chances of getting bumped from bulk head seats on SFO-CDG flight on Delta/Air France

It’s impossible to know what the odds are of losing the seat. If the bulkhead seats are a must for you and the airline has a caveat— you have no guarantee that other passengers will not be put in those seats.

Particularly during the hectic holiday season which is your timeframe.

If it’s a must for you, you probably should book with another airline— at least with one that is not flashing warning signs in advance.

The sad truth is what is important to you isn't really important to the airlines; you can't out guess them or know what will happen. Throw in the holiday season and it's extra grinchy.

I would not count on those seats, particularly since you are traveling over the Christmas / New Year holidays. Holiday periods are when flights tend to be full and families with infants are more likely to be traveling home for the holidays.

We had this happen to us when they changed aircraft. Two of our group (6 total) lost their bulkhead seats (which they paid extra for). The people seated there did not have kids.

I am also just a bit claustrophobic in planes. I had never selected a bulkhead seat, but got assigned to one when I had to change my flight at the last minute. While it did have more leg room, having that wall right in front of me really triggered my latent claustrophobic tendencies. Just a thought for your consideration.

Delta seems to be going through something at the moment. I follow Delta forums and I've seen lots of complaints about seat changes, equipment changes, weird seating arrangements in the last few months.

It has me nervous enough I'm watching my flights for August just about daily so I have a chance to catch any changes I don't like. If you can find a more secure seat assignment it's probably worth it.

(I also don't like the switch to AF/KLM with their eliminating C+ and the planes with 2x3x2 seating. Plus way too many flight changes in Atl/jfk if you don't want to fly the partners. I'm starting to reconsider my loyalty)

Air France will confiscate those seats for families with babies and young children. It happened to us about 10 years ago when our strategy was to book bulkhead seats on long flights to Europe and Asia. Around that time we changed our strategy and moved up to premium economy, but the price bump for the "better" seats was pretty minimal for years, but no longer is that true, particularly in the return to travel in the post pandemic era when people dug deeper into their pockets for any increase in personal space on planes afforded by the roomier cabins.

What about an Exit Row seat? Next best for claustrophobia would be an aisle seat. I know someone who is claustrophobic who always chooses a window seat and leaves the window shade up although that's chancy on a redeye. For many, being in the window seat would cause worse claustrophobia. . .

We stopped selecting bulkhead seats after being bumped twice. The airline will take the seat from you for anyone who needs it for a medical condition or someone with a baby/small child. If you want the extra legroom, try the exit row seats.

I was bumped twice for "families". The first "family" was a bunch of work associates. I was seated behind them. I could hear their conversations.
The second time my seat was given to a woman who was supposed to be with the father and special needs child across the aisle. She never looked up. Not once. I don't see what the point was in given her my seat.

Not that this helps Adrienne. My point is getting bumped can be very arbitrary.

It seems to me that your need for bulk head seating is just as valid as anyone's. Is it possible to let Air France know that you actually need those seats?

...but the Air France flight from SFO-CDG doesn't offer Comfort-Plus

Go onto the Air France website, log into your flight, then seat selection, and see if you can purchase extra legroom seats - it should be equivalent to Delta Comfort+. I did this on KLM LAX to AMS last year.

Thank you everyone for your input! I took your advice and found four exit row seats in economy (two pairs on each side of the plane in row 39) and booked two of them. What relief although we had to confirm that we were able to help open the door in case of an emergency. We're both in our mid-70's so it's good thing that we go the gym regularly. : ) Unfortunately the exit row seats weren't available on the January 1 flight so we'll be flying home early on December 30 instead. New Year's Eve in Paris will have to wait for some other time. Many thanks all. I appreciate each comment and wish everyone happy travels.

Adrienne, I don't want to add to your stress. But seat assignments (as well as equipment) can change, especially since you are not traveling for several months.

As a precaution, I usually double check my reservation on a weekly basis to see if times or seats have changed. That way I have time to work with the airline to get things corrected if needed . I don't want surprises at the gate.

Not to pile on with your anxiety, but my parents kept getting moved from their Exit row seats and our money refunded by BA because they were over 70. Hopefully that won't happen with Delta/Air France.

Jean-thanks for the heads up. I'll be sure to check regularly as we approach December. There's only one direct flight on AF from SFO to CDG each day so I'm hoping that there won't be a need to switch to planes with different seating configurations.

Shannon-sorry and surprised to hear about your parents' experience with BA. I did some research (AF, Points Guy, etc) and it sounds like the flight attendants determine whether the folks occupying the exit row seats are able to assist in case of an emergency. Apparently they check to see if you speak and understand English/French (for Air France flights), can hear, see and communicate effectively and that you seem physically fit to be able to handle the weight of a 40-pound door. One site mentioned that how you manage to lift your hand carry into the overhead bin without any difficulty could be an indicator so we'll be sure to travel extra light. It's only a 10-day trip so I think we'll do fine. I'll post a note when we get back to let travelers know how it went. Thanks again.

I actually think you will be happier in exit row seats. Disadvantages of bulkhead seats can include needing to put everything up in the overhead bins on take off and landing, akward pull out entertainment systems, people assuming that extra space is for them to stand in or walk through , and often too close proximity to the bathrooms with the constant clicking of doors (also smell) while you are trying to sleep.

Carol - I appreciate the info. I double checked and it turns out that the exit seats on the AF plane are identical to those of the bulkhead seats you describe. I think I'll be able to tolerate those conditions as long as I have enough space around me. In addition, to counter the claustrophobia, I also bring along a favorite book to focus on as soon as I'm seated to take my mind off of the lengthy boarding process and then take-off. Thank you.

Assume you will not only be bumped from the bulkhead but also reassigned to seats separated from each other & often the middle seats that can be anywhere on the aircraft. It’s not just parents with babies who require bassinets but also wheelchair passengers who have priority on bulkhead seats over you.

For legroom, select emergency row. Do keep in mind that on some aircraft, emergency row seats may not recline. Keep track of your flight in terms of making sure the aircraft is not changed to a different type of jet. Emergency row seats are not necessarily in the same rows.

Thank you for the info. I'll be sure to diligently check our flights. We paid close to $100 for each exit seat on each flight so I hope AF will make the accommodation and assign us exit seats accordingly if they should change planes. But I'll be on the lookout early on just in case. Thanks again.

The bulkhead seats are for HC. I would think claustrophobic qualifies. I called once about this and said we both have back and neck issues. The person from the airline said that qualified as an HC.