Your Experiences w/Air France?

As you noted, their workers strike a lot...I avoid them for that reason alone. Haven't flown them in over 10 years. Far less likely to have a strike affect American, United, or Delta (ex AF, of course).

The striking IS what worries me. But a United flight is almost $500 more per person for the same flight.

Good to know that the food was decent. I've not flown with Air France since 2015 to CDG, I was solo on that flight.

I guess basically you consider the $500 per person as anti-strike insurance. So you have to evaluate how likely you think Air France is to strike on your exact travel days and weigh how much you are willing to pay not to have to think about it.

Of course if the striking personnel are, for example, instead air-traffic controllers, their strike wouldn't exclusively affect Air France flights.

I was caught in Paris when my return flight to ORD was canceled due to strike. Pre-Covid, maybe 10 years ago, but I vowed not to fly them again. I was able to get return on United during the strike - very well treated, even an ungraded seat. I have since flown United to CDG (and will soon again, if the threatened United flight attendant strike doesn't prevent that......). I can't win, it seems!

The striking IS what worries me. But a United flight is almost $500 more per person for the same flight.

What dates are you looking at? Is it soon, or like next summer?

If next summer, good grief, watch the prices for a while, track them on google flights, and jump on a dip...to me, I would pay whatever it takes to avoid Air France, and what amazes me is that you have had the bad experience with them already, so maybe I am more risk averse than you are, but still, you will feel like a chump if it happens to you again (and you have 5 people involved)...I might roll the dice if it were just for myself, but I would hate to ruin the trip for others because I was too cheap.

Jojo- I don't like to wait too long to get my flights and I'm not buying them this second. It is to save $ for the 4 people we have to pay for. Feeling like a chump won't be involved. I'm interested in others views because my experience was in 2014 and I was wondering if my holding a grudge was still necessary. They are rated 7th for airlines and far ahead of the closest US one at 20th, but it sounds like striking is still an issue.

Well, we flew with them from Miami to Rome and back via Paris without any problems in May of 2023. Of course, that doesn’t mean very much!

As Kim pointed out, it could be air controllers, ground crew, catering, or others striking that affects your flight, and all other airlines.

Our experience has been fine. BTW last summer my son flew United because it was $500 cheaper.

Elizabeth formerly Bets - this is why I started thinking it might be worth it for the cost savings.

I always buy my tickets with Delta, which means sometimes I end up on AirFrance (I fly between Paris and the States st least three times a year, so six transatlantic flights annually). Any time I have ended up on Air France, it has always been fine for me. I have (knock on wood) never gotten caught in a strike action. There's a lot else you could do with $2500.

Kim-I know! Which is why I'm tempted to still go with them. Decisions decisions!

There hasn't been an Air France strike in a while; these days Air Traffic Control is the worst offender for strikes and it affects all airlines. Also, Air France will be prompt to offer rescheduling+ 600€ indemnity/person if you do suffer a significant delay due to them striking. Their customer service is fairly responsive; it is not too hard to get someone on the phone if needed.

Flew Air France to CDG in April this year. Tickets purchased via Delta. Usually fly UA but at almost $1K cheaper it did not make sense and the Air France was also direct which was nice. Service was indifferent but adequate and the flights were on time. CDG was pretty crazy but it seems that way more often than not, at least to me.

I have flown four different airlines this year and a bunch of flights have been delayed and I also had to deal with one cancellation (out of Canada on Air Canada) so I think those situations are just a fact of life.

Don't think Air France is any worse than the others. Not as good as some of the Star Alliance carriers but certainly worth flying if the price and schedule are good. And any general strike (air traffic control, transport workers, whichever) is likely to affect all the airlines in any event.

My only complaint about AF is this: the ONE time I flew with them from SEA to CDG -- about 10 hours -- I sat in a seat that was so hard it was like one of those "enhanced interrogation" devices they use to wring confessions from prisoners in GITMO. I've sat in church pews that were more yielding than that damned seat. In fact, my butt fell asleep, so when I stood up to get off the plane, I fell back down into the seat and almost broke my tailbone.

I'd still rather fly AF than IA, 'tho.

-- Mike Beebe

Air France has become my preferred airline in recent years, partly because CDG is currently the only airport in Europe that I can fly to direct from Ottawa, thanks to AF. But more than that practicality, I have found their customer service to be excellent. My first experience with them involved a February flight from Montreal to CDG (a few months before they started their direct route from YOW). My wife and I were to connect in CDG for a flight to Malta. The flight out of Montreal was delayed for over three hours (if you’ve flown out of Montreal in February, you might understand why), and I knew we would miss the connection. When we arrived at CDG, AF had already emailed me new boarding passes, with a connection in Rome. With all the delays, we arrived in Malta about ten hours late. I went online the next day on AF’s website, and filed a claim. Within 48 hours I received a very nice email from AF, accepting responsibility and providing two vouchers for €800 each for future travel. I know that they are bound by EU regulations, but it was refreshing to not have to fight for a settlement. To top it off, when we used those vouchers for travel last winter, on our return flight from Paris, without even saying anything, the agent at check in upgraded us to business class. We only realized it when we looked at our boarding passes while waiting to board. To me, the measure of a good airline is not whether they experience delays- they ALL do- but how they respond to them. I can’t say whether there will be a strike when you’re flying, but if there is, I would guess that you’ll be looked after.

Thanks Mike and Ottawa! Mike, your story made me chuckle because I can hear my husband right now saying how much his butt hurts from the seat, even if its a good one, and we will have to get an extra pillow for him to sit on so I don't have to listen to the whining. Thanks all! When I'm ready to buy I will be including Air France in my calculations.

Mike, when was that flight ?

In 2015 we flew back from De Gaul to JFK in Air France Premium Economy seats. Those made the American Owned airline seats we got from LAX to SAN, look and feel like my One Tijuana city bus experience a long time ago. (think of, no fabric on any seats to put you in the correct frame of mind) No chickens or goat though on that part of the trip, although there were on the bus from Ensenada to TJ. And us, with a cooler full of fish a buddy and I caught on a charter out of Ensenada.

We are flying to Rome early next year and really wanted to take Air France again, but I would have had to fly on an American based airline to get to the East Coast. I'm 6'5" tall and that's a "Nope". Our country's airlines are just about squeezing you in and calling the same coach seats, premium economy with a higher price, never again! We are booked on ITA from LAX to Rome nonstop and according to their seat map, they have similar seating to my AF experience. Keeping my fingers crossed. I wish I could afford business class or better but that's not reality for us.

Kim,

This was in September of 2019.

The funniest part was they gave me a pillow the size and thickness of a Saltine, which I tried to use as cushioning. Somehow, this actually made it WORSE.

Memorable flight, but hey -- I was in EUROPE, so all was right with the universe.

-- Mike Beebe

I despiiiiiiise the pillows they give out.