Air France – KLM Flying Blue Select Elite Benefits Continue On ITA Airways Flights
ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia, exited SkyTeam earlier this year (read more here) when the Lufthansa Group took a stake, but the alliance-wide benefits continued until April 30th. The airline is expected to join Star Alliance at some point next year, when its integration with Lufthansa […]
ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia, exited SkyTeam earlier this year (read more here) when the Lufthansa Group took a stake, but the alliance-wide benefits continued until April 30th.
The airline is expected to join Star Alliance at some point next year, when its integration with Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels + others) is complete.
You can access Flying Blue here.
Note that you won’t earn Flying Blue tier points (XP) on ITA Airways flights UNLESS they are marketed by Air France or KLM.
ITA Airways last week already issued a notice that Volare members could earn elite and awards miles with most SkyTeam + get limited elite benefits with six:
Now, Air France–KLM’s Flying Blue has also released a chart of what their elite members can expect on ITA Airways-operated flights that are marketed by Air France, KLM, or ITA Airways:
- The distance is the number of miles between the origin and destination of your flight (not the Flying Blue Miles). A minimum of 500 miles applies on ITA Airways flights. For example, flying 274 miles one-way on ITA Airways in L booking class as an Explorer will get you 500 x 25% = 125 Flying Blue Miles.
- Silver, Gold, Platinum and Ultimate members are entitled to one (1) extra baggage item on flights marketed and operated by ITA Airways: one (1) bag weighing up to 23kg in the Economy and Premium Economy cabins and one (1) bag weighing up to 32kg in the Business cabin.
- Lounge access is available for ITA Airways-owned and operated lounges in Catania (CTA), Milan (MXP) and Rome (FCO). Lounge access is only permitted on flights marketed by ITA Airways (AZ), Air France (AF), KLM (KL) and operated by ITA Airways (AZ). Guests are not permitted.
Conclusion
I find it quite interesting that many SkyTeam member airlines, including Air France and KLM, have decided to continue their partnership for now with an airline that is effectively run and controlled by Lufthansa and is joining the Star Alliance next year.
There must be a reason for this, as the arrangement must be win-win for both parties to make sense.
