Is Air France a Good Airline?

Especially in the wake of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which put a spotlight on some of the city’s most incredible, historic sites, many travelers have their sights set on the City of Lights. And what better way to fly to any country than on its namesake airline and flag carrier? That’s Air France.

But is Air France actually good? Here's our breakdown of what travelers should know before flying with Air France.

» Learn more: The best airlines to fly to France

Much of the Air France experience boils down to what class of service you’re seated in. The four classes of service on Air France (available on most flights) are:

• La Première (first class).

• Business class.

• Premium economy.

• Economy.

» Learn more: Air France Business Class review

No matter your cabin class of choice, expect French touches throughout. That ranges from plenty of complimentary Champagne, to French being the primary spoken language. However, you’ll have no trouble navigating your flight even if you don’t speak French.

From booking to boarding, here's a deeper dive into each step of flying on Air France.

Making an Air France reservation

You can certainly search and book directly through Air France's website.

However, you’re usually better served by searching through a flight aggregator such as Google Flights, as you can see how fares stack up against competing airlines. Plus, you can take advantage of other handy Google Flights features like the calendar comparison (which is helpful if you’re not tied to flying on a specific day). If you do settle on an Air France flight, Google Flights provides a link where you can still book directly on the Air France website.

Air France check-in

Air France's online check-in opens 30 hours before departure — except for flights from Atlanta or Detroit, for which check-in opens 24 hours before departure.

Check-in closes 60 minutes before departure for Air France flights departing the U.S. It’s best practice to arrive at the airport close to three hours ahead of an international flight anyway, so ideally that 60-minute window is irrelevant anyway.

How Air France boarding works

Air France groups passengers into five zones for boarding. Elite members and premium cabin passengers board in Sky Priority zones 1 and 2, while economy passengers are grouped into zones 3 through 5.

Cabin design

Even in economy, the cabins are spacious. Unlike most domestic flights, where gate agents plead with passengers to check their bags because overhead bin space is limited, the Air France overhead bins are generously-sized. Smart designs like mirrors on the overhead bins make it easy to see when a bin is full.

Cabins feature the standard bells and whistles like individual overhead lighting.

Air France in-flight entertainment

No matter what fare class you purchased, all Air France passengers can tune into an extensive library of movies and TV shows via the seat back screens. You can also ogle at the live-updating world map, or use the screen to browse the menu or contact a flight attendant.

Expect larger screens in higher fare classes. However, even economy class screens have sleek touchscreens with handy features like a USB port.

Air France offers Wi-Fi on 90% of its aircraft fleet, with various speed options available for purchase. You might use a lower-cost surf pass for simple tasks like checking email. You’ll need the pricier stream pass to send and receive large files. Air France also sells Wi-Fi packages by the hour or for the full flight.

Food on Air France

Food quality varies depending on where you sit. If you’re in first class, you likely may not even be hungry, assuming you loaded up at the Air France lounge before boarding. Air France lounges are some of the best in the business given their clean, modern design and French flair. The boeuf bourguignon at the SFO Air France lounge rivals that of any top-tier restaurant.

If you’re in economy, you might also want to eat ahead of time (alas, you likely won’t have Air France lounge access). The economy food is pretty bland — and exceptionally beige. Here’s a sample main dish during an economy class flight in July 2024 between San Francisco and Paris:

It’s chicken in a cream sauce with a side of mashed potatoes, plus bread, cheese and a brownie. Peep the hint of green in the sparingly portioned peas. For folks who get hungry mid-flight, Air France sets out snacks near the bathroom, including mini sandwiches and yogurt drinks.

Shortly before landing, Air France serves another, lighter meal. On that flight between San Francisco and Paris, economy passengers received an egg-filled baguette, plus another bread roll, yogurt, fruit and orange juice. Hopefully you were planning on carb-loading during this flight.

Experts generally regard Air France as one of the world’s best airlines in independent award ratings.

In the Skytrax World Airline Awards for 2023, Air France was voted #7 in the world — placing the airline ahead of stalwarts Cathay Pacific Airways, EVA Air and Korean Air. While it didn't take top honors in any individual field, Air France scored high marks in the Skytrax 2023 rankings in the following areas:

• World's Best First Class (#2).

• Best Airline in Europe (#2).

• Best Airline Staff in Europe (#2).

• World's Best Business Class (#7).

• World's Best Premium Economy (#8).

• In-Flight Entertainment (#10).

• World's Best Economy Class (#16).

• World's Cleanest Airline (#19).

• Best Airport Services (#20).

However, Air France failed to land in the top 20 for Best Airline Cabin Crew Worldwide and finished outside the top 10 in the world's most family-friendly airlines.

Air France is one of 34 airlines with a five-star rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX).

Other independent rating awards won by Air France include Business Traveler USA's Best First Class in the World and the World Traveler Awards' Europe Leading Airline 2023.

According to AirlineRatings.com, Air France's safety rating is 7 out of 7 stars. Air France hasn't had a fatal crash in the past 10 years.

This is an improvement from recent audits. In a 2022 blog post, AirlineRatings explained that it downgraded Air France's safety rating after it was revealed that two of the airline's pilots got into a physical fight mid-flight. Reportedly, cabin crew had to intervene to ensure the safety of the flight.

This incident came to light just days after the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) released a report indicating that Air France's pilots weren't rigorous about following safety procedures.

Air France shares a loyalty program with Netherlands-based KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and smaller airline Transavia. The joint loyalty program is called Air France-KLM Flying Blue. As is the case with most airline loyalty programs, higher status unlocks perks like Air France lounge access, upgrade eligibility and the ability to accrue miles at a faster rate.

Air France status tiers are:

• Flying Blue Explorer (automatically granted when you join).

• Flying Blue Silver.

• Flying Blue Gold.

• Flying Blue Platinum.

• Flying Blue Ultimate.

Status really starts to mean something once you're in the Gold or higher tier. For example, you gain access to top-tier Air France lounges when you if fly with Blue Elite Plus status in the Gold or higher tiers and are departing on an international flight operated by Air France, KLM or one of its Skyteam partner airlines. And Air France lounges tend to be among the best in the books. Just check out the Air France lounge at SFO as proof.

Despite being a European-based loyalty program, Flying Blue partners with most major U.S.-based transferable point programs, including:

• American Express Membership Rewards.

• Capital One Miles.

• Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

• Citi ThankYou Points.

• Marriott Bonvoy.

• Bilt Rewards.

Flying Blue used to use a convoluted pricing scheme for award redemptions based on the origin and destination of the flight. However, it recently standardized award rates. While Flying Blue doesn't publish award rates, travelers have found that Flying Blue award rates between the U.S. and Europe now start at:

• 20,000 Flying Blue miles in economy.

• 35,000 Flying Blue miles in premium economy.

• 50,000 Flying Blue miles in business.

Air France often runs monthly award discount programs that can reduce the cost even more. However, be wary if you see award rates that seem too good to be true. In December 2023, Air France ran a flash sale that discounted business class awards to Europe to just 13,500 Flying Blue miles one-way plus $250 in taxes/fees.

Unfortunately, the Flying Blue director later got cold feet and canceled award fares for most of the 2,500 travelers who took advantage of the deal.

» Learn more: The complete guide to Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Not every airline is suitable for every traveler. Here are a few examples of what kind of travelers should find another airline to fly:

• Travelers who want to visit Australia, New Zealand or parts of Southeast Asia. Air France operates an incredible route network to almost 200 destinations across over 80 countries. However, it doesn't fly everywhere in the world. Air France's route map doesn't extend to Australia, New Zealand or parts of Southeast Asia like Malaysia.

• Travelers who want to visit Asia. Particularly for travelers based on the U.S. West Coast, it will be an excruciatingly long journey to Asia via Paris. For example, flying from San Francisco to Seoul takes more than 23 hours. Other airlines can fly you to Asia in almost half of that flying time.

• Travelers who are Francophobes. Air France is unabashedly French, from serving French wines to French being the primary language spoken onboard. If you're not a fan of French culture, it's best to find another airline that serves your destination.

By and large, Air France is one of the best airlines to fly — particularly in first class.

Its economy class is far inferior in quality to the higher Air France fare classes, but take solace that you likely paid far less for your seat. Speaking of price, Air France economy fares do tend to be pricier than budget airlines. If you’re trying to get to Europe on as few pennies as possible, then you might skip Air France economy and go for one of the myriad budget carriers to Europe.

But even in economy, Air France can prevail given it’s far more reliable. Plus, the inflight entertainment is not bad. And at least you’ll get free food and (a lot of) Champagne. Most budget carriers charge you for any food provided by them that you consume on board.

Speaking of paying for your flight, you might not actually pay cash. This airline offers an excellent opportunity to book on miles given that its loyalty program partners with many U.S. point programs. Miles earned through many general travel credit cards including the The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® can make for excellent redemptions. Other airlines also can help with redemptions.

Just don’t overlook the times that the Flying Blue loyalty program has backtracked on deals. That just feels unfair — particularly when you’re hyped on a Europe trip that doesn’t end up panning out.

Alas, those circumstances are rare. For most folks, Air France is a reliable option for travel between the U.S. and Europe.