Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Monday!

On Friday we talked about the current Flying Blue mileage sale, which is offering up to an 80% bonus and brings the purchase price down to $16.90 per 1,000 miles.

Today I wanted to do something more useful with that number.

I spent some time searching Flying Blue and found a few business class redemptions that you might not immediately think about when you hear "Flying Blue."

For all the calculations below, I am assuming you are acquiring the miles at $16.90 per 1,000 miles through the current sale.

Here are four that caught my attention.

You can currently book Etihad business class from Vienna to Abu Dhabi for 36,000 Flying Blue miles plus $229 in taxes, for Friday September 11, 2026.

The flight is operated by a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, so you are getting a proper lie-flat business class seat for a 5-hour 30-minute flight.

Here is the math:

36,000 miles at $16.90 per 1,000 = $608 Taxes and fees = $229 Effective total: $837

The same flight was selling for $3,101 in cash when I checked. That means you are saving around $2,264, or 73%, even if you bought all the Flying Blue miles specifically for this redemption.

Not bad for a flight that costs just 36,000 miles.

There is a very similar opportunity out of Rome.

Etihad business class from Rome to Abu Dhabi is available for 37,000 Flying Blue miles plus $223 in taxes. Another nonstop flight operated by a Boeing 787, with a proper lie-flat seat for a 6-hour 5-minute journey.

The numbers:

37,000 miles at $16.90 per 1,000 = $625 Taxes and fees = $223 Effective total: $848

The cash fare for the exact same flight on January 30, 2027 is $3,342. So you are saving approximately $2,494, or almost 75%, compared to paying cash.

For under $850 all-in, this is a fantastic way to get from Europe to the Middle East in business class.

This one is really interesting.

You can fly nonstop from Copenhagen to Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam Airlines on September 17 for 69,000 Flying Blue miles plus $572 in taxes. The flight is almost 12 hours and is operated by a Boeing 787 with lie-flat business class seats.

69,000 miles at $16.90 per 1,000 = $1,166 Taxes and fees = $572 Effective total: $1,738

The cash fare for the same flight is $2,765, so you are saving around $1,027, or roughly 37%.

There is another option worth knowing about. Flying Blue was also showing Copenhagen to Ho Chi Minh City via Paris on Air France for 85,000 miles, working out to around $2,008 all-in against a cash price of $3,278, saving $1,270.

Personally I would not hesitate. I would take Vietnam Airlines every time.

It is 16,000 fewer miles, and more importantly, it is nonstop. Instead of connecting through Paris and spending around 16 hours in transit, you board the 787 in Copenhagen and wake up in Vietnam. For a nearly 12-hour nonstop business class flight, 69,000 Flying Blue miles is very good pricing.

And completely irrelevant to the points discussion, but Vietnam Airlines also has one of my favorite liveries in the sky. 😄

Finally, a much shorter redemption.

Vietnam Airlines is showing Mumbai to Hanoi nonstop for 26,000 Flying Blue miles plus $134 in taxes in business class. It is a 4-hour 45-minute overnight flight on a Boeing 787.

26,000 miles at $16.90 per 1,000 = $439 Taxes and fees = $134 Effective total: $573

The cash fare for the same flight is $784, so you are saving around $210, or roughly 27%.

But this is also a perfect example of why you should always check the cash fare before transferring or buying points.

Would I buy 26,000 Flying Blue miles specifically to save $210? Probably yes, but only because the saving is meaningful enough to justify it. If the saving were closer to $100, I would pay cash instead and earn miles on the ticket, getting me closer to status. That money works harder for me in the long run.

If I already had 26,000 Flying Blue miles sitting in my account, the decision becomes much easier.

That is the distinction I always want you to make.

Flying Blue is obviously associated with Air France and KLM, but some of the most interesting redemptions show up on their partners.

The two Etihad awards are the standout this week. Paying around $840 all-in for a ticket that costs over $3,000 in cash is exactly the situation where buying miles makes sense.

The Vietnam Airlines Copenhagen to Ho Chi Minh City redemption is another one I really like: 69,000 miles for almost 12 hours nonstop in lie-flat business class to Southeast Asia.

And then Mumbai to Hanoi shows the other side of the equation. A low mileage price does not automatically make something a great redemption. The math needs to work, and the saving needs to be meaningful enough to justify using points instead of earning them.

Always check the cash fare first.

Catch you in the clouds,

Tomi from Points Master

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