Air France is the biggest and best-known French airline in the world. Owning many different aircraft including the Concorde, they offer a multitude of destinations from their main Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) base, as well as other airports in France.
The British airports served by this airline are Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, London (City, Gatwick, Heathrow), Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton.
My main experiences of Air France have been on the Paris-Montpellier Méditerranée route, flight AF7682, which I will look at in detail now. With three or sometimes four flights daily to the southern coastal city of Montpellier,
once on board you are glad you are not on the TGV. I find the journeys smooth and relaxing, due to some expert flying from the cockpit crew.
Comfort ****** Although I have only travelled in the economy section of the plane, that is, the back, there has been plenty of room for my long legs and bags of cheap spirits without getting the feeling of cramped legroom. As you would expect from a reputable airline, the seat reservation system at check-in enables an aisle seat to be selected if requested, so this helps me get even more room by stretching my legs out into the aisle - note: do not do this during take-off/landing or when the food trolley is passing.
This airline operates a no-smoking policy, which is really refreshing after having travelled recently for the first time without such a policy on board on a different airline. It really makes a difference, and the flight is much more enjoyable.
Booking/Staff ********** Booked through a company travel agent, my tickets were not even paper, rather electronic and this was so convenient, as all I had to do to check in was to show my passport at the Air France check-in desk. The staff at the check-in desk in Paris were helpful and swiftly helped me through without problems every time. At Montpellier, the staff were very efficient and friendly, I never experienced any problems. Prices are reasonable but there are many different prices depending on time of day, time or year, destination and other factors. Full and current pricing information is available at their website. Staff at both these airports spoke excellent English, should you choose to speak it. In addition, the cabin crew were fluent English speakers despite the flights being internal French ones. I found this very positive from an English point of view. The cabin crew were always well presented and very helpful with any queries or requests.
In-flight ****** The food was no major part of the flight, as it was only a short distance and there is plenty of time to grab a snack at CDG. However, the food was above average for airline cuisine, tasting fresh and with working cutlery provided. Sometimes this would include chicken or beef. Vegetarian meal options were available should your diet demand it, and a drink was complementary - usually a Coke for me at 6.25 AM. Tea and coffee were also served afterwards, during morning flights. Even the in-flight magazine was written in French with an English commentary, which is well worth a read if you want to find out what's on in the area you are visiting, this was very useful.
Punctuality ******** Airline punctuality was excellent, every time the plane was loaded up and ready to go at the scheduled departure time. However, sometimes there were airport problems, especially at Paris-CDG, which is a very busy place. Overall, I experienced one delay, and this was due to an airport-related problem and not an Air France one. The check-ins closed on time and this company seems to have punctuality running all the way through it.
Safety ***** Safety on board (depending on the aircraft) is made up of emergency exits at the front and back of the plane, and also in the middle, leaving over the wings. Additionally, oxygen masks will fall down from above the seats in an emergency and lights on the floor in the aisle will light up guiding you to your nearest exit. Although the airline safety procedure is boring after having been on many flights, it is very important to understand the procedures should anything bad happen during your flight. The cabin crew did a good job of making it interesting and this can only help to increase on-board safety. Individual seat belts are provided at every seat, which should be fastened during take-off and landing, as well as under captain's orders.
Website ****** Company information and facts are available from www.airfrance.fr (in French) or in English from www.airfrance.com/uk. This also contains flight information for future and current flights. Frequent flyer programmes are also offered for regular customers. Special offers are also available but these depart from Paris mainly, so this should be taken into consideration.
Overall ***** In general, I am very happy with the level of service from Air France that I have received. The things that make this airline stand out for me are the customer service and the good in-flight conditions: comfort, safety and non-smoking environment. Highly recommended.
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Apr 8th, 2003
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