Air France
 

We are flying Air France to Paris in February. Any good/bad experiences with this airline? I have flown to Europe on Aer Lingus and American with no incidents. Do the staff speak English? Thanks for any thoughts!

Hi allison,

Flying cattle class on AF is no worse than on any other airline.

Yes, the staff speak English - when they wish to.

I don't like CDG but I fly Air France and enjoy it. I just returned from a JFK-Naples/Naples-Paris/Paris-JFK trip and I flew AF. Granted, I fly Business Class and the comfort and service is terrific. However, this past May, an assistant flew with me and he was seated in Coach. I joined him for a chat a few times and found the Coach seats to be quite substantial. They reminded me of the Coach seats on Singapore Airlines, which is one of the best airlines on the planet, no matter what Class. My assistant said that service in Air France Coach was friendly and very attentive and the food was the best he's had on an airplane.

Thank you, I am always happy to hear mostly positive reports! (Even Ira's info was not discouraging.) I am glad to never fly business class because I am sure I would be too spoiled for economy!

I had a bad experience on AF but it was because I had airsickness on that trip. The smell of fish in an aircraft is not a good thing on a "delicate" stomach. Other than not ordering the fish for the meal, it was fine.

I have flown Air France several times and have no complaints. Better than average airplane food and the staff do speak English. And if you get the right planes, you can watch French movies in the seatback monitors to get in the mood.

We flew Air France last November and loved it. We are flying with them again tomorrow. Great food, comfortable seats, and yes they do speak english. Just add a Merci or a sil vous plait in and you would be amazed at how nice the french can be

Allison, for many years I went back and forth between Coach and Business. Several job contracts offered me a higher fee if I would be willing to fly Coach. This is a pretty common negotiation in show business and when I was poorer, the higher fee was welcome, especially if the flight was under 8 hours. After that period, I started using upgrades because I could never use up all my FF miles if I tried. I often give friends a free ticket as a gift. Now, I fly Business because I own my own business and, of course, I'm older and I deserve to be pampered. If I don't take care of myself, who will?

Here's another AF fan. I always fly them to Europe and have always been pleased with the comfort and service.

They did lose my luggage twice in two days on the last trip, but were very helpful in resolving the issue.

I flew AF for the first time in September and found the seats, service and food to be comparable with British. My biggest complaint was the poor treatment I got at CDG after missing my connection. They sent a golf cart to help one couple catch their flight, but didn't send anyone to help one DOZEN of us catch our flight to Bologna. They did give me a free phone card and a voucher for breakfast, though.

I fly AF because I want a DIRECT flight from Boston. And it depended on which plane how good things were. The Delta Connection, I put thumbs down.

We live in upstate NY and chose AirFrance because it was a direct flight from Boston to CDG. American would have taken us from Boston to JFK to Paris, plus the only return flight we could get came in to Boston at almost midnight. Not good, with a 3 hour drive home. I am happy to hear they have seatback tvs! I have trouble with airsickness (under control, no one is in danger near me) and it causes me to be unable to watch the drop-down monitors. And since we won't have to change planes, there is (I hope) less chance of things being lost. Merci to all!

Thumbs down for me and AF. They left a bad taste in my mouth after I missed my connection.

Last Oct. long story short, I had arrived in time to catch my flight however I was held up in the security line & missed the connecting flight from Rome back to the states.

I was sent to line after line to try and get another flight home, 3 hours later a ticketed was going to charge me $200. to get a flight out the following day! She said it was my fault, that's when I lost it. She ended up not charging me but you could cut the tension with a knife.

Since I had been to Paris before I knew of a hotel and booked it myself. I was not offered anything and they would not give me my luggage for the night. So AF & me grrrrrrrrrr.

Flew Air France to Paris and Nice last year and was pleaased. In Nice there was a potential pilot strike and the AF people at Nice airport went out of their way to change our return flight (which was frequent flyer)---could not have been a more pleasant experience.

Just flew Air France this month to and from Europe.

This was my third time and I found the flight attendants to be much nicer than my pervious trip five years ago. They all spoke English but I also speak some French.

Yes, I flew Business Class and enjoyed the large leather seats, the food and other amenities, particularly the Air France lounges at JFK, CDG and Lisbon. Have chosen Air France because their Business Class airfare is always the most reasonable when I have booked my flights.

Agree with NYCFoodSnob that pampering oneself when traveling makes the trip all the more enjoyable!

Air France, si; CDG, no. I fly Continental through Gatwick for direct to Houston. All just to avoid CDG because AF also flies direct to IAH. (And Gatwick isn't all that great either but it sure beats CDG.)

I'm flying into CDG this December and don't like all these references to 'anything to avoid CDG'! What is so bad about it?

mp413, don't worry. CDG is just a major hub like MIA, LAX or JFK in the US. It's not that bad, in my opinion, but is large and can be a pain in the rear, that's all.

I don't necessarily like it, just like I don't like the airports noted above. But, if I have to go thru there to get to my destination, so be it.

Yes, it is like a big hub, but I find the ground personnel insufferable. And for THE Paris airport, it has very little entertainment for long waits. And I have never taken a plane out of CDG at the schedule time.

I loved the food they gave me when I used them to connect to florence a couple of weeks ago. Food on the trip back though was not so good though. Two hour flight you don't expect much anyway.

My only warning goes to the Paris Airport securtiy check. Some super a** holes working on my return trip. I could have caught them on a bad day. They were extreemly slow with only one line to clear luggage. Also they would not let me put my glass bottles in a plastic tub. I only had them in an open plastic bag. My bag was taken out of the tub I placed it in and sprawled out on the belt. I did not understand this power trip with the plastic tubs :):). When I cleared a French airport worker told me he was just being difficult that this was not normal.

Other Americans told me that they had bad experiences too but they did not see this happening to non-Americans just before them. Again just one couple I spoke with. A regular commuter between NYC and Paris also told me they are rude and inefficient at security in Paris.

Could have just been a bad day for everyone. Never a set and fast rule when you are talking about something like this. Knowing what I know now I will plan on a**holes on the next trip and not expect any professional kindness.

loved walking around the Paris airport! If you are making a connection don't take the trolly, walk. I even took photos. Don't worry I was prepaired to tell people I was Canadian. :):)

CDG has never been my favorite airport....but Paris is my favorite destination. So I suck it up and deal with it. I do, if not staying, make sure to have excessive connection times at CDG. Air France has always been fine.

I did not have a good experience last fall (2002) with Air France - the cramped seating and bad food were the least of my problems. Before I left home for Logan airport (in Boston), I was told my flight was on time. When I arrived at the airport, the flight was still in Paris, but "taking off soon". I waited from 6pm to 1am before boarding and was offered a $10 voucher for dinner(?)as compensation. Once on board, all I wanted to do was sleep and so was delighted to find myself alone in my row - except that the arm rests didn't go up - so I was forced to sleep upright anyway.
On my return, the jet from Florence to DeGaulle was late, but I still had an hour to make the flight to Boston. They refused to help me get to the boarding area (even though they took four other passengers on a bus to make their flight) or even find my way. I was told that my ticket was invalid because there would not have been enough time between flights even if the first flight had been on time. The routing came directly from Air France, so I'm not sure who messed up. They did put me up for the night in the Sofitel (along with a whole floor of other unhappy Air France travelers who had been stranded for various reasons) and gave me meal vouchers, but I spent my birthday alone - when after 2 weeks away I wanted to be home.
So after all this, my advice is to check and check again about the flight status before you leave for the airport, take some food you like with you, check your flight times before you leave to be sure you have more than enough time for connections and have a good time anyway.

CDG airport is the pits. there are insufficient personal especially eaarly in the morning and insufficient signs to tell you weere to go to catch a flight. ok for boston to paris run but would not do itd again if i had connections. we missed the first connection although we had 1 1/2 hrs to gete it and had to run like hell for over 1 mile to get the connection comming back. that airport is a pimple in the ass of progress

Shortly after 9/11, I flew to Paris on Air France to visit with friends. I wasn't used to the new rules and inadvertently put a gift, an antique letter opener, into my carry-on, thinking it would be safer with me. Needless to say, my carry-on set off all the alarms and AF security told me I could not board the plane with this weapon. They offered two solutions, surrender it to trash or return to check-in and see if AF would check it separately. Since I paid $260 for it, I decided to return to check-in and give it a try. I went to the AF agent who initially checked me in and she immediately recognized me. I explained my dilemma, showed her the letter opener, and she said to hold on and left the counter. Seconds later, she returned with a box for my gift and packed it, and sent it off as a checked piece of luggage.

When I landed in Paris, the box never showed up at baggage claim. I filed a missing package report and several days later, AF called to say they had found my box. It had gone to Spain. They wanted to send someone the following day to the apartment I had rented but I said I couldn't be there for three days to accept it and no one could accept it for me. AF offered to mail it to me and I said fine. After 14 days in Paris, I never received the box. Numerous phone calls and several months go by when one day, back in NYC, I received an envelope from AF in my mailbox. In it was a check for $450. The note said something about reimbursement per weight of item lost and it read like one big mistake. My letter opener barely weighed 6 ounces. I deposited the check and till this day I have no idea how AF came to the conclusion my box had been worth $450. Yes, they lost my antique gift but now I can buy a nicer one. I like Air France.

Nice story, Wesley.

Wesley, that cracked me up! You are a lucky dog!

We have only begun traveling in the last few years (you know, kids, no money etc)and have not had any problems in our 4 trips (albeit only to Ireland and London.) Shannon and Dublin have been wonderful to come and go from. Heathrow was huge but we were in and out since we had arranged for transportation to our hotel. I HATE JFK, where I was searched coming and going once. I will go to CDG with an open mind and hope for the best.

Oh, does anyone know if there are ATMs there? (I only have 12 Euros.)

I did appreciate the extra bonus but I was disappointed I lost a cherished antique that I wanted to give to someone else. Money can't replace memories but it can help you create new ones.

You'll find plenty of ATM's at CDG.

We have always had a good experience with AF. Better than average food, generally nice staff, and wonderful direct service from JFK to CDG. As far as CDG, well I don't find it or it's employees any worse than most major US airports. I ALWAYS have a horror story when I fly through DFW and would rather go to CDG any day. I actually had a stewardess take a liking to me on my last trip on AF to Venice last January. I am tall, 6'3", and the stewardess was very vigialant about not letting the person in front of me recline more than a few inches and not at all during meal times. She would actually push the seat release button with one hand and straighten the seat back with the other, while he was asleep! A rather comical routine, which was nice for me though I am sure rather jarrring for the guy in front.
Also good movies.

I like the actual flying on AF--I like watching the French movies, they usually have good food and French wines, flight attendants have always been fine to me.
What I hate is CDG. The ground staff are horrible-slow and grouchy. My husband and I were flying back to the US in business class and the attendant at the business class lounge did not want to let our 2 boys come in with us because they were in coach. Mind you, we travel a lot and this was the first time that ever happened. Delta, Iberia and AA have never said a word. I finally convinced her to call a supervisor, and she reluctantly agreed, and they did get to come in with us. (Wouldn't have been such a big deal except our first flight was cancelled, and we had to wait 6 hours).

I hated them and would avoid them in the future. I bought a round-trip ticket from Paris to Berlin this summer. I arrived at the airport about thirty minutes before the flight was to depart, but check in had closed, and they would not put me on. Since my ticket was unchangeable, they made me pay a fine which amounted to close to $300 (for one leg of the flight). Mind you, I had no bags to check. I was going to be in Berlin for two days and had a small carry-on. Throughout I was as polite as I could be, until I managed on a fourth attempt to get someone to try to call the gate to hold the flight. By then, it was about five minutes before departure and there was nothing that could be done. So if they could have done it, why didn't they do so earlier?

Yes, I know that it was partially my fault, but to add insult to injury, they were still checking people about half an hour before departure when I flew back to Paris from Berlin.

I wrote them a letter when I returned to the US, and I e-mailed my friends to tell them about my terrible experience. Yes, I know that it won't change a thing, and I know that others love Air France. But if there're alternatives, I'll avoid them. Later this summer I went to Italy and Greece, and I worked hard to avoid Air France and flew Swissair instead. I liked Swissair. On my return flight I was scheduled to connect through Geneva, but there was a problem with the flight from Rome to Geneva, so they were efficient enough to let me know that and to reroute me through Zurich instead. Nice service, though I think that my flight to Zurich was also delayed but I made the connection (I forget if they held it for us).

"PARTLY" your fault???

With all the security travellers need to go through, and despite all the requests from the airlines to arrive at the airport 1-3 hours before you flight depending on destination, you honestly expected no problems arriving 30 minutes before takeoff??

And you expected everyone on that flight, who had checked in on time and boarded on time, to sit and wait while the flight was "held" for you? Good Grief!!!

Yes, I expected to gate check. Is that so unusual? Once I arrived at the gate ten minutes before a flight departed for Asia from Chicago. I checked my bag (a suitcase) at the gate.

Yes, I understand that rules have probably changed, so this is now no longer possible -- but honestly, this is an inter-Europe flight -- and they were still checking people in half an hour prior for the Berlin to Paris flight.

Ok, they wouldn't hold the flight, ok, but to charge $300 for this? You think that this is reasonable? Get a grip, and stop being so judgmental. I had *no* bags to check, you know.

sorry, 111op, you have to sympathy from me, either. It was entirely your fault, not partly. Also, arriving at the airport 30 minutes is NOT arriving at the gate from checkin 30 minutes before -- big difference. You violated their checkin time standards and the "fine" as you put it, was because you had to pay for another ticket, I suppose, as the flight you missed because of your own fault was nonrefundable. Arriving at the airport 30 minutes before and checking people in "about 30 minutes before" at the gate on a different flight are different things, also.

I think anyone who posts a consumer complaint like you with such detail as to why you think you are right and how bad AF is because they didn't give you special rules is, of course, open to anyone's opposing opinion as to your situation. I gather you think you have a right to post anything and no one is allowed to have a different opinion or disagree with you. If that's the way you feel, you should stop posting on public forums.

Ok, we'll just have to disagree then. You're certainly entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. Good luck with Air France. I certainly don't plan to fly them again, if I can, and I mean it.

And no, I'm not the sort to want to show up two to three hours prior and wait and wait.

Not sure if I want sympathy from the people who read Fodors (my ego is not that fragile, and was I asking for any?), but a post like this may serve as a warning to others. Take it or leave it.

Not to belabor the point, Christina, but on return flight they were *checking in* passengers thirty minutes prior who had bags to check. Certainly their standards (whatever they are) are inconsistent, to say the very least.

I chuckle with every thread I read on Air France. The reality of it is simple. When all goes well AF does fine job. However, one blip and it all falls apart. Generally their staff is not trained on how to cope with the unexpected and their biggest flaw is that they do not communicate to passengers. This leaves everyone frustrated and upset. It's ort of the "when in Rome do as the Romans" adage. You must arrive rediculously early for your flight, the old terminal at CDG is awful (the new one is grand by the way), there will be strikes....just accept it and move on....direct service is still better than a oonnection any day!

also expect over the top unprofessional behavior at the check in desk and security. If you don't experience this consider it at lucky flook. Seems like no one runs the risk of termination.

Great service on the plane though. American carriers pale in comparison in my experience.

111op it helps us all to know what you were up against. I have gotten to gates seconds before a cross country domestic flight (post9/11) at Jfk and have not had a problem. I will remember your experience the next time I am in Europe.
I tend to think the entire country/continent runs it that way. I was given warnings about being checked in 1 hour before departure. It Did not seem like the standard warnings more like you better be there or you will get bumped.

We fly AF often with no problems. CDG is just an average airport and ceratinly much better than SEA or LGA