Tickets]() - official award booking rules, including the stopover pricing conditions, read 24 August 2026 - [KLM - Spend miles]() - booking rules and conditions - [FlyerTalk - Flying Blue Stopover Rules]() - community experiences and routing rules - [Flying Blue - Book award flights]() - official multi-city award booking ### Related guides - [**Sweet spots: best award tickets**]() - [**Promo Rewards: monthly discounts**]() - [What is a Flying Blue mile worth?]() - [How to spend miles]() - [Award availability: how to find seats]() - [Partner airlines]() - [Cost per mile calculator]() - [What is a mileage run?]() - [What is Flying Blue XP?]() - [Flying Blue status levels]() This guide is based on publicly available information from Flying Blue, independent sources and personal experience as of September 2026. Booking rules may change. Always check the current terms on flyingblue.com or call customer service. SkyStatus is not affiliated with Air France-KLM or Flying Blue.