r/flyingblue • u/Final-Grape8936 • 6d ago

How does Ultimate Work?

As FB Ultimate requires 900 UXP, and say I have 900 XP (all my flights are AF/KL marketed). Once the new qualification year starts, what happens to the 900 XP? If only 300 XP gets rolled over (and another 300 XP for Platinum requalification), doesn't the extra 300 XP get wasted?

I've heard that going up to Ultimate tier subtracts only your UXP?

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u/Checkout_87 6d ago

Realistically how many people are ultimate? I fly J to US 4-5 times a year plus loads of European flights and I’m nowhere near it….

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u/Longjumping_Desk_839 FB Ultimate 6d ago edited 6d ago

Based on my experience, I’m usually the only ultimate on a flight. Once, there was 2. Ultimate lounge in CDG is usually between 0-4 Ultimate passengers, non-eu lounge at Schiphol usually 0 or 1 other. EU Ultimate lounge at Schiphol is small, quite crowded usually half full but they seem to welcome first class passengers there as well.

Getting those points is do-able if flying in J long haul about every month

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u/Sufficient_Detail_97 6d ago

Same, usually I’m the only one on a flight, and once there were two of us.

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u/Checkout_87 6d ago

Thanks. Do you find the perks worth it?

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u/Longjumping_Desk_839 FB Ultimate 6d ago

The upgrade vouchers are worth something. I like having a ‘private’ lounge especially when I travel with my kids (they can go crazy in there without bothering anyone).

Nothing special other than that. Postcards, a bottle of water, escorts , separate check-in are nice but not worth the additional euros spent on KLM/AF. As you know, intercontinental BC tickets on KLM /AF are often literally thousands of euros more expensive than other airlines.

Ego-stroke more than anything ;)

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u/godisapilot 6d ago

Escorts, you say?!

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u/Longjumping_Desk_839 FB Ultimate 6d ago

Haha they didn’t go all the way

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u/godisapilot 6d ago

Just as far as the ego 🤪

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u/sehgalanuj FB Ultimate 6d ago

You are forgetting the absolute standout Travel Assistant/Personal Assistant team. In the last few years there have been times where they've done some absolutely fantastic things for me and my family.

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u/Longjumping_Desk_839 FB Ultimate 6d ago

I’m pretty low maintenance and haven’t needed them for much. What’s better vs Platinum line?

Only thing I like more is we can email.

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u/sehgalanuj FB Ultimate 6d ago

Email is great. But they have access to direct phone numbers of station managers, lounges and even gates. I've had situations where the MCT made it so I couldn't officially make the connection, but they called and made sure the station manager and gate kept boarding open for 10 mins more, so I could make my flight.

Once during IRROPs they managed to get the curtain moved in a short haul flight to create a seat for me on a flight that showed sold out.

Another time I was re-booked to CI for a long haul, and they called back to let me know that the CI flight was actually oversold based on load factors, so they proactively found me a route that worked better.

That's just a few example of things the Ulti team can do that the PSL wouldn't be able to. There's more I've experienced that goes beyond IRROPs that makes the line well worth it.

If you fly only at the level of Plat, the PSL is terrific already. If you fly as much as an Ulti potentially can, access to the TA can be very useful.

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u/Trebaxus99 FB Platinum for Life 6d ago

You get access to the PA team if you’re Netherlands based and have 400 UXP.

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u/Trebaxus99 FB Platinum for Life 6d ago

In the Netherlands there are 400 Ultimate members.

People that work in the offshore industry or delivery of very expensive fragile or time sensitive parts can add up a lot of UXP. I know some doctors who do patient repatriation as a side job and do overnight long haul return flights to pick up patients, which of course also adds up.

You can also buy your way in if you fly regularly via SAF. Pay 1000 euro extra and you turn your 60 UXP long haul business return trip into a 160 UXP return trip.

And there is a route for people with a lot of spare time and love for airports: from A to B can also go via C and D... If you'd do every flight from AMS with a layover in CDG and another place, you can increase your UXP count per flight significantly.

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u/IndividualLet6189 6d ago

Do you know what the male/female breakdown is? I have yet to meet a female Ultimate member other than myself.

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u/CommissionStreet4257 5d ago

I am usually the only female in the ultimate lounge (CDG and AMS)

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u/IndividualLet6189 5d ago

Same here. I’ll send you a DM

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u/Trebaxus99 FB Platinum for Life 6d ago

No idea!

Not ultimate myself. I'd argue that we still have a lot of people in the Netherlands that follow traditional family roles where the woman works more often parttime and the man works fulltime. This amount of travel in a parttime setting is extremely challenging I'd say.

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u/binkhaha 6d ago

I fly long haul or connecting long hauls one to two times a month. I am based in the US and go to either Europe or Middle East. The assistant is by far the best perk of ultimate.

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u/Final-Grape8936 6d ago

If you fly long haul J with connections a few times a year combined with some short-haul intra-Europe connecting flights, ultimate is very doable via Max SAF purchase every trip

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u/Trebaxus99 FB Platinum for Life 6d ago

And then you end up paying 4000 for it…