Air France

Air France was founded on the 7 October 1933 from a union of Air Orient, Air Union, Compagnie G?n?rale A?ropostale, Compagnie Internationale de Navigation A?rienne (CIDNA), and Soci?t? G?n?rale de Transport A?rien (SGTA). During the Cold War, from 1950 until 1990, it was one of the three main Allied scheduled airlines operating in Germany at West Berlin's Tempelhof and Tegel airports. In 1990, it obtained the operations of French domestic carrier Air Inter and international rival UTA ? Union de Transports A?riens. It served as France's primary national flag carrier for seven decades prior to its 2003 merger with KLM. At that point former Air France shareholders owned 81% of the new firm (44% owned by the French state, 37% by private shareholders), former KLM shareholders the rest. Franck Terner was appointed the CEO on the 3rd November 2016. The address of Air France headquarters is 45, rue de Paris / 95747 Roissy CDG Cedex. Air France flies to 36 domestic destinations and 168 international destinations in 93 countries (as of November 2013) across Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Some of them are; Aberdeen, United Kingdom Abidjan, C?te d'Ivoire El Salvador, ?El Salvador Guatemala, Guatemala Abuja, Nigeria Accra, Ghana Aden, Yemen Agen, France Ajaccio, France Algiers, ?Algeria Amman, Jordan Amsterdam, Netherlands Anchorage, United States Annecy, France Antananarivo, Madagascar Antwerp, Belgium Arusha, Tanzania Athens, Greece Atlanta, United States Aurillac, France Bahrain, Bahrain Bamako, Mali Bangalore, India Bangkok, Thailand Bangui, Central African Republic Barcelona, Spain Bari, Italy Bastia, France Bata, Equatorial Guinea Beijing, People's Republic of China Beirut, Lebanon Berlin, Germany Biarritz, France Bilbao, Spain Billund, Denmark Birmingham, United Kingdom Frankfurt, Germany Freetown, Sierra Leone Gaborone, Botswana Geneva, Switzerland Genoa, Italy Glasgow, United Kingdom Gothenburg, Sweden Hong Kong, Hong Kong Houston, United States Innsbruck, Austria Istanbul, Turkey Jakarta, Indonesia Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Jersey, Jersey Johannesburg, South Africa Malaysia Krak?w, Poland Lagos, Nigeria Los Angeles, United States Average Fares on Some Popular Routes with Air France Istanbul to London Travel time: 3hours 10minutes to 13hours 55minutes Fare: 87-364 EURO Paris to London Travel Time: 1hour 5minutes to 1hour 30minutes Fare: 58 ? 185EURO Calgary to Cairo Travel Time: 17hours 35minutes to 45hours 10minutes Fares: 689 ? 1200EURO Air France Fleet The size of the Air France fleet is 224 aircrafts. Various types of airlines are used for different types of flights. It could be long - haul, medium ? haul, regional and cargo. Long ? Haul ? Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner ? Boeing 777-300er ? Boeing 777-200er ? Boeing 747-400 ? Airbus A330-200/300 ? Boeing 777-300er ? Boeing 777-200er ? Airbus A380-800 ? Airbus A340-300 ? Airbus A330-200 Medium ? Haul ? Boeing 737-700/800 ? Boeing 737-700/800/900 ? Airbus A321 ? Airbus A320 ? Airbus A319 ? Airbus A318 Regional ? Fokker 70 ? Embraer 190 ? Embraer 135/145/170/190 ? Canadair Jet 700/1000 ? Atr 42/72 Cargo ? Boeing 747 Cargo ? Boeing 777 Cargo Travel packages offered by Air France Flying Blue is the frequent flyer program of Air France and is designed to reward those who love to travel frequently. Flying Blue makes it easy to earn Miles wherever you go. As a Flying Blue member, customers enjoy the benefits of our global network. The Miles that you earn are credited to your online account, and you can spend them on award tickets to a destination of your choice, as well as a host of other great offers. You can also buy Miles as a gift for a friend, or to top up your account. Special Services Offered by Air France The La Premi?re experience at Paris-Charles de Gaulle is the luxury package of Air France. It provides personalized service and exclusive access for guests. Here are the main features of the luxury package; Service as Soon as You Exit Your Car Upon your arrival at the airport, the Air France staff welcomes you at Terminal 2E, across from Gate 14. That is the exclusive meeting point for La Premi?re guests. A porter will take care of your baggage as you proceed to a private check-in lounge, where a member of staff handles your check-in and any other airport procedures. Rest and Relaxation in The La Premi?re Lounge At the airport, guests can take advantage of a relaxing moment in the La Premi?re lounge. Enjoy a snack or meal, flip through an art book, watch the news in HD, work or recharge in the Biologique Recherche spa treatment center. Simplified Boarding Guests will receive priority access at security checkpoints. After proceeding through security, a member of staff will take you to your aircraft in a prestigious car. Once on board, you are personally introduced to the crew. You can then take your seat at your leisure and prepare to take full advantage of the La Premi?re travel experience. A Full Team at Your Service An Air France team member will be available at your side at every turn. You receive priority access when exiting the aircraft and our staff will accompany you to the baggage claim area. During connections, you will be welcomed immediately upon arrival and accompanied to the La Premi?re lounge. In addition, you always receive priority access when exiting Air France aircraft and at baggage claim. Dining In the La Premi?re cabin, you compose your meal from the gourmet menu. On flights departing from Paris, you can savor the prestigious Aquitaine Sturia caviar and enjoy delights crafted by Guy Martin and Michel Roth. Their signature meals alternate every 2 months so you always have something new to discover. Where to book Air France Flight Tickets Bookings and check-ins can be done at any of the Air France offices on the day of the flight or any day prior to that date. Online bookings can be done at hotels.ng/flights Priority Booking with Air France Sky Priority is the priority booking system for Air France. Guests get priority access at more than 1,000 airports within the SkyTeam network! With SkyPriority, you have priority access to the airport, every step of the way, from check-in, baggage drop-off, and delivery, to security and boarding. Fast, Priority Access at The Airport SkyPriority, easy and priority access at the airport: ? Baggage check-in and drop-off in dedicated areas ? Priority line for security and immigration clearance (in some airports) ? Dedicated line at our ticket offices and transfer desks ? Priority boarding or boarding at your leisure ? Priority baggage delivery SkyPriority signs are displayed throughout the airports to guide you every step of your way. An Exclusive Service On Air France flights, SkyPriority is reserved for: ? SkyTeam Elite Plus members ? Passengers in the La Premi?re, Business and Premium Economy cabins ? Passengers traveling with an Economy Flex ticket on flights between France and Europe North Africa or Israel ? Passengers traveling within metropolitan France with a ticket issued at a Discount Passholder fare If you are eligible for SkyPriority, the logo will appear on your boarding pass. When you arrive at the airport, simply follow the SkyPriority signs! Flying with children on Air France Air France Travel Tips for Children Travel is not recommended for infants in the 7 days following birth. ? Avoid travel if your infant is ill. ? Bring enough bottles and food for the trip. ? Please remember to bring the items you need for changing your infant (diapers, wipes, etc.). ? Make sure your infant drinks amply during the trip. ? Prior to departure, please remember to make sure you have all your child's documents required by the police, customs agents and immigration officers at your destination country. ? If you are bringing a stroller on board, please remember to affix a label displaying your contact information (name, address, phone number and e-mail). ? If your child is receiving medical treatment or suffers from travel sickness, please remember to bring his or her medical record and medications. ? Choose comfortable and warm clothing (sweaters and socks). ? During take-off and landing, give your child a piece of candy or chewing gum, or a pacifier, bottle, lollipop or cookie for infants, to reduce possible earaches. Children Flying Unaccompanied on Air France Any child who is traveling unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian must obtain authorization to leave the country (known as an AST). Every child must be accompanied by an independent adult who is at least 18 years of age. The accompanying adult may be under the age of 18 if he or she is the child's father, mother or legal guardian. The child and the accompanying passenger must travel in the same cabin. If this is not the case, the child is considered an unaccompanied minor. A passenger may accompany 2 infants (under 2 years of age). In this case, the booking must be made by telephone. One of the 2 infants must occupy an individual seat reserved at the child fare, and must be strapped into an approved infant car seat or carrier. Average Fare for Children Compared to Adults on Air France When your child travels with you, you may be eligible for a reduction on your child's ticket if the chosen fare allows it. This reduction can be up to: ? 15% on short-haul flights, ? 33% on medium- and long-haul flights. If your child is under 2?years of age: ? he or she can travel on your lap at no extra charge on flights within metropolitan?France, or at a reduced fare on international flights, ? you can also reserve a seat for your infant and benefit from the fare reduction listed above. Please note that you must reserve a seat for your infant if you are traveling in the La?Premi?re cabin. If your child turns 2 years old during your trip, the child discount applies to all the flights in your itinerary. The infant discount does not apply in this case. Children's Baggage Children Under 2 Years of Age Learn more about the types of strollers accepted in the cabin on the Air France website If you have reserved a seat for your infant, he or she receives the same baggage allowance as an adult. If your infant is traveling on your lap, you can transport for him or her: ? a hand baggage item up to 12 kg / 26.4 lb and whose dimensions do not exceed 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm / 21 in x 13 in x 9 in, ? an additional baggage item weighing up to 10 kg (except Light fare tickets, which require an additional fee to transport baggage in the hold). Traveling with a Stroller You can transport a foldable stroller and car seat in the hold at no extra charge. Some strollers may be accepted in the cabin, subject to space availability. Depending on the type of stroller, the following size limits apply. Small foldable stroller: dimensions cannot exceed 15 cm x 30 cm x 100 cm / 5.9 in x 11.8 in x 39.4 in Other foldable stroller: this replaces the hand baggage allowance for infants and its dimensions cannot exceed: 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm / 21.7 in x 13.8 in x 9.8 in Please note that strollers must be packed in a carrying case that covers the stroller fully. In addition, for security reasons, some airports may have to deny access to strollers inside the boarding areas. Advice to Keep Children occupied on longer flights Pack little gifts/rewards This is the oldest trick in the book and it works like a charm. Wrap tiny toys and gifts to reward your child for being well behaved every half- hour or hour depending on the duration of the trip. Kids love gifts and surprises and will be eager to get them. These gifts don?t have to be expensive and can even be old forgotten toys. Children will love it either way. Try to limit the gifts to soft, stuffy toys or threats, because solid toys might easily injure the kids or other passengers if thrown towards them. Get a portable DVD player or tablet The kids of these generation are very tech savvy and curious. Bringing along a portable DVD/ tablet will help occupy most of the kid?s time and help to reduce boredom. Just like the gift they can be used as a reward for good behavior. Cartoons and animated movies should be stored on the tablets and DVDs carried along for the DVD player. Before you board, download some kids? games or kid-friendly apps to your tablet (make sure to switch it to Airplane mode for the flight). Some good ones include Bubbles (where you simply have to pop bubbles with your finger, an endlessly fascinating pastime for toddlers), Toddler Cars (animations of all sorts of vehicles, complete with noises - make sure to bring headphones) and Peppa Pig Happy Mrs Chicken (chances are your child is obsessed with Peppa Pig, so anything starring the pink one will inspire awe, but this is actually a pretty good game). Carry a pillow & blanket Smaller children can sit on a pillow so they can see out of the window better, while older children may find sleeping more comfortable with a pillow. A blanket is also good as its familiarity will comfort your child as well keep them warm if it gets chilly on-board. Read our review of the best travel pillows on the market Use a Trunki A trunki is a brand of ride/carry-on hand luggage for children. They may appear a little overpriced, but Trunkis are a lifesaver for entertaining little ones when you?re in long queues, as your kid can happily propel him/herself around while sitting on top. Not only that, the strap allows you to pull your child around, saving their tired little legs if your walk to the departure gate is a long one. A bit expensive,but a few cheaper forms of ride-on luggage are gradually trickling onto the market, like Skoot Kid's and Kiddee Cases. Plan your flight in 15-minute slots Divide the entire flight duration into 15- minutes intervals. For a three-hour journey you need around ten activities to keep young kids entertained (as the first and last 15 minutes you can occupy them by looking out the window for take-off and landing). CBeebies magazines, a favourite story book, drawing, Snap, and snacks are all good activities to keep them entertained. It's unlikely you will need all ten (especially if you manage to get them to sleep) but better to have too many than too few. Get Stickers Choosing and pasting stickers is a fun activity to engage your kids in. the best part about this is that it takes up a whole lot of time. Give them a lunch box, water bottle or even their shoes to decorate. You will probably end up having to unpeel stickers from their body parts and maybe even parts of the seat afterwards, but that?s a little price to pay for having them composed and quiet for about an hour. Carry sweets along This is for a more practical reason. You know that popping felling your ears makes while the plane is taking off or landing? Well, its much worse for kids, it causes painful ears for them. It is common practice to give babies a bottle to encourage them to suck and swallow. The same principle is applicable to children, if you give your child a lollypop (ideally sugar free) for take off and landing. It helps to soothe them and distract them from the potentially scary sensation. Bring foods that last longer Offer your kids foods that will take them longer to eat, this helps to occupy your child for longer. A box of raisins is great because it contains natural sugars, while strawberries, grapes and cherry tomatoes are similarly healthy and fun to eat (although potentially messier than raisins). It is not advisable to give kids sweets or candies during a flight. The sugar increases their level of energy thereby making them more active and restless. Watch out of the ?Aero plane Police?! And if after trying out all the methods mentioned above to kill time and distract your child it still doesn?t work- this one is always a winner. Simply let your child know of the ?Aero plane Police? who goes around looking for badly behaved children to take off the flight. Kids are very likely to fall for this, especially as the air hostesses are constantly walking up and down the aisle. Moderation is the key with this tip, as were not trying to encourage you to scare your child out of their mind. A stern warning will be effective enough to get them on their best behavior. Flying with Pets Air France provides the following methods for transporting pets ? Travel in the passenger cabin?your pet remains in its kennel, under the seat for the entire flight. ? Checked as baggage in pressurized and temperature controlled area of your aircraft. Types of pets Air France allows on Passenger Cabins With prior approval from Air France?s telephone sales service, pets that meet the following qualifications can travel in the passenger cabin: ?Only domesticated dogs and cats are allowed. Staffordshire Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers (pit bulls), Mastiffs, and Tosas are not allowed. ? Dogs and cats weighing less than 6 kg/13.2 lbs (including the transport bag or container). ? Guide dogs are authorized regardless of weight. ? Your animal must be at least 8 weeks old. ? The animals must have all vaccines required for travel. ? The pet remains in a kennel specifically made for animal carriage and meets specific standards outlined below. Pets that meet the following qualifications can travel as checked baggage: ? Dogs and cats weighing more than 6 kg/13.2 lb and less than 75 kg/165.3 lb. ? Only domesticated dogs and cats allowed. Staffordshire Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers (pit bulls), Mastiffs, and Tosas are not allowed. ? Your pet must be at least 15 weeks old and have all required vaccines. ? The kennel meets all requirements (see below for more information). ? Your pet has all necessary health documents required by your destination (see below for more information). Air France Payment Plan for Pets The transport of animals is not included in your baggage allowance. You must pay a fixed-rate fee that varies according to your destination. ? Flights in metropolitan France: 20 EUR ? Flights between France and Pointe a Pitre, Fort de France, Cayenne or Saint Denis de la Reunion: 75 EUR ? Flights in Europe or between Europe and North Africa or Israel: 75 EUR ? Other flights: 200 EUR Advice to Keep Pets Calm on Flights ? Under no circumstance can you remove your pet from its carrier during the flight. ? Stroke your pet through the carrier (depending on if your pet permits stroking) and say soothing words to calm it down. ? Airline rules stipulate that your pet must be stowed under the seat in front of you during take off and landing. Be sure to comply with this rule, it helps to leave the carrier between your feet for a minute and then slowly slide the carrier under the seat all the while offering plenty of vocal assurances. ? When the plane is in the air, you would be permitted to keep the carrier between your feet. If your pet is fussing, offer them a pet calmer by unzipping the carrier an inch or two and extending the treat to your pet. ? Extend a finger or two into the carrier for a head scratch so that your pet will know that you are still there. ? A finger tip that has been dunked in a glass of water is a good way to keep your pet occupied. ? Offering one piece of grub at a time can keep you connected with your pet as long as they will accept it. Don?t feed them too much; the object here is to keep them occupied, not to fill their belly. Remember not to open the carrier so that your pet can escape. This will never turn out to be a good thing. ? Put a worn t-shirt or piece of your clothing with your scent on it in the carrier with your pet. Your scent is very calming to your pet. ? Pack light so you don?t have to fumble with other luggage and can move quickly to turn your attention to your pet. ? Groom your pet prior to travel. ? Get your pet accustomed to being in the carrier prior to the trip. Cargo Delivery Air France cargo can include just about anything - flowers, computers, aircraft parts, mail, cats, and elephants. Their business unit sees to it that cargo gets to the right place at the right time. Terms and Check in Policy You can check in online at AirFrance official website up to 30 hours before your scheduled flight time. You have the option of printing your boarding pass immediately, receiving it by e-mail, by SMS/MMS, or by using a Self-Service Kiosk at the airport. Terms for Using Online Check In ? You must check in within 30 minutes-30 hours before your flight is scheduled to depart. Online check-in requirements vary based on your destination. ? You cannot check in online if traveling with a baby. ? You can check in if your trip includes a layover; but not if you are changing airports during that layover. ? You cannot check in online if your departure city is one of the following: Alicante, Bern, Damascus, Genoa Ljubljana, Hanoi, Luxembourg, Malte, Palma, Seoul, Seville, Verona, Vigo, Helsinki. ? You cannot check in online a special needs passenger (ie. Unaccompanied Minor). Make sure you leave enough time at the airport to get through security. Air France Mobile Check ? In You can receive your boarding pass on your mobile phone for all trips departing from France and the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia (Moscow), Serbia, Spain (Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid), Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey or United Kingdom. Note, if there is more than one passenger on the same reservation, each passenger must indicate a mobile phone number to receive his or her boarding pass on.