Most loyalty programs are run by people who understand spreadsheets better than members. Flying Blue just went the other way, tapping someone who has spent years on the member side of loyalty: helping travelers understand points, search awards, and navigate the programs from the outside. That is rare — and very good news for a program that is already one of the strongest worldwide. Tiffany Funk is the new Head of Air France KLM Flying Blue.
Air Canada’s Mark Nasr and Scott O’Leary have described “the inmates running the asylum” at Aeroplan, where real travel and mileage geeks found themselves in charge of loyalty and set out to put together a program that worked for members while still working financially. So you got the elimination of fuel surcharges from the awards, stopovers, and more airline partners than any other program.
I don’t think anyone would arrest Tiffany, she’s no inmate, but she spent years managing Ben Schlappig’s One Mile at a Time blog and award booking service, and she co-founded the point.me award search tool.
A sometimes commenter on this blog, she’s known for:
- Advice to treat irregular operations like the zombie apocalypse: you keep moving or die.
- Coining the term “Snack Towers of Sadness”
- Being extremely knowledgeable about the intracacies of every loyalty program, while remaining eminently reasonable and a good person with good values. She cares deeply about doing the right thing and how decisions affect real people.
I’ve been wondering what would be next for Tiffany since she announced she’s be leaving point.me last month.
Flying Blue was run by Ben Lipsey, before he was promoted. Ben is a frequent flyer nerd himself. He started out on FlyerTalk and connected with Air Canada’s Ben Smith for an internship. He eventually got a job there, and in 2018 went with Smith over to Air France KLM as the CEO’s Chief of Staff before heading up loyalty.
Lipsey drove Flying Blue profits by reducing award redemption rates and re-introducing an award chart after the program had eliminated it. He understands how the program fits for loyalists, refreshing their U.S. credit card as a tool for status.
Overall, Flying Blue is one of the best frequent flyer programs in the world and it’s tough to argue any within the SkyTeam alliance come close – reasonable redemption rates, easily accessible points, and good premium cabin award availability for its own members (given the number of U.S. gateways, and that if space isn’t available at the lowest level then it’s reasonable at the next price point up).
Hopefully Tiffany can help simplify status-earning in the program. I need to check the terms myself every time I write about moving from one tier to the next. And hopefully she’ll suceed in some of the ongoing battles with revenue management faced by every airline frequent flyer program – selfishly I want to see business class transatlantic awards offered regularly as part of their monthly ‘promo awards’ (and not just from Canada).
Incidentally, the early FlyerTalk-to-loyalty and airline product pipeline is strong. In addition to Lipsey, Air Canada Vice President of Inflight and Air Canada Rouge Andrew Yiu began on FlyerTalk as “Empress” until switching to his real name for his username when he got hired on by Air Canada in 2005. And Air Canada’s Vice President of Loyalty and Product Scott O’Leary was the Continental Airlines representative (“CO Insider”) on FlyerTalk. I’d also add that former BoardingArea blogger and Point.me team member Gilbert Ott now works in loyalty at oneworld.
I often cover moves within leadership of loyalty programs, but this is one I’m genuinely excited for – both for Tiffany as the next step in her journey, and because she is clear-headed and understands loyalty very well from the perspective of both members and business. The program couldn’t be in better hands. I somehow feel much better about my burgeoning Flying Blue balance than I did even this morning when I last updated my accounts in Award Wallet.
Congrats on the new job, Gary! Oh…
And you, yourself harken back to Flyertalk where you were GLeff. You’ve also made a career for yourself out of your hobby. Congrats for that.
Rita (aka rkt10)
It will be interesting to see what changes they make. I really like AF/KLM as a product, but saver business awards have seemed slim to me of late – except for the daytime return TATL flights (taking one of those in a month).
Congrats, Tiffany.
Serious question, no disrespect. Is French required for these positions?
I presume Tiffany’s expertise working with Amex at point.me will be helpful in connection with the AF-KLM/Amex relationship for the European co-brand cards, so in that context this certainly makes sense. I presume Delta’s exclusivity with Amex in the US led AF-KLM to BofA?
The real question on this side of the pond is why should US customers engage more meaningfully with Flying Blue? SkyTeam Elite Plus is the weakest top tier alliance status – and status through FB is not getting you into Delta lounges unless you’re flying internationally. I’d love to get FB Platinum for more access to their saver awards (LaP bookings would not be my motivation) and if you can thread the needle with getting FB Gold through Bilt / Statusmatch.com and then use the BofA card to get FB Plat – could be worthwhile. Otherwise, I’m just keeping most of my points transferrable until I see a flight with them I want to take, and hoping for more saver level awards, no?
FB has been an essential program in the “tool kit” that many think well of and I’m happy to continue interacting with them. Hard to imagine this hobby without Aeroplan and Flying Blue for transfers. Hopefully Tiffany will see pathways to help deepen engagement between FB and the US.
Wishing her great success however getting down to the elephant in the room
Booked VIRGIN Atlantic in upper class 67 k West Coast to LHR one way
FLYING Blue had the same route for 550,000 points with some select days at 250,000
Return flights had 800 plus dollar taxes so booked BA home on an A350 at 57,000 points via AA
She has her work cut out for her
Doubt KLM is going to give up their greed
I’d love to be a customer but they typically are the highest cost redemptions of any program
I get it there is the blue moon sweet spot but it’s rare
Even united had awards on SWISS Air to Europe for 80 k one way from ORD in October
Flying blue NOT a chance till January
Good for her! Tiffany has written some great stuff over the years and I look forward to seeing what she can do. Maybe she can make that widespread business class saver availability FB was supposed to offer after they bumped saver prices by 20% appear.
Congratulations.
Curious to see how AF-KL deals with SAS EuroBonus, as AF-KL gets closer to acquiring even more of SAS than it already owns.
Kudos to Tiffany!!!!!! I met her at one of the FTUs a decade ago and she definitely knows what she’s doing! I think Flying Blue status program is easy to understand as it’s all about XPs (no combination of MQD or whatever they’re called in US programs.) I just hope Flying Blue does not get rid of the 10 year platinum for life perk as that is what I’m currently working to achieve.
As a AF/KLM frequent flyer I’m impressed by the fact that AF/KLM is interested in really understanding the needs of frequent flyers and balancing those against the needs of the airline. There is clearly a lot of potential to grow both the program as well as the redemption opportunities.
That SAS is now partially owned by AF/KLM should make things even more interesting. There route network generally get’s me to where I need to go with Delta being a good partner for the last mile in the US. And the program has some pretty original destinations all over the world. I’m looking forward to genuine innovation.
I don’t share your or Ben’s enthusiasm. She knows how people exploit these programs, so she can design it to eliminate easily exploitable loopholes, reduce outsized value awards, but still make it seemingly worthwhile to participate…barely. She was always a shill, now she’s switched teams. I expect negative changes for the most part with a few carrots dangled.
@Mantis – Hopefully you’re wrong and she’s not another Richard Kerr. She certainly has the knowledge to be that bad but honestly I think she’s better than that. If I’m wrong you are very welcome to remind me of what a dunce I was in a year or two.
@Mantis – I can tell you with certainty that Ben Lipsey did not hire Tiffany to squeeze out ‘exploitable loopholes.’ Ben also knows where the value in the program lies. And I think it’s fair to say that he believes the opportunity for outsized value drives reputation for a program that gets it lucrative bank points transfers.
Now, you might have a model that negative changes ‘with a few carrots dangled’ is what to always expect from a program. But even if so, that’s not going to be because Tiffany is heading the program.
I mean, I can hold my own with a spreadsheet. ;p
Thanks for the kind words Gary (and all). I’m excited for the work, and what this overall setup will mean for the member experience.
I think I also still have at least two of those Polaris cookbooks, which I certainly don’t intend to move to France, so if anyone wants one…
This post made my year! Soooooo happy for you Tiffany. AF/KLM FB will be better than ever.
This reminds me how much I miss the Flyertalk and travel of 20 years ago. Or I’m just old and cranky. Or both.
“Flying Blue reduced award redemption rates.” Are you like… having a stroke or something? I’m pretty sure they obliterated redemption rates to such a lol degree that they famously released a ’26 March promo for a long list of U.S. cities, where, in the entire promo period, including all U.S. cities to all qualifying destinations, there was ONE business class seat available at a less-than-mid-six-figure award price.
I have nothing against Tiffany, but I can’t think of a single case in which a travel hacker switched sides and began working for a Company and it led to anything other than travel hackers suffering. FlyingBlue is already 90% useless, but I’m guessing Tiffany will take care of the other 10%. I’d love to be wrong, of course.
@Rose – As someone who has gotten burned more than once as well I completely understand the lure of cynicism here but what say we give her a chance before condemning her?
Also, your first paragraph is absolutely correct. The thing is, with so much value already destroyed there’s a lot more potential upside than downside. I say this as someone who nobody would call an optimist.
Please don’t get on the ‘miles never expire’ train. The cost of that ‘benefit’ for the unengaged comes from those who value miles.
Not that there is much value in FlyingBlue these days for trans Atlantic premium cabin vs even a couple years ago. What happened there???
Congrats Tiffany on the new role! Hope she change re-shape a loyalty program to be frequent-flyer friendly.
Flying blue was a great program, with attractive award prices and good availability. Then came the bloggers (especially the folks at Frequentmiler) and ruined it. Can’t find affordable award tickets anymore. Most of the time I stick with the only program worth anything for business class award across the Atlantic, until that one too gets annihilated.