Air France

Author: Kalicia Bateman

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The Good

• Destinations
• Flight statistics
• In-flight services
• Time in business
• Mobile app

Air France has 204 destinations around the world. They fly to 36 domestic destinations and 168 international ones in 93 different countries. This is compared to some of the top airlines such as United that serves 375 destinations or Delta that serves 334 destinations. This shows that Air France is smaller than the top airlines, but not by a lot. Air France is still able to serve a large portion of the world with their flights. They have a large number of international destinations available in many different countries and would be able to meet the needs of a number of different passengers for all their travel destination needs. Air France does fairly well when their daily flights are compared to some of the top airlines according to Flightstats.com. They received the following statistics when looking at their most active flights in the last month: • 84% on time • 7% late • 2% very late • 4% excessively late Looking at that 84% on time, when compared to United with their 82%, Air France comes out better. Looking at more of the top airlines, Air France is very similar to them in terms of their daily flights being on time and consistent. Some of the top flights for Air France include: • Geneva to Paris (93% on time 4.7 stars) • Paris to Bordeaux (92% on time 4.7 stars) • Toulouse to Paris (92% on time 4.6 stars) Their lowest rated frequent flight of Paris to Barcelona, measured in at 2.7 stars with only a 71% on time rate. There were no flights to or from the United States in Air France's most active flights so it is hard to get a feel for how consistent they are with timings in the U.S. However, based on the flights that were shown as their most active, Air France does very well with their daily flights, they also had 0% of canceled and diverted flights. Air France offers a number of in-flight services that are competitive with the top airlines. They offer a variety of entertainment options from top movies and TV shows to music and games. They also have entertainment especially for kids on the flight. Air France also allows passengers to choose the type of seat they would like on their flight, they can choose from the following: • Seat Plus (extra leg room) • Duo seat in a row of 2 (choose window or aisle and have only one neighbor) • Duo seat on the A380 upper deck (smaller cabin and just one neighbor) • Set at the front of the cabin (be one of the first to exit the aircraft) They also offer a number of options when it comes to meals on Air France flights. On long-haul flights a choice from the menu of the day is offered at no extra charge. Passengers can also choose from the A La Carte Menu which offers four different meal choices. Meals from the A La Carte Menu can also be purchased in advance when buying the ticket and up to 24 hours before the flight. There is also the option for passengers to order a special meal for a particular diet when booking or at least 48 hours before departure. While Air France does offer many of the services of other top airlines, there was no mention of any Wi-Fi connection or outlets available on the flights. There was also no option to use personal devices on the flights or any extra content available such as information about the destination. Some of the newer features of the top airlines were not available with Air France. Air France was founded October 7, 1933. They have been operating for the past 82 years. This is fairly competitive to some of the top airlines such as United Airlines that have been in operation for 89 years and Delta that has been in operation for 91 years. Air France began serving their customers around the same time as the other top airlines in the business. Air France has eight commitments that they are striving to provide their passengers with. They are: 1. We keep you informed 2. We respond through social media 7 days a week 3. We offer you alternative solutions 4. We ease your procedures 5. We strive to provide you the best assistance on board 6. We assist you in case of delayed baggage 7. We offer extra special care for our loyal customers 8. We appreciate your feedback Air France also has an app available for iPhones, Androids, and Windows phones that allow passengers to purchase their tickets and manage their reservations on their mobile device. It is even available for the Apple Watch.

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The Bad

• Ticket prices
• Baggage
• Boarding
• Check-in

When comparing ticket prices for Air France and other top U.S. airlines, Air France came in at a little more expensive than many other airline options. There were many options from less known airlines that were much cheaper or much more expensive than Air France, but looking at some of the larger airlines, such as Delta, United, or American Airlines, Air France prices were very close to, but slightly higher than. Depending on the exact flight and dates, Air France would most likely be competitively priced compared to many other large airlines going to or from France. They would not, however, be a for sure money saver. Many of the airlines specific to the country will save quite a bit of money when using their planes versus a different airline, however with Air France, the prices would be about the same, maybe slightly higher to fly with Air France. Air France allows one hand baggage item and one accessory as well as one checked baggage item as long as they fit in the size requirements. They are: • Hand Baggage: o Length: 21 in. o Width: 13 in. o Height: 9 in. o Weight: 26 lbs. • Checked Baggage: o Length + Width + Height: 62 in. o Weight: 50 lbs. Any additional baggage costs an extra fee per bag. The fee is less expensive when added online and increases in price when added at the airport though the fee varies depending on each specific flight destination. This baggage allowance is similar to many other top airlines. They allow one checked bag and one carry on with certain weight and size restrictions. Extra bags come at a fee though it is hard to see if the fee is compatible with other airlines because it varies so much based on the destination. When it comes to boarding an Air France flight, it can be trickier than other top airlines. This is because they do not assign seats when the tickets are purchased. Instead, seats are chosen at the check-in. Check-in can be done online, 30 hours prior to the flight and the seat can be chosen then which would help make the boarding process smoother for a passenger, however, choosing a seat at the airport check-in could make boarding more stressful as passengers may not be able to get the seat they want or may have a harder time finding an available seat. Air France also has specific deadlines including a check-in deadline, a boarding deadline, and the departure time. Check-in deadlines vary depending on the flight and airport that is being used however, Air France suggests arriving at least 2 hours before the departure time to comfortably get through security. The boarding deadline is 15 minutes before departure time between Paris-Orly and metropolitan France destinations and 20 minutes before the departure time for all other flights. To check-in to an Air France flight, it can be done online as mentioned before or at the airport. If done online, all the passenger needs to do at the airport is check in the baggage at the baggage drop off counter and proceed to boarding. At the airport, check-in can be completed at an interactive kiosk or at the check-in counter.