Although perhaps no longer a household name, a hero died last week. His name was Michel Bacos. He was an Air France pilot. Bacos was captain of Air France 139 on June 27, 1976, heading from Tel Aviv to Paris. The...
A Chance To Compare Lufthansa And Air France In First Class
After flying Air France First Class last month, I now want to offer a detailed comparison between Air France and Lufthansa. Thus, when I flew from home from Europe last week I chose Lufthansa First Class. That way, we’ll...
Air France’s Plan To Create A More Upscale, Premium Airline
Air France wants to become a more upscale, premium carrier. I’ve been so impressed with Ben’s Smith brief tenure at Air France-KLM. He has mended labor relations and is making great progress on overcoming what has been a turbulent...
Review: Air France’s Brand New Business Class Lounge – Paris (CDG)
Air France recently unveiled a beautiful new business class lounge in Hall L of Terminal 2E. I had the chance to visit during my last layover in Paris. I’ve showcased stock photos of the lounge before, but the photos...
Domestic Business Class Meals: Lufthansa Vs. Air France
Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago. Earlier today...
Review: Air France HOP! Embraer 190 “Business” Class Paris To Basel
Just a short review to highlight that I do not love everything about Air France, including my regional HOP! flight from Paris to Basel-Mulhouse. My wife’s parents live just over the German border from Basel, so flying into Basel...
Review: The Air France First Class Ground Experience
I was impressed by many things on my recent Air France first class trip, but what impressed me most was the ground service. Although I already reviewed the La Premiere lounge in Paris yesterday, the whole ground service experience...
Review: Air France Salon La Première First Class Lounge Paris (CDG)
The Air France First Class Lounge (Salon La Première) in Paris CDG is a remarkable lounge with superb amenities. I deliberately booked a long layover to give me several hours to enjoy the lounge. After arriving from Los Angeles,...
Review: Air France 777-300ER First Class Los Angeles To Paris
After sitting at the top of my bucket list for years, I finally had the chance to try Air France La Premiere First Class from Los Angeles to Paris. Despite dangerously high expectations, the experience did not disappoint. In...
Lufthansa Overtakes Air France To Become Europe’s Largest Airline
For the first time in 14 years, Lufthansa has reclaimed the crown of largest airline in Europe. Since Air France and KLM merged in 2004, the Franco Dutch airline has held the honor. But in 2018, Lufthansa boosted passengers...
The Real Reason Air France Is Eliminating Joon
It’s not about the market confusion, though it confused customers. It’s not about fleet consistency, though that was problematic. Rather, it’s about a strategic labor gamble by Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith. That’s my take on why Air France...
An Update On My Air France First Class “Complaint”
Last week I wrote about the one thing that annoyed me about my Air France first class flight. It was another passenger in the cabin, who staked out two seats for herself, sending her companion to the seat directly...
The Only Thing That Annoyed Me In Air France First Class…
The flight itself was near-flawless. The service excellent. But there was one thing that annoyed me about my first class flight on Air France: another passenger in the cabin. Let me start by saying that this is a first...
Air France First Class Is Even Better On The Ground Than In The Air
Yesterday, I wrote about my incredible first class experience in the air. But the ground experience was even better. I already mentioned the incredible ground service I received, which included an escort almost from door to door. Let’s start...
Air France First Class: Wow, Wow, Wow!
I stepped onto my 777-300ER Air France first class flight from Los Angeles to Paris with dangerously high expectations. Even so, they were still exceeded. Air France first class is truly a special product. Let’s start with ground service,...
My Christmas Gift: Air France First Class
Christmas comes early for me this year: I’m finally flying Air France first class! As you know, my wife and son are already in Europe. Although I was in London last weekend, I flew right home for one more...
Air France A380 Decision Is Sad, But Smart
Air France will gradually retire half of its A380 fleet, starting in 2019. The move is sad, but smart. Air France currently operates 10 A380s. Five are owned, five are leased. All are tragically uncompetitive. By that, I mean...
Review: Air France Lounge Frankfurt (FRA)
Before my KLM flight to Amsterdam, I had a half hour to check out the Air France Lounge in Frankfurt’s Terminal 2. Note this lounge is also a Priority Pass lounge, but was not crowded at all around 6:30...
How New Air France-KLM CEO Hopes To Avoid Future Strikes
In a video to staff marking his first day on the job, CEO Ben Smith promised to seek harmony with unions and re-invest half his salary into Air France-KLM. Smith can earn up to 4.25MN EUR in his first...
Air France Returns To Dallas (Great Deal Using Miles)
Air France will return to Dallas for the first time since 2001. The French carrier will offer 3x to 5x weekly seasonal summer service, deploying a retrofitted A330 on the route with the latest in-cabin product. The A330 will...
