XL France airlines

I haven't flown them but I googled for reviews and there are some out there, mostly very mixed (ratings ranged from very bad to very good). They are a no-frills airline (think Easyjet, Ryanair, etc.) that uses older planes and apparently has fairly low baggage weight allowances and add'l charges for all extras. I hope someone who has actually flown them responds to your inquiry.

S&M, There was a study done a long time ago about issues like this. The jist of it was that a person that had bad customer service or bad experience would tell something like 12+ people. On the flip side, a person that had a good experince would only tell one (1). something to that affect. also, this is MY opinion. with the WWW at our fingertips, the squeeky wheel gets the attention and its sooooo easy to whine. Since you will be on a plane for 10+ hours, you may want to look at the accomodations vs the little things. happy trails.

I've never done Ryanair, maybe Southwest comparable? I was just looking them up on seat guru but they don't seem to recognize the company. Not sure how much comfort I need vs. money I save. But, safety is a concern also. Right now if I bought these tickets I'd save about $1500 plus a non stop vs. 1-2 stops. What would you do?

Hi Susan and Monte.. :).. I would be very, very tempted. We flew RyanAir and thought it was totally fine. I would happily fly with them again. For that kind of savings, I'd research them well and if I was satisfied with what I found, I'd do it.

I also think there is a misconception about Southwest. It's the same price as Delta, United, and American on the routes we use, but we have a much smoother experience with Southwest as far as reliability, luggage, seating, seat pitch, etc. On comparable routes, I prefer Southwest. It's no longer a discount airline but it is a simplified experience.

S&M, If they are anything like jetblue?. They fly out of Eugene (regional airports) to places like Las Vegas and such. They advertise flights to there for < 50 bucks. The drawback is that from the people that i knew that tried to use them, they had cancellation if the plane wasnt full. So, you may want to look at their fine print and see if they can cancel any flight if they choose to if they dont get enough bookings. happy trails.

One disadvantage is that they only fly SFO to Paris on Monday and Saturday's. And, sounds like the plane is cramped, they have restricted carry ons and I read that some people said they use to be German and now they are French and use old planes (which kind of freaks me out). Also, read that the employees are rude, and you have to buy drinks. I'm just not sure how bad it really is. I wish I could talk with someone who actually has flown with them.

Their whole entire fleet consists of six machines. (Delta has something over seven hundred by comparison.) If the airplane coming to pick you up gets much more than a flat tire, it might be a couple of weeks until as spare chugs in.

S&M, I would look at it this way. if you feel adventerous, then i would go for it. If you want to make sure you make it overthere, then i would pay more and have the piece of mind. happy trails and let us know what happens.

Hi Susan, Have you posted this question on TripAdvisor? You might find someone there that has flown with them.

I flew them back in 2010. I am pretty judicial in my reviews of things, and I know with budget you get what you pay for, etc., but.... never again. I would never do it especially on such a long flight as yours, either. The level of discomfort with the seat size is unbelievable, and I am only 5'4 and average weight (the lower side of average, too). They also charge to check a bag, which we did on our return because we had so many souvenirs, including alcohol. Something else happened too, but I admit that this was a one off. However, I think it is indicative of their lack of customer service. At CDG, we waited in line for three hours to check in, and the plane was delayed... because they had canceled a flight the day before and the dissatisfied passengers were staging a sit-in at the counter. It took the airline hours to promise them enough to get them to leave. This kind of sit-in is very French, and probably could have happened to any airline, so fine. But here is what bothered me about it: we waited for hours in that checkin line and NO ONE bothered to tell us what was happening. Asking personnel around the airport elicited Gallic shrugs, and we only found out because rumors eventually floated down the line. And of course, no reparations were offered for our long wait with no explanation. I was hoping they would waive the checked bag fee at least (50 euros), but nope. Mainly, though, I would say I could deal with the fees and the customer service if the seats had been a normal size, even though normal is very small nowadays. But only a child could be comfortable in these seats, or maybe a very petite woman. But me and my 6' tall husband were miserable the way there and back. NEVER again.

Thank you for all those that replied. I am cheap, like to save as much money as I can, yet with each part of my trip it does makes a difference on how I feel overall about my vacation. I think it is best to spend a little to make sure the overall experience is a good one. Thanks!

I think you are making the right decision. The time and good experience you may lose by being cranky when you arrive hope be worth the savings of money.

I met a couple in Berlin this year that used Berlin Air to fly from Florida to Germany. They saved dollars but physically were left in a miserable place after their flight. The seat spacing was very small with little or no recline. The food was very bland and they had to check their carry ons underneath. There were no electronic plug ins or entertainment. They won't be doing it again. Within Europe it works for me but from here to there for myself it would be a No-No.