Always hinting and putting out teasers where we can, today’s news is that where we implied potential good news from our Monday tweet:
You will now be able to redeem WestJet
Rewards dollars for flights on Air France and KLM! These European airlines serve many major Canadian cities with direct flights to Amsterdam and Paris with worldwide connections beyond that. We all know that at the end of August the partnership expanded with WestJet Rewards members being able to earn on Air France and KLM flights and vice versa for Flying Blue members. It was stated at the time the redemption would come later in 2017 and that time is now! On the flip side you can now also redeem Delta SkyMiles and Flying Blue Miles for flights on WestJet (info on that will come in a separate post)
Unlike your standard redemption on Econo, Flex or Plus fares, where WestJet dollars act like cash towards the base fare; WestJet dollar redemption for travel on Air France and KLM are a flat rate known as Member Exclusive fares, which require you to redeem the full amount (100%) in WestJet dollars. And, similar to Delta you will only be able to redeem WestJet dollars for economy class at this time.
Air France and KLM cover key cities Canada in Canada, each with strong WestJet presence:
- Vancouver (Air France & KLM)
- Calgary (KLM)
- Edmonton (KLM)
- Toronto (Air France & KLM)
- Ottawa (Air France via bus service to YUL or WestJet connections)
- Montreal (Air France & KLM)
Here are the WestJet dollar requirements for flights on Air France or KLM to areas they fly to:
- Canada to Europe: from 349 WestJet dollars each way (698 round trip)
- Canada to Asia: from 599 each way (1198 round trip)
- Canada to Africa: from 499 each way (998 round trip)
- Canada to Papeete: from 729 each way (1458 round trip)
All the above do not include taxes or fees
Above rates are subject to change when this new redemption feature is fully rolled out
The above rates are valid from any Canadian city that WestJet serves
which can make this very valuable in those cities where fares tend to be
high like Whitehorse or Deer Lake!
The rates are slightly higher than those we see on Delta (Europe is 299WSD vs the 349 here) but you have the trade off – Delta you have to connect via the U.S. whereas the flights on Air France or KLM are direct from their Canadian departure points. For example flying from Calgary to Amsterdam on Delta will put you through New York City or other connection points where as the KLM flight is direct. That’s where you’ll have to make the decision, save 50WSD and go through the U.S. (more flying time, connections, U.S. Customs etc.) or spend the extra 50WSD and fly direct with a lot less hassle. Really it is up to you and your travel style and habits.
Here is are some examples of Air France and KLM redemption options we found on WestJet’s site:
Overall this is great news for WestJet Rewards members. Now you have more options to use your WestJet dollars with. Earlier in the year it was limited Delta flights but that got expanded this fall to all Delta flights, now Air France and KLM and soon Qantas! WestJet Rewards continues to become that all around Frequent Flyer Program that members have been asking for. All that remains is redemption for Business or First Class (which we hope will come when WestJet adds their own Business Class), more non-airline partners likes hotels and car rental companies and we’ll have a full fledged program on our hands!
Let us know what you think about this latest addition to the WestJet
Rewards program! Will you make use of it? Does it make you want to
consider the program more so now then ever? Simply comment below!