Soaring High with Air France (Air France in general)

Member Name: cookie334

Product:	Air France in general
Date:	28/11/08 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good service, friendly staff, good value for money, good variety of flight times

Disadvantages: Wouldn't be my first choice for a long haul flight

When we booked our first trip to Disneyland Paris, for June earlier this year, we knew that our only option would be to fly really. We live in Fife, in Scotland, so to travel by any other means with 2 young children and a baby in tow, would be daft, not to mention, probably more expensive anyway.

So what made us choose Air France? We had the choice of 3 air lines. Ryanair, which although worked out the cheapest for flights, we ruled out due to the additional costs we would've incurred with extra travelling at both ends, car parking etc. Easyjet was the next on the list, flying both from and to more convenient airports, however, we ruled this out eventually due to a lack of flight times, there was only one flight a day and it really didn't suit. Air France was next and the only remaining option for us. Price wise, it was the most expensive choice based on the flights alone, so we weren't completely sure we were making the right decision.


** Price **

I've already said this was the most expensive option for us, but I have to tell you that I base this on the flights alone. I've already mentioned the extra travelling costs for us, but this is obviously a personal thing. You do have to also bear in mind though that although Ryanair and Easyjet were both cheaper, they have hidden costs such as check in fees, luggage fees etc. Air France do not have any of these, so the price you see is the price you pay. You wont be in for any nasty surprises if you haven't read the terms through thoroughly ten times over.

It cost us £510 all in. That was for a family of 4 plus an infant. The kids had their own seats and our youngest daughter (the infant), travelled on my lap. This was for a return ticket from Edinburgh to Charles de Gaulle and both flights were on a weekday (Thursday outward, Tuesday return). We have recently booked flights for January costing £640 but this time we fly out on a Sunday and return on a Friday, so I think the price reflects the busier days of the week.

This may sound expensive, but for 5 people, I think it's a very reasonable price.


** Buying **

We bought our tickets online (through Quidco for cashback) and it was very simple and straight forward to do. They accept most major credit and debit cards and the websites payment pages were secure.

I found Air France had a wide option of flight times throughout the whole day, so I don't think it would be difficult to find one to suit you at all, whatever time of day you wanted to fly.

We booked an early morning flight out and a late night for the return.

Once everything was bought and paid for I received a confirmation along with my receipt via email. This was followed almost immediately by another email containing our e-ticket. This was one sheet of paper which we had to print off and take to check in, all sounded very simple.


** Check-in **

Check in on both legs of the journey was very straight forward and painless. There were no huge queues, no problems with the e-tickets, no problems travelling with an infant. They were even happy for us to combine our luggage allowance. Most of our belongings were in one large suitcase and we were slightly worried as we knew we had exceeded our 20Kg allowance on the return. We had expected to be charged as we had this and two smaller bags, but this wasn't an issue at all.


** Flights **

Our outward flight was bang on time, so no problems there. Our return flight was delayed. There was a technical fault with the plane which was fair enough and I have to say I'm glad they noticed. However, I don't think it was handled particularly well with the whole flight being loaded onto a bus, driven to the plane and left there for 20 minutes before they took us back to the airport. I felt I had to mention this, although I'm not completely certain if this would be a fault with Air France or with the staff at Charles de Gaulle. However, it was dealt with quickly and we were soon on our way.

Our outward flight included breakfast and the homeward flight included a light snack, which we hadn't been expecting, so was a nice little extra.


** Service **

The pilot and the cabin crew were very apologetic about the delay.

I found the cabin crew to be extremely helpful throughout the flight. They assisted me with my daughters extra lap belt which needed to be attached to my own. The older children were given extra toys and games to keep them amused. The staff were also happy to speak to the children when they sought them out to ask if it was safe to play their DS's. I thought the service was great and really helped make our experience a good one.



Overall, I thought Air France were a very good airline to fly with, and as I said, we've booked again for January which I wouldn't have done if I wasn't happy.

I would say that Air France are a happy medium between the budget airlines with all their hidden charges and the bigger airlines which are just extortionate to begin with. The only downside for us was that they flew into Charles de Gaulle which if you've read my review about the place, you'll know it's a shockingly bad airport, which I would love to never have the pleasure of visiting again.

I'd definitely recommend flying with Air France. All in all they provide great value for money.

Summary: A happy medium between a budget airline with hidden costs and expensive bigger airlines