KLM adds a 100% SAF surcharge on flights from London City

If you’ve noticed that KLM flights between London City and Amsterdam have become more expensive, here’s why.

As part of a trial, KLM is adding a €20 SAF surcharge to the cost of a one-way economy ticket in September (€30 for business class).

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are produced in a variety of ways, from domestic waste, repurposing residual products such as cooking oil or even extracting carbon out of thin air (called eSAF) using renewable energy. The photo below shows conventional jet fuel (left) and SAF (right).

Although SAF emits roughly the same amount of CO₂ during a flight, the impact across the life cycle is at least 65% lower than traditional kerosene. You can find out more in my deep dive with Rolls-Royce here, including a look at the other benefits of SAF such as lower particulates and – potentially – fewer contrails.

At present, KLM applies a 2% SAF surcharge to all tickets as part of an EU mandate that all airlines use at least 2% SAF this year, rising to 6% in 2030 and 70% in 2050.

For two trial routes, KLM has temporarily increased this percentage to 100%. KLM says “The additional amount goes entirely towards the purchase of SAF” so this is a genuine pass-through, not a stealth price rise. Of course, the SAF use is mandated by law and your flight will NOT be using 100% SAF – the money will simply pay for the flight equivalent of SAF.

The trial only applies to flights in September on two routes:

• Amsterdam to London City
• Amsterdam to Hamburg

Coincidentally, these are some of the airline’s shortest flights.

During the trial, KLM says it is hoping to “assess passengers’ willingness to pay extra for SAF when it is automatically included in the ticket price”. Zita Schellekens, SVP Sustainability and Strategy adds: “Through this trial, we want to better understand passenger behaviour and examine the role sustainability plays in the decision-making process when purchasing a ticket.”

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How to earn Flying Blue miles from UK credit cards (June 2025)

Air France and KLM do not have a UK Flying Blue credit card.  However, you can earn Flying Blue miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

These cards earn Membership Rewards points:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 50,000 Flying Blue miles

• The American Express Rewards Credit Card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Flying Blue miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Flying Blue mile.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Air France and KLM but with any airline.