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Air France

Air France is the national airline of France, headquartered at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, just outside of Paris. It was founded back in 1933 after a merger between many regional French airlines. It then merged with the Dutch-based KLM in 2003 and now operates under the Air France-KLM group. Although both Air France and KLM still fly under their respective brand names, the conglomerate has become the largest airline in the world in terms of operating revenues. Air France flies to more than 70 countries globally, including 11 destinations in the United States. Its first and business class services, however, have mixed reviews, depending on the type of aircraft you fly in.

by Business Traveler

October 01, 2022

Where does Air France fly?

As well as being the biggest french carrier, Air France is also one of the most prominent European airlines, flying to 230 destinations in 94 countries. Included in this are a number of U.S cities, with New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles among the most popular destinations. It operates mainly out of its central hub of the Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. Other hubs can be found in the Orly, Lyon-Saint Exupery, Marseille Provence, Nice Cote D’Azure and Bourdeaux airports. Each day, Air France operates 1,500 flights with its fleet of 208 aircraft.

FAQ

What is Air France's Flying Blue program?

Flying Blue is the frequent flyer programme for Air France. Miles are earned in a variety of ways, and while the most common is through buying airfare with Air France or their SkyTeam partners, customers can also rack up points by:

 Using certain Chase, Citi or Marriot credit cards
 Shopping from selected car rentals, hotels and retailers
 Buying miles directly from Air France

When you have enough points, they can be used to purchase a range of services. Once again, the most common of these is airfare, partly because this is where you get the best deal. As Air France is part of the SkyTeam Airline Alliance, Flying Blue miles can also be spent with a range of partners, opening up options with airlines like Delta or Japan airways. Flying Blue also offers occasional promotions, with discounted redemption options on flights by up to 50%.

Racking up enough Air Blue points in a year gets you Elite status. There are three different tiers, and when you hit one, you can take advantage of its benefits for 15 months.

Silver - 25,000 miles or 15 qualifying flights

 Six points per euro spent
 Priority check-in and boarding
 1 checked-in bag
 Free seat selection
 25% off seat selection

Gold - 40,000 miles or 30 qualifying flights

 Seven points per euro spent
 Priority check-in and boarding
 1 checked-in bag
 Free seat selection
 Airport lounge access
 50% off seat selection


Platinum - 70,000 points or 60 qualifying flights

 Eight points per euro spent
 Priority check-in and boarding
 One checked-in bag
 Free seat selection
 Airport lounge access
 50% off seat selection
 Complimentary preferred seats
 Access to the platinum service line

Those that hold Platinum status for ten consecutive years are given it for life.

What are Air France's ticketing options?

Air France has four main types of fare to choose from. However, the basic economy offering has four sub-classes.

Economy Light

 Standard seating
 Last to board
 One personal item + one carry-on
 Free food + glass of champagne / cocktail
 Refunds in the form of credit
 No changes
 Seat selection

Economy Standard

 Same benefits as Economy Light
 Checked in bag (23kg limit)
 Changeable flights (plus fare differences)

Economy Flex

 Same benefits as Economy Light
 Refundable flights
 Changeable flights (plus fare differences)


Premium Economy

 40% more legroom
 Standard boarding
 One personal item + Two carry-ons
 Two checked-in bags (23kg limit)
 Free food + glass of champagne / cocktail
 Nonrefundable
 No changes
 Seat selection
 Noise cancelling headphones
 Charging point

Business Class

 Lie flat bed
 Priority boarding
 One personal item + Two carry-ons
 Two checked-in bags (23kg limit)
 Free restaurant quality food + premium alcohol
 Seat selection
 Noise cancelling headphones
 Charging point
 Lounge access

La Premier (First Class)

 Lie flat bed in a smaller, four-person cabin
 First to board
 Private check-in lounge with concierge
 One personal item + two carry-ons
 Three checked-in bags (32kg limit each)
 Free restaurant quality food + premium alcohol
 Seat selection
 Noise cancelling headphones
 Charging point
 Dedicated La Premiere lounge access
 Luxury car transfers to and from aircraft

What are Air France's baggage fees?

Air France economy passengers are allowed to bring one personal item and one carry-on, with premium economy and above allowed two carry-ons. The combined weight of this must not exceed 12kg for economy passengers or 18kg for business class. The complimentary checked-in baggage allowance per fare is listed below.

 Economy Light/Flex: None
 Economy Standard: One checked-in bag
 Premium Economy: Two checked-in bags
 Business: Two checked-in bags
 La Premiere: Three checked-in bag

Additional checked-in bags are available to book, but passengers who want to bring more than three must consult Air France prior to booking. Prices start from 25 euros.

Oversized/overweight bags

Bags over 158 linear cm or the weighty allowance are liable for extra fees, which vary depending on the route. Bags over 32kg will not be allowed on the plane.