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✈️ Flying Blue adds free stopovers for Europe
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When you hear the word stopover, you might think of that time you had to spend 13 hours stuck in an airport terminal overnight and weren't allowed to leave because you didn't have a visa, but you also didn't have any food because everything in the terminal was closed.
That's definitely not something that happened to me a few weeks ago in New Delhi and definitely not something I'm still bitter about...
It's also not what we're talking about here.
There's a very important difference between a layover and a stopover. Simply put, a layover typically lasts under 24 hours, whereas a stopover can last days, weeks, or even months.
Most airlines that offer stopovers are based in one central hub and often come at an additional cost. Some examples include Qatar Airways, TAP Air Portugal, Emirates, Copa, Ethiopian, and more.
This past week, however, KLM and Air France's loyalty program, Flying Blue, announced that they will offer free stopovers on award tickets. Here is where things are at right now:
- Currently only available on Air France and KLM flights, but will eventually apply to all partner airlines
- You must call Flying Blue to book a ticket with a stopover
- Stopovers must be at least 24 hours
- Read the full details here
So currently, you can only book stopovers on tickets that consist of KLM or Air France flights, but that's still pretty exciting. Here are some examples of itineraries with stopovers you could book:
You could use this month's Promo Rewards to book a flight from Detroit to Madrid for only 11,250 miles. Since the itinerary has a layover in Paris, you can now turn that into a stopover and stay in Paris for a week before heading over to Spain. And you'll still only pay 11,250 miles for the whole thing.
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If you wanted to utilize this feature for a multi-continent booking, you could book a trip on KLM from New York to Zanzibar for 68,000 miles.
Again, since KLM operates the flight, you could turn your layover in Amsterdam into a month-long stopover, travel around Europe for a bit, and head back to Amsterdam to go down to East Africa.
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As you can see, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of this new benefit. Once stopovers are allowed for partner airlines, this will be even more powerful.
Last week I explained how you could earn Flying Blue miles extremely easily by transferring credit card points from most major banks, so check out that newsletter if you want a refresher on how to build up your arsenal of miles.
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🇨🇳 The newest competitor to Boeing and Airbus
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For decades, the aerospace manufacturing industry has been dominated by two major players; Boeing and Airbus.
That could all be coming to an end soon because Chinese company COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has just delivered its first C919 aircraft to China Eastern Airlines.
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If the name C919 sounds familiar, it's probably because this has been in the making for a long, long time. Development on this plane started all the way back in 2008.
Although the first prototype was built in 2015 and took its maiden voyage in 2017, it only just received its airworthiness certificate a couple of months ago, in September of 2022.
This means that the Civil Aviation Administration of China has approved the plane for passenger flights and mass production.
Here's why this is so interesting:
The C919 will directly compete with medium-size narrow-body planes like the Boeing 737 and Airbus a320 family.
What makes it stand out, however, is the fact that it has a more aerodynamic design than competitors, different propulsion systems, and is more environmentally friendly and even more fuel efficient.
Many western airlines will probably be reluctant to make large purchases of Chinese-made aircraft, but I have a feeling it won't be long until we see these planes start popping up on various Eastern-Asian airlines.
COMAC currently has over 1,000 orders, mostly from Chinese airlines and leasing companies. Overall, it's really exciting to see a new player enter this market, especially with what looks like a really fantastic product.
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🐒 10th anniversary of the IKEA monkey
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Normally, if you want to see exotic animals, you need to visit a zoo or travel to some distant corner of the globe.
For some lucky Toronto residents, however, they were able to see a Japanese macaque from the comfort of their local IKEA.
Exactly 10 years ago, this little monkey (named Darwin) was spotted aimlessly wandering around a Toronto IKEA wearing a fur coat and a diaper.
It was absolutely iconic.
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Needless to say, it took the internet by storm.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), monkeys are illegal to own in Toronto, so Darwin was promptly sent to a primate sanctuary in Ontario, where he has been living ever since.
Since this weekend marked the tenth anniversary of this urban wildlife sighting, news outlets have been reporting on Darwin and what his life has been like in the years since.
In case you don't remember this incident or never heard about it in the first place, I thought I'd share a little piece of our local Toronto history with you.
Oh, and if you were wondering - Darwin is healthy and happy in his sanctuary. But he does miss that fur coat...
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Well, that concludes our newsletter for today, friends! I apologize for rickrolling you earlier, I couldn't help myself...
What's the most exotic animal you've ever seen in person? Which Dutch or French city would you want to book a stopover in? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.
Talk to you tomorrow,
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