Flying Blue flies high: These are the best airline rewards programmes in Europe

Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty programme has been named Europe’s best, and also ranks first globally for the third consecutive year, according to Point.me’s evaluation. The ranking credits Flying Blue for strong earning and spending options, as well as broad transfer capabilities with major currencies.

The British Airways Executive Club sits in eighth place in Europe, according to the same assessment. Its strengths include the ease of earning Avios and a long-haul award-seat guarantee, though the programme’s higher award costs and surcharges weighed on its score this year.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is identified as ninth in Europe, with praise for its relatively low saver prices, award holds on Virgin flights, and transferable currencies contributing to its overall performance.

Point.me compared more than 30 schemes using criteria such as earnings potential, redemption rates, award availability, and how each programme handles changes or holds, along with customer-service considerations. The analysis highlighted the practical importance of finding easy seat availability and straightforward booking, tailored to travellers with fixed destinations and dates.

The European results are part of a broader global list, which ranks programmes like United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club among others, with Flying Blue currently leading the European field and sharing top-10 status in the worldwide standings.