Flying Blue's hidden pricing tiers, American's elite upgrade fade, and wide-open award space to Vietnam

Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Wednesday! Halfway through the week. Today I've got three things for you: one follow-up from Monday, one subtle but important elite-status shift, and one very real opportunity if Asia is on your radar.

Here's what's inside today's post:

On Monday we talked about the Flying Blue December Promo Rewards, including some very attractive business class pricing — like Paris to San Francisco for 45,000 miles. A Points Master reader wrote in to flag something important: when he searched the exact same routes and dates, the lowest price he could see was 60,000 miles, not 45,000.

Still a solid deal,  but clearly not what was being advertised. So I wanted to clarify what's going on with Flying Blue.

Flying Blue quietly updated its elite benefits, and there's now a line that matters a lot. Platinum and Ultimate members get access to more award space and "priority access to the lowest Miles fares." In plain English: top-tier elites see more award space at the cheapest levels, more often, than Explorer, Silver, or even Gold members.

So yes — two people can search the same flight, on the same day, and see different prices.

Is that great? Not really. But it is the new reality.

That said, Flying Blue is still one of the strongest programs out there. Even at 60k for long-haul business class, you're often getting excellent value, especially compared to other programs that can price the same routes at 80 - 120k+ points.

One more thing we've been noticing more and more lately: award availability can vary by IP address. This has been discussed for years with cash tickets, but we're increasingly seeing it with award searches too.

Real example I've seen on a specific search:

Is this intentional? Is it a bug? Hard to say. But it's happening often enough that it's worth being aware of. At some point, we'll probably do a deeper dive and test this properly.

Earlier today I was reading one of my favorite aviation blogs and came across something that genuinely made me stop and think.

American Airlines appears to be testing a system where, if you attempt to use an elite upgrade certificate, you may instead be shown a paid upgrade offer to first or business class. In other words, rather than automatically processing your elite upgrade request, the airline nudges you toward opening your wallet.

From American's perspective, this is completely logical. Premium cabins are where the money is. If there's a chance to sell that seat instead of giving it away, of course they're going to try. After all, airlines are businesses first, loyalty programs second.

But from a frequent flyer perspective… this feels like another quiet step in a direction we've been watching for years.

Elite benefits rarely disappear overnight. They don't send an email saying, "Hey, upgrades don't really work anymore." Instead, it's small changes layered on top of each other. A rule tweak here. A new "trial" there. A subtle prompt to pay instead of wait. And when you zoom out, you realize that what used to be a core benefit has become less predictable, less automatic, and less valuable.

What makes this especially interesting is who we're talking about here.

American Airlines AAdvantage is still one of the strongest programs in the world for both elites and award travel. In fact, it's one of my favorite programs to redeem miles with. Partner availability can be excellent, pricing can be very competitive, and there are still some truly outstanding redemptions across oneworld airlines.

It's also one of the most commercially savvy elite programs out there. You don't even need to step on a plane to earn top-tier status. Through credit cards, shopping portals, hotels, dining, and partners, American has built an ecosystem where elites are extremely valuable customers,  even if they rarely fly. That's great business, and to their credit, they do it better than almost anyone.

But that's also why moves like this matter.

When a program is this good, this profitable, and this strategically designed, changes like this aren't accidents. They're signals that airlines are continuing to prioritize monetization over traditional loyalty perks, especially when demand for premium cabins remains strong.

I'm not saying American is "wrong" for testing this. I just don't love watching elite benefits slowly lose their teeth – especially when these changes are subtle enough that many flyers won't even notice until they're standing at the gate wondering why their upgrade never cleared.

That’s why I don’t like to depend on upgrades when flying, I prefer to book my business class seat for cheap using points, and being certain I won’t fly in seat 38B. 😂

This one is more positive!

There’s a lot of award availability right now from Europe to Vietnam — and this is one of those moments worth paying attention to.

We're seeing consistent long-haul business class space from cities like Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, and London to both Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and Hanoi (HAN). On many dates, there are even up to four seats available on the same flight, which is awesome – especially on Asia routes.

Vietnam Airlines flies 787s and A350s on these routes, and these services are mostly operated with their reverse herringbone seats, which offer a great passenger experience. Also, I don't know why, but I just find Vietnam Airlines' livery to be one of the coolest out there 😎.

Vietnam Airlines is part of SkyTeam, and that's where things get interesting. Because multiple programs can access the same seats, the way you book matters just as much as what you book. The exact same flight can be priced very differently depending on which mileage currency you use, and taxes and surcharges can vary dramatically as well.

This is a good reminder that award travel isn't just about finding availability. It's about choosing the right program, sourcing points efficiently, and keeping cash fees under control. When those pieces line up, the value can be excellent.

If Asia has been on your list for a while, this is one of those moments where timing, routes, and availability are all cooperating. The seats are there — you just want to be thoughtful about how you lock them in.

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

Catch you in the clouds, 

Tomi