Most airline status has lost its shine: upgrades are rarer, premium cabins cost less in cash, and qualifying keeps getting harder. Air France-KLM's Flying Blue is the exception that some frequent flyers still actively pursue — and it's easy to see why once you look at how the program is built.

Flying Blue measures status in "XP" (experience points), and that's the only metric. There's no minimum segment requirement on the airline's own metal, so you can qualify entirely on partner flights. The tiers stack in a friendly way: 100 XPs gets Silver, then you need 180 more over the following 12 months for Gold, then 300 more for Platinum — not 580 in a single year. Qualification runs on a rolling basis from when you hit each threshold, not the calendar year. Extra touches: 10 consecutive years of Platinum earns it for life, up to 300 unused XPs roll over, and there's an invite-level Ultimate tier requiring 900 UXPs earned only on Air France-KLM flights themselves.

Short-haul business class is the XP sweet spot. A roundtrip Aeromexico business fare from New York to São Paulo via Mexico City nets 108 XPs — nearly two-thirds of the way to Platinum on one trip. A Miami–New York Delta domestic roundtrip in business earns just 12, so routing matters enormously.

Flying, though, isn't the only path. The US-issued Air France-KLM Visa Signature card can add up to 160 XPs a year (80 for $15,000 spend, 60 more at $25,000, plus 20 on the anniversary), and welcome offers have included 100 XPs — instant Silver. You can also buy sustainable aviation fuel alongside a ticket, even an award: roughly €10 per XP, with a JFK–Paris business class award example costing about $900 for 84 XPs. Donating miles to charity earns one XP per 2,000 miles donated, a flight-free option. Alternatively, Flying Blue runs paid status match promotions, and Bilt Platinum members can unlock 12 months of Gold by transferring just 10,000 Bilt points — a useful springboard, since holding Gold means you only need 300 XPs for Platinum rather than 580 from scratch.

So why bother? Silver gets priority services and a free extra bag; Gold adds SkyTeam Elite Plus perks including lounge access. Platinum is where it gets genuinely valuable: extra award availability (the writer credits it for booking family business class across the Atlantic when nothing was showing), access to Air France's La Premiere first class on redemptions, and — crucially after the recent devaluation — flexibility on cheap "Light" award fares. Everyone else books a Light fare at 60,000 miles one-way in transatlantic business with no changes allowed; Platinum members keep free cancellation and seat selection anyway, saving 15,000 miles per ticket versus the Standard fare.

If you fly SkyTeam even occasionally and value award seats, Flying Blue's mix of partner-earning, credit card XP, and buyable points makes Platinum more attainable than status at almost any rival airline.