Air France is set to expand its North American network by adding flights between Paris and Phoenix in May 2024. The US city will be its 17th destination in the country.
Continue reading to learn more.
Air France’s Upcoming Paris – Phoenix Route
The first Air France flight between Paris and Phoenix is set to operate on May 23, 2024. From then on, the airline plans to operate the route three times a week for the rest of the summer with the following schedule:
- AF68 / Paris CDG – Phoenix / 10:10AM – 12:10PM / Tue, Thu, Sat
- AF69 / Phoenix – Paris CDG / 2:10PM – 9:15AM+1 / Tue, Thu, Sat
It is not clear yet whether the route will also operate during the winter schedule, albeit filling those flights would be considerably more challenging than during the summer.
Air France plans to use its 787-9s on the Phoenix flights. The aircraft can seat a total of 279 passengers – it is equipped with 30 reverse herringbone business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout, 21 premium economy class seats in a 2-3-2 layout, and 228 economy class seats in a 3-3-3 layout.
You can see what the aircraft is like in my report from its inaugural flight.
Currently, the only year-round intercontinental destination out of Phoenix is London Heathrow, which is served by oneworld members British Airways and American Airlines, each offering a daily rotation. Condor also offers summer service between Frankfurt and Phoenix.
Because of the airport’s limited transatlantic connectivity, Air France’s flights will also have the opportunity to capture demand for travel to other European destinations, as well as to places in Africa and the Middle East.
Air France’s Extensive North American Network
When announcing the new route, Boaz Hulsman, Vice President of Commercial, North America at Air France-KLM, noted Phoenix will become “the 22nd North American gateway for Air France next summer season, this new service symbolizes our commitment to enhancing the transatlantic travel connection.”
Unsurprisingly, the US is by far the airline’s biggest market in North America. Currently, Air France serves 13 US destinations year-round from Paris CDG. Those include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York JFK, Raleigh/Durham, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
Additionally, it offers seasonal service to Dallas/Ft. Worth and Denver, and is planning to start flying to Minneapolis St. Paul in May 2024.
The second biggest market is Canada where Air France offers non-stop flights from Paris to four destinations including Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Air France also offers non-stop flights to Mexico City and Cancun, as well as a number of destinations in the Caribbean including Havana in Cuba, Port-au-Prince in Haiti, and Saint Martin.
Summary
Air France, one of the biggest players in the transatlantic market, is planning to expand its presence in North America in May 2024. In addition to adding flights to Minneapolis, a major hub for its transatlantic joint venture partner Delta Air Lines, it will also add three weekly flights to Phoenix, Arizona.
The Phoenix route will be operated by the 787-9 and will become the airline’s 17th destination in the US.
