Air France-KLM Group and UAE national airline Emirates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration between the carriers’ loyalty programmes.
Under the new partnership, members of Flying Blue (Air France and KLM’s loyalty scheme) and Etihad Guest will now be able to earn and redeem air miles in either frequent flyer programme. A pool of an estimated nine million Etihad Guest and 20 million Flying Blue members will now be able to benefit from the collaboration, with reciprocal benefits for elite members also due to be announced.
“This 11-year collaboration [with Etihad] is now expanding even further, as we aim to explore opportunities in loyalty, in addition to enhancing our route network,” noted executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air France-KLM, Angus Clarke.
Air France currently operates daily flights between Charles de Gaulle and Abu Dhabi International Airport, while Etihad runs daily services to both Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol from Abu Dhabi.