Air France Reminds Travelers What Their Flight Could Be Like

This is rich considering that Air France is infamous for their overbooking policy... sure you'll get better service, if you actually make it to the plane!

Maybe they should fix the slogan to say, "Take a Chance and Fly Air France".

Can the New York Times not afford grammar checkers anymore? Should this read “clearer” rather than “more clear”? Frontier’s website was recently overhauled to make the fee structure more clear.

I have been flying for many years with Air France and consistently had terrible service. I find it funny they try to give a good service image with their advertising since they do not deliver. Beyond the permanent strikes (there is a specific section on their website dedicated to strikes), the staff does not care (I remember a pilot insulting passengers) and they never ever upgraded me despite my top-tier status (but would upgrade their Air France colleagues). I hear US airlines being often criticized, but their level of servicing is way better than Air France's.

I flew Air France from Paris to Cape Town (and back) last year on an aging A340, desperately in need of refurbishment. The economy seats were worn and cramped. The video screen was smaller than an I-Pad, and choices were limited. The food was mediocre. It was an agonizing 11.5 hours -- worst trans-continental flight I've ever been on. Why put such an awful plane on such a long haul? I won't be doing that one again...

I flew Air France from Paris to New Delhi a couple of years ago. The Air France indian meal was terrible, and, what was much worse, for such a long flight, was that the seat pitch (i.e., the distance between seats) was less than in any other aircraft I've ever been on. Maybe instead of investing in a marketing campaign to claim claim how well they treat passengers, Air France could actually invest in treating customers well.

Personally, I think the rush to bare-bones, high-security flying has changed the culture of air travel permanently. Most fliers now don't have any nostalgia for the pre-9/11 days because they don't remember an airport where they weren't digitally strip searched. That changes your perspective on the definition of convenience somewhat. Personally, there are some things I wish were free and other things I'd like to keep fee based. For instance, I really don't reminisce over the days when fliers were bumped from aisle seats because a frequent flier asked the agent for a seat change. I've also become so accustomed to bringing my own food on the plane I don't even consider in-flight meals anymore. Something went wrong if I'm eating airplane food. Drinks are still a huge problem but that's supposedly a security issue. Until they ban carry-on food, I actually prefer traveling with my own selection. On the flip side, I do miss the single checked baggage allowance. I generally avoid checking baggage but the feature was nice whenever you needed it. We could also do away with fee-based boarding. The goal of boarding is to get everyone onto, and off, the plane as quickly as possible. Granting paid preference is the least efficient mechanism to accomplish this simple goal. A task compounded by the paid baggage fees. No amount of marketing is going to help if my seat, my baggage, or my boarding are unpleasant. The only thing worse is flight delays.

This sounds like a very tactless idea. They are selling very low fare for the same flight without any inflight perks. But it is one thing to know that there exist business class and first class with champagne and hot meals and very different thing to sit next to somebody eating and drinking while you look like a cheap beggar that is such a low class that doesn't even spend on "regular" Air France economy. Bring kids and a spouse for company in misery! On the other hand, I don't want little looking with envy in their eyes as others are getting the perks and they chew on a dry sandwich packed at home.

My last flight on Air France was more chance than anything else. The Air France Check In desk at JFK greeted my JFK to CDG boarding pass with a shrug: "you no longer have a seat on this flight." I did get to Paris but my seat on a connecting flight (visible on line when we boarded at JFK) had vanished as well. Of the Air France employees I dealt with at CDG, 1 was rude, 1 was kind - so even odds, right? Still, my chances of getting home on time were zero.

After being crammed in a narrow middle seat on a Lufthansa 8-hour flight, after my flight on another European carrier was cancelled, I now do a comparison of seat width to airfare to choose which international flights to take. Though I am not large, if the person(s) next to me are (especially across the chest and shoulders) they infringe upon my space, practically pinning me in my seat, or pushing my shoulders into the aisle to be hit by the rolling carts. Airlines can advertise amenities, but comfort is far more important to most of us. Why not use real people instead of stick figures when determining seat size and spacing. And a sincere Thank You to the EU’s respectful rules regarding cancelled flights that got me home without much delay (though in that vise-like seat). Have enjoyed past flights on Air France (except the crammed-full A380), and look forward to these new amenities.

Ah, the good old days. For a taste of how the airlines USED to advertise, google "Peter Sellers TWA" and you'll turn up some ads Sellers did for TWA back in the early 70s for TWA's domestic service. In one ad, he's so British that he's almost a caricature of David Niven, and in the other he plays an Italian stereotype so broad it would probably be considered offensive today. But both are funny as hell.

My last flight on AF was over the last holiday season. It led my wife and I, who are world travelers, to reconsider doing as much international flying. It was miserable every step of the way, from the lack of TSAPre at Dulles (which I understand now exists) to the painful experience of going through CDG. Oh, and they lost our luggage on the way home. Handing out worthless trinkets isn't going to cut it. It reminds me of a concept I came up with years ago; Anesthesia Air. Knock us out before take off and wake us just before landing. With the tiny seat pitch that now exists, the lack of pillows and blankets, the weight restrictions on luggage -- that's the ONLY way we'll have a good experience

I've flown them in coach trans-Atlantic 4 times in the past few years. They were good on each flight. Food decent, good pours for drinks. Staff on board and on the ground in both the US and Paris were helpful and friendly and on time. This was all before these enhancements. They are especially good if you are taking a pet (our large dog) across. While that may sound like a mediocre review, given the state of the rest of the industry that is high praise. For the back of the bus, it's about as good as it gets.

That sounds fun. Just compared an itinerary I bought through BA for multi-city for my son’s six-week Rome college term. No direct flights from Philly on AF. Philly-Rome, Paris-Philly cost me $1440.00 (with “upgraded” seats—windows in economy). The AF ticket, with no direct flights, was $2,000 more! Too bad.

Having lived in Europe for six years and tried just about every airline that flies to the U.S., I've settled on Air France exclusively even if the price is more than just a little higher. Their seats are more comfortable in every class, they always provide noise-cancelling headsets, the food is way better and the cabin attendants far more helpful. In a pinch I'd fly KLM. There is no way that United or Delta could get me back again without major changes in how they treat their customers. As for Frontier, I'll take Alaska every tme there's a choice.

Take a chance or fly Air France? In my family, we refer to Air France as Air Chance, as in chance there will be a strike, chance the flight will be delayed, chance your seat and/or entertainment system will not work, chance your baggage will not make the flight, chance your flight will be canceled, chance your seat will be double booked, chance there will be an equipment change so that your premier class transatlantic flight is no longer in a fully flat bed (seriously they still haven’t upgraded the planes) and lastly a very slight chance nothing will go wrong.

When we flew Air France a few years ago, they even gave our young child a little blue teddy bear. It may not seem like much, but small details show care towards passengers. It’s not the thing itself but the mindset of customer service that it represents. That is also why we like to fly Alaska—they always seem helpful and happy to see us. In contrast, we like to avoid United.

I despise modern air travel even though, like many, I enjoy flying. I would love to see development of big, roomier, slower, super fuel efficient airliners. The vision is that your time in the air would be faster than a bullet train, but roomy and comfortable. On the other hand, it may make flying too expensive. Just a fantasy on my part.

Concerns about a possible strike from Air France employes is a reason for choosing another European Airline.

The airlines are searching for revenue but human beings turn up.

Thanks, Air France. But a roll of soduku puzzles doesn't make up for a tiny seat with little legroom. And while we're on it .. flying on an intercontinental flight is going to require bringing along luggage. So not including that in the fare is just a fake 'economy' seat, isn't it?