It has just been confirmed that one of the most interesting transatlantic flights will be returning in 2024.
In this post:
Air Saint-Pierre’s Paris flights
In the summer of 2018, a fascinating domestic transatlantic route launched — it operated seasonally once weekly. Specifically, ASL Airlines operated a Boeing 737-700 that was marketed by Air Saint-Pierre between Paris (CDG) and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FSP).
What’s Saint Pierre and Miquelon? It’s a self-governing territory of France, situated in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, near Newfoundland and Labrador. The islands cover an area of about 93 square miles, and have a population of just about 6,000 people.
The territory’s airline, Air Saint-Pierre, only has turboprops, which aren’t capable of operating the route. So the airline leased a Boeing 737 for the once weekly flight.
This was the first time ever that we saw a nonstop link between these territories and mainland France. There were some other things that made this route interesting:
- The runway in Saint Pierre is only 5,900 feet long, so the plane had to be weight restricted, meaning the flight could only transport at most 100 passengers (that means most passengers get an empty middle seat)
- I had intended to take this flight in 2018, but was shocked to find out that the flight was sold out on almost every single date that it operated; I wasn’t expecting that, especially given that the route was subsidized
The route ended up returning in 2019, was then paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and then returned in 2022 and 2023. The route will now be returning yet again, for the 2024 season.
Paris to Saint Pierre flights return in 2024
The once weekly flight between Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Paris will be returning in 2024, between June 17 and September 3, 2024.
The route will once again be operated by an ASL Airlines France Boeing 737-700, and the flight will be marketed and sold by Air Saint-Pierre. The flight will operate westbound on Mondays and eastbound on Tuesdays, as follows:
Paris to Saint Pierre and Miquelon departing 4:30PM arriving 6:30PM
Saint Pierre and Miquelon to Paris departing 10:30AM arriving 8:05PM
As you can see, the plane sits on the ground in Saint Pierre for quite a while. This is so that the crew can get their rest and operate the flight back the next day, rather than making them stay there for over a week.
I imagine the airline was able to get a decent deal on parking at the airport for 16 hours. 😉 It’s also interesting since this is an eastbound daytime transatlantic flight, which is fairly rare.
Air Saint-Pierre fares to & from Paris
If you want to book a seat on this flight, below is the pricing for travel originating in Paris (a one-way ticket costs €622.62).
Then below is the pricing from Saint-Pierre (a one-way ticket costs €589).
The plane is in an all-economy configuration, as there’s no premium cabin.
This flight isn’t yet bookable, but that should be possible starting in the coming weeks. Once it’s bookable, you can reserve tickets directly on Air Saint-Pierre’s website.
Bottom line
I find this Air Saint-Pierre flight to be absolutely fascinating. It’s so cool when airlines not only try a route like this, but it actually succeeds and returns year after year.
While the link between Paris and this French territory is obvious, it’s still kind of awesome that such a small territory can support a flight like this. But I guess the downside was fairly limited, since the route was subsidized from the beginning. Personally I find this to be the most intriguing transatlantic route.
Anyone else love this Air Saint-Pierre flight as much as I do?
(Featured image courtesy of Anna Zvereva)
I see that the nearest airport for long haul flights is St John's. I also see that there's a town between SPM and St John's called Dildo........
I think the daytime to Europe is inconvenient. Unless you live there then going to France will not be cheap, because getting there is probably not easy and not cheap
Residents of St. Pierre are French citizens so the flights support their summer visits to mother France. In the past the alternative was to fly Air Saint-Pierre to Montreal and then connect to France that way.
A few years ago I visited Saint-Pierre for two nights. It was a bucket list trip to visit a piece of France in North America. I hope it's OK to post this link to my Blog which is completely...
Residents of St. Pierre are French citizens so the flights support their summer visits to mother France. In the past the alternative was to fly Air Saint-Pierre to Montreal and then connect to France that way.
A few years ago I visited Saint-Pierre for two nights. It was a bucket list trip to visit a piece of France in North America. I hope it's OK to post this link to my Blog which is completely non-commercial. It gives you an idea of just how French SPM actually is:
https://savepleasureisland.blogspot.com/search?q=st.+Pierre
I absolutely agree. SPM is wonderful to visit in its own right. Been twice and want to return. Last vestige of New France for all you history buffs.
Any ideas about what is behind this?
It's a very small island, mostly fishing based economically, so I doubt it has a meaningful tourism industry (I could be wrong - I am just assuming here). I also don't get the impression that it is super wealthy or that it offers a lot in terms of dining/entertainment/shopping/accommodation.
I am tempted to think that these may be flights flying seasonal workers (mostly for the fishing...
Any ideas about what is behind this?
It's a very small island, mostly fishing based economically, so I doubt it has a meaningful tourism industry (I could be wrong - I am just assuming here). I also don't get the impression that it is super wealthy or that it offers a lot in terms of dining/entertainment/shopping/accommodation.
I am tempted to think that these may be flights flying seasonal workers (mostly for the fishing industry) during their high season? is that it? It would explain the subsidy and the fact that flights are so heavily booked (it is almost a charter flight it seems) Am I missing something?
@BEN
Please fly this. I always find it odd that these weird routes get posts but are never flown
Very intriguing route, no doubt!
I'm also interested in the business mechanics of this. I wonder how much subsidy has to be there to make this work. The ticket pricing is definitely a good deal for the pax!
Yeah Ben are you taking it?
No premium cabin so I doubt it! Lol.
I don't know. Sounds like standard European business class with a blocked middle seat throughout the cabin. It's practically La Compagnie.
While this doesn't have a premium cabin, I believe TER-OAK does (on a Plus Ultra A330). Would love to see him try that after his last Azores Airlines adventure.
So are you going to actually fly it, or just tell us how interesting it would be to fly it?