Flying Blue December promos + miles on sale, my best business class meals of the year, and Hilton's 100% points bonus

Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Monday! Coffee's ready, and today I've got 3 things for you:

This topic was long overdue. This month’s Flying Blue (Air France — KLM) Promo Rewards include plenty of great destinations to save on. You can book these discounted awards any time in December, for travel all the way through May 31, 2026.

We don't talk about economy class here, but in this case, they can be super cheap to book. If you're flexible on airports, these can be really solid deals – especially off-peak. Just remember that taxes and surcharges on AF/KL can be chunky, so always look at the total cash outlay, not just the miles.

Now, for business class, you can find discounted fares to destinations like San Francisco, Miami, Rio de Janeiro, and Bangkok, among others. There's also an extra layer this month thanks to Flying Blue Extra, their new paid membership program that comes with additional perks. One of those perks is access to extra Promo Rewards that regular members don't see – and this is the first time we're getting a real look at what that means in practice.

For December, Flying Blue Extra members get access to these additional Promo Rewards:

All of the lowest-priced awards in those markets through May 31, 2026 should be bookable at the Promo Reward pricing. And as usual with Flying Blue, you're not limited to Paris or Amsterdam – you can connect onward within Europe.

On top of that, Flying Blue is selling points with targeted bonuses up to 80%, which can bring the cost down to around 16.90 USD per 1,000 points at the highest tier. That's not an automatically amazing price across the board, but it can make sense in specific cases – for example, if:

Bottom line: Find the Promo Reward you want, calculate what those extra miles would cost you at the promo price, and then decide if topping up via the sale is worth it for your specific trip.

Quick bit about me if you're new here: I work as an engineer, and on the side I work with Points Master because I'm an aviation geek and obsessed with booking premium cabins on points. When I'm not working or hunting award space, I'm… cooking.

I'm an amateur chef and very demanding with food – especially on planes, where everything tastes worse at altitude. So when something is memorable in the sky, it really stands out.

Heads up — sorry about the pictures, I didn’t think I’d end up posting them. 😅

My best full meal in business class on 2025 has been on Qatar Airways. Back in May I flew DOH – OSL on their 787-9 suites, and had an amazing lunch.

I went full "kid in a candy shop" and ordered two starters:

Qatar also absolutely nails the bread basket: warm bread, proper butter, and a really good olive oil selection. It feels like a restaurant, not an afterthought.

For the main, I had a beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Steak on a plane is usually a gamble, but this one was cooked impressively well for 35,000 feet – not dry, nicely seasoned, and the mash was actually creamy, not glue.

Then:

That whole sequence – mezze + lobster + steak + cheese + dessert – is still, for me, the best complete business-class meal I've had this year.

But the best individual dish I've had this year in the sky wasn't on Qatar. It was on Etihad, on their A350-1000 suites, from AUH to DEL.

It was a slow-roasted lamb dish, and it was just… perfect:

I remember taking the first bite and thinking: "I've never had anything this good on a plane." That dish alone made the flight feel special.

So yeah – when I rave about a meal in business class, it's not because I'm easily impressed. It's because it genuinely passed the "picky home-cook" test at altitude.

Hilton is running a points sale with a 100% bonus right now. If you max it out, you're effectively buying points for around $5 per 1,000 points.

Key details:

That's not automatically an amazing deal… but in specific situations it can be very strong.

When buying Hilton points makes sense

Hilton has dynamic-ish pricing, but still plenty of sweet spots, especially at high-end properties where cash rates are crazy, or during peak dates (New Year's, big events, etc.)

Because you can buy points at $5 per 1,000, any redemption where you're getting 0.6 - 0.8¢+ per point is a win:

Also remember about 5th night free on standard-room awards for elites (including Silver), which can improve the value a lot on longer stays.

Personally, I'd consider buying Hilton points if:

That's it for today. More deals and strategies coming your way on Wednesday.

Catch you in the clouds,

Tomi