This isn’t significant news in the grand scheme of things, though Air France just announced they would be operating the Airbus 380 on the Los Angeles to Paris route daily starting May 28, 2012.
The reason I mention this is because Air France is one of the few airlines with good business class award availability from the west coast of the US nonstop to Europe, and a great use of Delta miles. If you’re going to redeem Delta miles for Air France’s (mediocre) business class, you might as well fly on the Airbus 380. I also suspect this will mean even better award availability on the route, which is great news. Right now the only US destinations that Air France serves with the Airbus 380 are New York and Washington, so it’s nice to see it on one of the longer flights.
Air France will operate the Airbus 380 on the following flight:
Air France 65 Los Angeles to Paris departing at 3:50PM and arriving at 11:20AM
Air France 66 Paris to Los Angeles departing at 10:30AM and arriving at 1:05PM
@ ArizonaGuy -- Are you not able to find availability? While award availability isn't *plentiful*, I do find it to be fairly decent even out of LA at the moment.
Argh. I wonder when we might see availability open up on the LAX-CDG route. I don't want to traipse across the country to IAD if I can help it.
@ Mike -- Not only that, but you have to be an elite with them and can only book it at the "flex" level.
Is the only way to get an F reward seat on AF (or KE for that matter) would be through their own FF programs as you can't book F with skypesos ?
@ mal -- They did last summer though I don't believe they are anymore.
@ bmvaughn -- Yes, which oddly enough is *bad* news for Delta flyers (since lower fares were required to upgrade on Air France than on Delta).
@ Thierry -- Delta's new business class product is no doubt better than Air France's (which they use on all routes to London and select routes to Munich, Frankfurt, etc.). Otherwise I'd say Air France...
@ mal -- They did last summer though I don't believe they are anymore.
@ bmvaughn -- Yes, which oddly enough is *bad* news for Delta flyers (since lower fares were required to upgrade on Air France than on Delta).
@ Thierry -- Delta's new business class product is no doubt better than Air France's (which they use on all routes to London and select routes to Munich, Frankfurt, etc.). Otherwise I'd say Air France is slightly better, though there are much better business class products out there (Air New Zealand, British Airways, Swiss, and Virgin Atlantic, just to name a few).
Do you suggest that Delta offers a better Business Class?? At least Air France has got a shell seat, not recliner
Odd since they are pulling out of SEA all together and giving that to Delta.
they also serve SFO i believe
They flew it to SFO over the summer