Flight Review: Air France on European Flights? A Solid Choice

Now this is only the first of a series of reviews and articles I'll be pushing out. The entire trip involved 3 bus, 4 flights, and 1 five day stay in Quebec City, Canada. I'll be covering all of that in this mini series or you can check out my reviews section for more content. First flight of the bunch is a “domestic” European flight with Air France in Economy Class. So here's how it was.

Information About My Flight and Trip with Air France in Economy Class

So this was the second time and fifth flight I have travelled on an Air France flight. My prior two short-haul occasions where on the same route as this flight, Rome Fiumicino to Paris CDG, however those were in Business Class.

I currently hold Silver Status with Air France's Flying Blue loyalty program, which doesn't really give a ton of perks. The only difference from regular passengers is priority check-in, boarding in group 3 (first of the non elite status holders or business class passengers), and priority baggage handling. Other than that the experience is the same with all other economy passengers.

The flight AF1505 operated on a 16 year-old Airbus A320-200 setup with all economy class seats while effectively operating a 2 class configuration with the first rows used as business class with the middle seat blocked off. The rest of the aircraft was in a standard 3-3 layout.

My seat of choice 29A, which I explicitly selected. Why? Well, generally airlines will start to fill the plane from the center of gravity (more or less over the wings) moving back, so if the flight isn't full most likely seats to remain vacant are in the back. And in this case it worked partially. I had an empty seat between myself and the gentleman in seat 29C. Not fantastic but it ensured a little extra comfort.

One last thing! As ITA Airways is no longer part of SkyTeam, Air France and KLM have relocated their check-in desks at Terminal 3 in Rome Fiumicino Airport.

What Was Boarding Like?

So boarding is a tricky thing to judge airlines on at outstations. The airlines have their procedures but a lot depends on the airport staff which might not follow them very precisely. In Rome Fiumicino, although this is something Italians have gotten a lot better in, things tend to be a little messy. Passengers in zones 1 and 2 had their own queue and that was respected.

As for zone 3 passengers I don't think all of them were at the beginning of the other queue, here it was much more a mix between all zones. So if you are a zone 3 hover around the gate if you want that perk to be actually be part of your experience.

That aside boarding then took place letting zones 1 and 2 on first and then the rest of the queue. Onboard, communication was essential but very clear, asking all passengers to place bags vertically in the overhead lockers with backpacks and small items to be placed under the seat in front. I appreciate clear communication, as this was, because it doesn't leave people wondering what to do, it expedites boarding and helps to get to destination on time.

Finally crew were proactive in directing passengers where there was space in the cabin to place luggage.

What Do You Get on an Economy Class European Air France Flight?

The flight wasn't that long at all, only 1 hour 38 minutes from takeoff to landing, taxiing made closer to 2 hours though. With such a short flight you can't really expect anything much in terms of service from any airline when traveling economy class.

Having said all of that, after takeoff the crew came into the cabin offering chicken and cheese sandwiches along with a drink of choice.

How was the sandwich I hear you ask? Overall ok, but I have become quite picky with my food and diet and the bread was very soft something that often indicates a high presence of sugar in the dough, but that is just my very own health-fanatic suspicion.

The service ended a shortly afterwards with the Air France cabin crew clearing any trash.

What Was The Crew Like?

I'll have some more things to say about the crew on my return flights from Canada with KLM, but on all occasions of flying Air France I found the flight attendants very professional, polite, attentive and very careful to preparing the cabin correctly for takeoff and landing (an area I noticed a big discrepancy with KLM).

Before takeoff and landing the aisle was cleared properly, all window shades where open and seat-backs in upright position. And this was the case even in my trip in business class a little less than a year ago.

Why Would I Choose Air France Again For My Flights?

Yes, most certainly. Their app works very well, with almost real-time updates on the flight status and on the boarding gate. Communication is very clear and straight forward from the emails to when on the flight itself. So I can definitely advise Air France as an airline for European flights. However, I know they might not always be the cheapest option with so many low-cost carriers available on the market but I do believe that more and more, even on short haul flights, you get what you pay for, especially when things take a bad twist operationally.