As France’s flag carrier, Air France has a strong presence in Europe and beyond, with approximately 200 routes in 74 destinations across the globe (depending on the season). It offers a distinctly French experience, from cushy airport lounges to complimentary champagne in all cabins on international flights.
The Paris-based carrier, which is part of the SkyTeam Alliance, is in the midst of a fleetwise rollout of new cabins on long-haul aircraft. And thanks to its well-regarded loyalty programme, passengers can score tickets via excellent reward redemptions – even in Business class. Here’s what to know about Flying Air France.
What to expect during the booking process
I find the Air France website to be fairly user-friendly during the booking process. One potentially confusing issue to be aware of: depending on your current location, you may have to first navigate a landing page listing every country Air France serves – all in French, no less. This can be tricky and frustrating (and even translating those names; the United Kingdom, for example, is Royaume-Uni). But once you’re in the right spot, it’s fairly smooth sailing from there.
You can also call the Air France customer service number to book. However, as with partner airline KLM and some other carriers, there’s a fee. Speaking with a representative is helpful if you have a complicated itinerary. But for straightforward trips, you can avoid that fee by booking online. I also highly recommend the app, which is straightforward and user-friendly.
Fare classes on Air France
You’ll find separate tabs for booking with cash or miles. Flights are shown across three cabins: Economy, Premium and Business (some long-haul flights also are equipped with swanky La Première cabins, Air France’s exclusive first-class product). You can also select a cabin via the small drop-down menu near the top right-hand corner of the screen.
However, keep in mind that the initial price shown is the lowest across the ticketing categories (Light, Standard and Flex for Economy; Standard and Flex for both Premium and Business). Those tiers offer various extras, including checked baggage, seat selection, and Sky Priority benefits.
Air France Economy
Air France Economy cabins generally offer a comfortable, pleasant experience, especially for medium and long-haul flights. On most long-haul flights, the seat layout in Economy Cabins is 3-4-3 on Boeing 777s and 3-3-3 on Airbus A350s.
You’ll get a decent amount of legroom, with 31 inches of seat pitch. Each seat comes with an adjustable headrest and personal screen packed with entertainment (including plenty of French movies and TV shows, of course, plus games and music). And there’s Air France’s high-quality dining programme, which comes with complimentary champagne (or wine) in all cabins. It’s a lovely, luxe touch that sets the carrier apart and elevates the Economy experience.
Air France Premium
Formerly known as Premium Economy, Air France’s Premium cabin offers one of the most superior experiences in this still-growing category of fare class. Along with larger seats and entertainment screens, passengers can enjoy SkyPriority benefits at the airport, including SkyPriority security access, early boarding and more.
In addition, on long-haul routes out of Paris, Premium passengers can enjoy meals created by French celebrity chefs, accompanied by French wine and champagne, bien sûr. If budget allows, I highly recommend Premium – it can transform a long-haul flight into a deliciously refined experience, at a significantly lower price than a Business ticket.
Air France Business and La Première
In 2023, Air France unveiled its impressive new business class cabin. On par with those of other major carriers, it features fully lie-flat seats and privacy suites with sliding doors. High-tech touches include wireless charging, 17.3-inch 4K TV screens, and Bluetooth connectivity. Another big bonus: the 1-2-1 configuration means aisle access for all seats.
La Première, meanwhile, is Air France’s highly coveted – and praised – first class. The ooh la la experience is about to get even better, with revamped cabins (debuting in winter 2024/2025) featuring the longest beds in commercial aviation, according to the airline, and an upgraded ground experience at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). I’ve not yet had the pleasure of flying La Première, but it’s at the top of my aviation wish list.
What to know about Air France hubs
CDG is Air France’s primary hub, and if you’re flying from a long-haul destination back to Europe on the carrier, you’ll likely land (or connect) here. Many first-time passengers find CDG overwhelming, due to its massive size and confusing navigation. If you’re departing from or connecting through CDG, allow yourself plenty of time – I recommend at least two hours, and ideally longer – for clearing security and passport control and navigating the airport.
In June 2024, Air France launched a new concierge service to help passengers navigate check in, connections and arriving at CDG. But it’s very pricey, and as such, I’d only recommend it for travellers who really need the extra assistance.
Air France also has a strong presence at other French airports, including Paris-Orly (ORY), Lyon (LYS) and Nice (NCE). Orly serves mainly domestic and medium-haul flights, while Lyon and Nice are regional hubs – and all are far less hectic than CDG.
Air France lounges
CDG boasts two of the carrier’s most luxe lounges, located in Terminal 2E and 2F (2E even offers free mini facials). They’re available for Flying Blue Gold and Platinum members and Business class passengers, as well as those in the Premium cabin.
Despite not having an actual dedicated Air France lounge, upper tier Air France customers can use the new Plaza Premium Lounge at Heathrow Airport which opened in August 2024. It is located in Terminal 4 and features contemporary decor with stylish seating areas, and is great for families as well as business travellers. At Gatwick, Air France passengers can access the No1 Lounge in the North Terminal.
This lounge offers comfortable seating, a good selection of quality food and drink options, free Wi-Fi, and areas for relaxation or work.
What to know about Flying Blue
Among aviation enthusiasts and points experts, Flying Blue, the shared loyalty programme of Air France and KLM, earns high marks. The program regularly opens up availability for points booking and releases several seats at a time, which is a big bonus for families and groups looking to travel together. Flying Blue also is a transfer partner for most major credit cards, which makes it easier to quickly accumulate enough miles for a trip.
Be sure to sign up for the programme as soon as possible to take advantage of its benefits right away. New members are automatically assigned Explorer status, Flying Blue’s lowest status tier. (Previously, Explorer members received a 10 percent discount on checked bags, but as of September 2024 that perk is no longer offered.)
Flying Blue’s five levels of status (from Explorer to Ultimate) each earns miles at different rates, from 4 miles per euro spent all the way up to 9. Another convenient way to earn miles: Use Air France’s shopping portal (just make sure you’re logged in to your account and cookies are enabled, to ensure proper tracking of your purchases).
Keep an eye on promotions and flash sales
Air France regularly runs promotions and flash sales, which are an excellent way to score great deals. To stay updated, subscribe to Air France’s newsletter and keep an eye on the "Deals" section of the website and social media. Some of the best deals are long-haul flights.
Get deals through SkyTeam partner airlines
Since Air France is part of the SkyTeam Alliance, savvy passengers can score deals through partner airlines including KLM and Delta Air Lines. In addition, I always advise comparing prices on codeshare flights, which can occasionally turn up better deals than booking directly through Air France, especially for long-haul trips.
Use Flying Blue miles and rewards
Passengers can also take advantage of the programme’s Promo Rewards: tickets at up to 25 percent off, bookable with miles. New Promo Reward tickets are released on the first weekday of each month for flights five months ahead on the calendar.
A common hack among points enthusiasts for redeeming reward travel: wait for one of the promo deals, then transfer points from a qualifying credit card to take advantage of the discount. Time it right, and you can snag transatlantic Business class seats for 50,000 miles.
Beware of steep change fees
If you need to keep your travel plans flexible, make sure before booking that your ticket doesn’t have pricey change fees, since the carrier can charge a whopping fee (plus the fare difference) for changes. Following the post-pandemic trend in which many airlines eliminated change fees, this development came as an unwelcome surprise to many Air France loyalists. So read the fine print before booking, especially if you need flexibility.
Free stopovers in Paris
Another reason to join Flying Blue: the programme offers free stopovers in Paris (as well as Amsterdam, via partner airline KLM), at no extra cost. Stopovers aren’t bookable online, so you’ll have to call a customer service agent to arrange it. However, it’s well worth the time to score what is essentially a free ticket.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
