Air France (formally Société Air France SA), stylised as AirFrance, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, France (north of Paris), and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. As of 2010 Air France serves 32 destinations in France and operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 152 destinations in 91 countries (including Overseas departments and territories of France) and also carried 70 million passengers. The airline's global hub is at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with Paris Orly Airport, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, and Nice Côte d'Azur Airport serving as secondary hubs. Air France's corporate headquarters, previously in Montparnasse, Paris, are located on the grounds of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, north of Paris.
Air France was formed on 7 October 1933 from a merger of Air Orient, Air Union, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne (CIDNA), and Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA). In 1990, the airline acquired the operations of French domestic carrier Air Inter and international rival UTA – Union des Transports Aériens. Air France served as France's primary national flag carrier for seven decades prior to its 2003 merger with KLM. Between April 2001 and March 2002, the airline carried 43.3 million passengers and had a total revenue of €12.53bn. In November 2004, Air France ranked as the largest European airline with 25.5% total market share, and was the largest airline in the world in terms of operating revenue.
Air France operates a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body jetliners on long-haul routes, and utilises Airbus A320 family aircraft on short-haul routes. Air France debuted the A380 on 20 November 2009 with service to New York's JFK Airport from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport. The carrier's regional airline subsidiary, Régional, operates the majority of its regional domestic and European scheduled services with a fleet of regional jet and turboprop aircraft.
History
Formation and early years
on 21 August 1951]]
Air France was formed on 7 October 1933, from a merger of Air Orient, Air Union,
Compagnie Générale Aéropostale,
Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne (
CIDNA), and
Société Générale de Transport Aérien (
SGTA). Of these airlines, SGTA was the first commercial airline company in France, having been founded as Lignes Aériennes Farman in 1919. The constituent members of Air France had already built extensive networks across Europe, to
French colonies in North Africa and farther afield. During
World War II, Air France moved its operations to
Casablanca (Morocco).
On 26 June 1945, all of France's air transport companies were nationalised. On 29 December 1945, a decree of the French government granted Air France the management of the entire French air transport network. Air France appointed its first flight attendants in 1946. The same year the airline opened its first air terminal at Les Invalides in central Paris. It was linked to Paris Le Bourget Airport, Air France's first operations and engineering base, by coach. At that time the network covered 160,000 km, claimed to be the longest in the world. Société Nationale Air France was set up on 1 January 1946.
in Tunisia in 1952]]
On 1 July 1946, Air France inaugurated direct scheduled service between Paris and New York via refuelling stops at Shannon and Gander. Douglas DC-4 piston-engined airliners covered the route in just under 20 hours. In 1946 and 1948, respectively, the French government further authorised the creation of two private airlines: Transports Aériens Internationaux – later Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux – (TAI) and SATI. In 1949 the latter became part of Union Aéromaritime de Transport (UAT), a private French international airline.
of Air France at London (Heathrow) Airport in April 1955]]
Compagnie Nationale Air France was created by act of parliament on 16 June 1948. Initially, the government held 70%. In subsequent years the French state's direct and indirect shareholdings reached almost 100%. In mid-2002 the state held 54%.
On 4 August 1948 Max Hymans was appointed president. During his 13-year tenure he would implement modernisation practices centred on the introduction of jet aircraft. In 1949, the company became a co-founder of Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques (SITA), an airline telecommunications services company.
From 1974, Air France began shifting the bulk of operations to the new Charles de Gaulle Airport north of Paris. By the early 1980s, only Corsica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, most services to French Guyana, Réunion, the Maghreb region, Eastern Europe (except the USSR), Southern Europe (except Greece and Italy), and one daily service to New York (JFK) remained at Orly. In 1974, Air France also became the world's first operator of the Airbus A300 twin-engined widebodied plane, Airbus Industrie's first commercial airliner for which it was a launch customer.
Concorde service and rivalry
on a US stopover in 1977]]
On 21 January 1976, Air France operated its inaugural
supersonic transport (SST) service on the Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to
Rio (via
Dakar) route with
Anglo-French BAC-Aérospatiale Concorde F-BVFA. Supersonic services from Paris (CDG) to
Washington Dulles International Airport began on 24 May 1976, also with F-BVFA. Service to
New York (JFK) – the only remaining Concorde service until its end – commenced on 22 November 1977. Paris to New York was flown in 3 hours 23 minutes, at about twice the
speed of sound. Approval for flights to the United States was initially withheld due to noise protests. Eventually, services to
Mexico City via Washington, D.C. were started. Air France became one of only two airlines –
British Airways being the other – to regularly operate supersonic services, and continued daily transatlantic Concorde service until late May, 2003.
s by 1983]]
By 1983, Air France's golden jubilee, the workforce numbered more than 34,000, its fleet about 100 jet aircraft (including 33 Boeing 747s) and its 634,400 km network served 150 destinations in 73 countries. This made Air France the fourth-largest scheduled passenger airline in the world, as well as the second-largest scheduled freight carrier. In 1983 Air France began passenger flights to South Korea, being the first European airline to do so.
In 1986 the government relaxed its policy of dividing traffic rights for scheduled services between Air France, Air Inter and UTA, without route overlaps between them. The decision opened some of Air France's most lucrative routes on which it had enjoyed a government-sanctioned monopoly since 1963 and which were within its exclusive sphere of influence, to rival airlines, notably UTA. The changes enabled UTA to launch scheduled services to new destinations within Air France's sphere, in competition with that airline.
Paris-San Francisco became the first route UTA served in competition with Air France non-stop from Paris. Air France responded by extending some non-stop Paris-Los Angeles services to Papeete, Tahiti, which competed with UTA on Los Angeles-Papeete. UTA's ability to secure traffic rights outside its traditional sphere in competition with Air France was the result of a campaign to lobby the government to enable it to grow faster, becoming more dynamic and more profitable. This infuriated Air France.
In 1987 Air France together with Lufthansa, Iberia and SAS founded Amadeus, an IT company (also known as a GDS) that would enable travel agencies to sell the founders and other airlines' products from a single system.
In 1988, Air France was a launch customer for the fly-by-wire (FBW) A320 narrowbody twin, along with Air Inter and British Caledonian. It became the first airline to take delivery of the A320 in March 1988, and along with Air Inter became the first airlines to introduce Airbus A320 service on short-haul routes.
Acquisitions and privatisation
of
Air Inter which became part of Air France in 1990]]
On 12 January 1990, the operations of government-owned Air France, semi-public Air Inter and wholly private Union des Transports Aériens (UTA) were merged into an enlarged Air France.
On 25 July 1994, a new holding company, Groupe Air France, was set up by decree. Groupe Air France became operational on 1 September 1994. It acquired the Air France group's majority shareholdings in Air France and Air Inter (subsequently renamed Air France Europe). On 31 August 1994, Stephen Wolf, a former United Airlines CEO, was appointed adviser to the Air France group's chairman Christian Blanc. Wolf was credited with the introduction of Air France's hub and spoke operation at Paris Charles de Gaulle. (Wolf resigned in 1996 to take over as CEO at US Airways.)
In 1997, Air France Europe was absorbed into Air France. On 19 February 1999, French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government approved the Air France's partial privatisation. Its shares were listed on the Paris stock exchange on 22 February 1999. In June 1999, Air France and Delta Air Lines formed a bilateral transatlantic partnership. On 22 June 2000, this expanded into the SkyTeam global airline alliance. As of March 2007, the airline employed 102,422 personnel.
to its fleet in 2009]]
The new transatlantic joint venture marks the Air France-KLM Group's second major expansion in the London market, following the launch of CityJet-operated short-haul services from London City Airport that have been aimed at business travellers in the City's financial services industry.
Recent developments
On 13 January 2009, Air France agreed to enter into recently privatised
Alitalia's capital share with a 25% stake. This capital investment is coupled with a co-operation agreement on an industrial basis.
Corporate affairs and identity
Head office
Air France's head office is located in the Roissypôle complex on the grounds of
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and in the commune of
Tremblay-en-France, Seine-Saint-Denis, near the city of Paris. Wil S. Hylton of
The New York Times described the facility as "a huge white box that squats near the runways at Charles de Gaulle Airport."
The complex was completed in December 1995. The French firm Groupement d'Etudes et de Méthodes d'Ordonnancement (GEMO) managed the project. The architect was Valode & Pistre and the design consultants were Sechaud-Boyssut and Trouvin. The project cost 137,000,000 euros). The runways of the airport are visible from the building. The Air France Operations Control Centre (OCC, French: Centre de Contrôle des Opérations, CCO), which coordinates Air France flights worldwide, is situated at the AF head office.
, Paris]]
For about 30 years prior to December 1995, Air France's headquarters were located in a tower adjacent to the Gare Montparnasse rail station in the Montparnasse area and the 15th arrondissement of Paris. By 1991 two bids for the purchase of the Square Max Hymans building had been made. By 1992 the complex was sold to MGEN for 1.6 billion francs. By that year Air France had planned to move its head office to Roissypôle, taking of space inside the hotel, office, and shopping complex on the grounds of Charles de Gaulle Airport. After Air France moved to Tremblay-en-France, the ownership of the former head office complex was transferred.
in Midtown Manhattan, which houses the Air France U.S. headquarters.]]
Foreign offices
Air France's United States offices are in the
125 West 55th Street building in
Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Air France first signed a lease to occupy the building in 1991. The site also formerly housed the New York City city ticket office for Air France.
Air France-KLM's head office for United Kingdom and Ireland operations, which includes facilities for Air France and KLM, is located in Plesman House in Hatton Cross. The facility's inauguration was on 6 July 2006. Air France moved the office from Hounslow to Hatton.
Crew base
Air France Cité PN, located at Charles de Gaulle Airport, acts as the airline's crew base. The building, developed by
Valode & Pistre, opened in February 2006. The first phase consisted of of space and 4,300 parking spaces. The building is connected to the Air France head office.
of Paris]]
Vaccination centre
Air France operates the Air France Vaccinations Centre in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. The centre distributes vaccines for international travel. Since 2001 the centre was the only French vaccination centre certified
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001. In 2005 the centre moved from the
Aérogare des Invalides to its current location.
Aérogare des Invalides
The Aérogare des Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris houses the Agence Air France Invalides and the Air France Museum. Until 2005 the building hosted the Air France Vaccinations Centre.
Subsidiaries and franchises
In partnership with Dutch affiliate
Transavia, Air France has launched
Transavia.com France, a new low-cost subsidiary based at Orly airport. Operations began in May 2007 with flights to leisure destinations in the
Mediterranean region and North Africa. It is operating four "Next Generation" Boeing 737–800 aircraft. Transavia has a 40% stake, with Air France holding the rest.
Airlinair,
Brit Air,
CityJet,
CCM Airlines and
Régional all operate flights on behalf of Air France, either as subsidiaries or as franchisees.
The subsidiaries of Air France include:
Air France Consulting
Quali-audit
BlueLink
Brit Air
CityJet
Société de construction et de réparation de matériel aéronautique (CRMA)
Régional Compagnie Aérienne Européenne
Servair
Sodexi
Transavia France
Outsourcing
In 2010 Air France migrated from an internally managed
Passenger service system (Alpha3) that manages reservation, inventory and pricing to an external system (Altéa) managed by
Amadeus. In rail ventures, Air France and
Veolia are looking into jointly operating
high-speed rail services in Europe. Routes have become available to operators in accordance with European rail liberalisation on 1 January 2010.
Livery
-200ER with Air France's Eurowhite 1970s–2008 livery.]]
Air France's present livery is a "Eurowhite" scheme, comprising a white fuselage with the blue Air France title and design. The tail is white with a series of parallel red and blue lines across the it at an angle, and a small European flag at the top. This livery has been in use since the late 1970s. Prior to the "Eurowhite" livery, Air France aircraft had a bare-metal underside, extending up to a blue cheat-line that ran across the cabin windows. Above the cheat-line the fuselage was again white, with Air France titles and a French flag. The tail was white with two thick blue lines, which tapered from the rear of the tail and met at point towards the front bottom. This basic livery, with minor variations, would appear on all post-war Air France aircraft until the late 1970s.
In 2008, to coincide with Air France's new logo, a new livery was unveiled. The 2008 livery saw the tail slightly changed; there are now 3 blue bars running down instead of 4 previously. The bars also now curve at the bottom, reflecting the design of the logo.
Marketing
The new official song played before and after Air France flights (during boarding and after landing) is 'The World Can Be Yours' by
Telepopmusik. Air France has used different popular music groups for its marketing and on-board ambience, ranging from
The Chemical Brothers in 1999 to
Telepopmusik in 2010.
Uniforms
Air France uniforms denote the ranks for the flight attendants. Two silver sleeve stripes denote a Chief Purser. One silver sleeve stripe denote a Purser. Flight attendants do not have any sleeve stripes. The female cabin crew uniforms feature the stripes on the breast pocket rather than the sleeve for their male counterparts. Air France's current uniforms were created by French fashion designer
Christian Lacroix.
Logo
Upon its formation, Air France adopted the
seahorse logo of its predecessor Air Orient, known as the
hippocampe ailé (sometimes derisively called "la crevette" – or shrimp – by its employees), as its insignia. Prior to the Air France-KLM merger, the
hippocampe ailé was used on the nose section of aircraft next to the Groupe Air France title; after the merger, the Air France-KLM logo was substituted at the nose area, and the
hippocampe ailé was relocated to engine nacelles. The acronym "AF" has also featured prominently on the airline's flag and its signage. On 7 January 2008, Air France officially changed its logo to a red stripe.
Destinations
specially painted in
SkyTeam livery to commemorate the airline's membership]]
Air France is a full service global airline and flies to 32 domestic destinations and 152 international destinations in 91 countries (including Overseas departments and territories of France) across 6 major continents. This includes Air France Cargo services and those destinations served by franchisees Airlinair, Brit Air, CityJet, CCM Airlines and Régional.
Air France, along with British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines , South African Airways, and United Airlines, is one of the few airlines that fly to all six inhabited continents.
Most of Air France's international flights operate from Paris-Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport. Air France also has a strong presence at Paris-Orly and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airports. As Air France becomes more a strategic partner with Delta Air Lines through the SkyTeam alliance and through a substantial joint venture, new routes and code-share agreements are developing rapidly.
Codeshare agreements
In addition to its
Brit Air,
CityJet and
Régional subsidiaries, and its
SkyTeam alliance partnership, Air France offers frequent flyer partnerships with approximately two-dozen airlines (as of March 2011).
{|
|- valign="top"
|
Aer Lingus
Air Corsica
Air Madagascar
Air Mauritius
Air Seychelles
Air Tahiti Nui
AirCalin
Alaska Airlines
Armavia
Austrian Airlines (Star Alliance)
|
Azerbaijan Airlines
Bangkok Airways
Bulgaria Air
Chalair
China Eastern Airlines (future SkyTeam member)
Finnair (Oneworld)
Flybe
Gol Transportes Aéreos
Japan Airlines (Oneworld)
Jat Airways
|
Luxair
Malév Hungarian Airlines (Oneworld)
Middle East Airlines (future SkyTeam member)
Qantas (Oneworld)
Rossiya
Saudi Arabian Airlines (future SkyTeam member)
TAAG Angola Airlines
Ukraine International Airlines
WestJet
|}
Fleet
The Air France fleet consists of the following passenger aircraft (as of January 2011). The
Boeing customer code for Air France is -x28. (e.g. A 747–400 that was manufactured for Air France is a 747–428)
.]]
. (2010)]]
.]]
.]]
.]]
.]]
at
Charles de Gaulle airport.]]
1 The front part of the cabin is dedicated to Premium seating, with Premium Affaires (middle seat not used) and Premium Voyageur (additional services, separated from the Voyageur cabin by a curtain). The size of the Premium cabin only depends on the number of seats booked in these classes on the flight.
2 Long-haul business class seats on Airbus A319/LR aircraft are Dedicate service business class seats with 48" seat pitch and 21" seat width. These aircraft are used on Dedicate service routes only.
Orders
On 24 May 2007, Air France announced it was planning to phase out its 747-400 aircraft by 2010, and placed an order for an additional 13 Boeing 777-300ERs and five Boeing 777F units. The airline also converted options for two more A380-800s into firm orders. This will bring the total of these aircraft for Air France to 33 Boeing 777-300ERs, 10 Boeing 777Fs, and 12 A380-800.
On 22 February 2005 Air France ordered a further four Boeing 777-300ERs, adding to 10 previously ordered (four delivered). The airline had previously ordered 18 Boeing 777-200ERs.
On 20 May 2005 Air France signed an agreement with
Boeing to have three of its former Boeing 747–400 Combi aircraft – currently operated in all-passenger configuration – converted to the Boeing 747-400SF Special Freighter model. The modified aircraft will accelerate the phasing-out of the remaining, aging Boeing 747-200F freighters.
Air France has begun the process of removing the Boeing 747-400s from its fleet, in favour of the Boeing 777-300ER. A letter of intent has been signed for 6 747s to be purchased and converted to freighters and it hopes to have completely phased out all 747s by 2013.
On 23 May 2005 Air France agreed to buy five
777 Freighters (with three further options), making it the launch customer of the 777 Freighter. Air France took delivery of its first two 777 Freighters during February 2009. Two of the five were later sold to
FedEx Express before being delivered.
Airbus A380
Air France signed as a launch customer for the Airbus A380-800 "superjumbo" in 2001. Air France had ordered 12 Airbus A380-800 aircraft, with options on a further two.
The first A380 was delivered on 30 October 2009, and the Paris to New York route was used as the first route.
Following delivery of the second A380, Air France started using it on the Paris to Johannesburg route from the 17 February 2010. With delivery of the third A380 in April 2010, they increased the frequency of the Johannesburg route to daily. Additionally, between 12 June and 30 August 2010, the carrier scheduled flights between Paris and London using the A380 on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays in July only, to avoid an 18-hour layover in Paris for the aircraft used on the Johannesburg route. This route performed very well, with an average load factor of 96%. The fourth A380 has been delivered in August 2010, and has been used to begin A380 flights to Tokyo, which started on 1 September 2010. As of 22 April 2011, Air France offers daily service aboard the A380 to Montreal. As more are delivered, Washington D.C., and San Francisco will also be added as A380 destinations during summer 2011. Air France was the first airline in Europe to be operating the A380 with Lufthansa following in June 2010.
Destinations served by Air France's A380s are New York-JFK, Johannesburg, Montreal and Washington D.C. (Tokyo suspended until November), with future destinations planned to Mexico City and San Francisco.
Anniversary Jet
retrojet.]]
On 14 November 2008, Air France released the first picture of an Airbus A320 with registration F-GFKJ that has been repainted in the full 1946 paint scheme to celebrate the airline's 75 years anniversary. This
heritage aircraft is planned to fly under the special colours until Spring 2010. As of February 2011, the heritage aircraft is still in service.
Fleet history
Over the years, Air France has operated the following aircraft types:
{|
| STYLE="vertical-align: top"|
{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+ Air France Historical Fleet
|- style="background:#1d3d73;"
!Aircraft
!Introduced
!Retired
|-
|Airbus A300
|1974
|1998
|-
|Airbus A310
|1984
|2002
|-
|Airbus A318
|2003
|
|-
|Airbus A319
|1997
|
|-
|Airbus A320
|1988
|
|-
|Airbus A321
|1997
|
|-
|Airbus A330-200
|2001
|
|-
|Airbus A340-200
|1993
|1999
|-
|Airbus A340-300
|1993
|
|-
|Airbus A380
|2009
|
|-
|Boeing 707–320 Intercontinental
|19??
|19??
|-
|Boeing 707-320B
|19??
|1993
|-
|Boeing 737–200
|1982
|2002
|-
|Boeing 737–300
|1991
|2004
|-
|Boeing 737–500
|1990
|2007
|-
|Boeing 747–100
|1970
|2008
|-
|Boeing 747-200B
|197?
|20??
|-
|Boeing 747-200F
|197?
|20??
|-
|Boeing 747–300
|1991
|2007
|-
|Boeing 747-400
|1991
|
|}
| STYLE="vertical-align: top"|
{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+ Historical Fleet (continued)
|- style="background:#1d3d73;"
!Aircraft
!Introduced
!Retired
|-
|Boeing 747-400BCF
|20??
|
|-
|Boeing 747-400F
|2001
|
|-
|Boeing 767–200
|1991
|1992
|-
|Boeing 767–300
|1991
|2003
|-
|Boeing 777-200
|1998
|
|-
|Boeing 777-200F
|2008
|
|-
|Boeing 777-300ER
|2004
|
|-
|Breguet 763
|194?
|19??
|-
|Concorde
|1976
|2003
|-
|Douglas DC-3
|19??
|19??
|-
|Douglas DC-4
|19??
|19??
|-
|Douglas DC-6
|19??
|19??
|-
|Fokker F27
|19??
|19??
|-
|Fokker 100
|1997
|1999
|-
|Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
|1989
|1991
|-
|Lockheed L-749 Constellation
|19??
|19??
|-
|Lockheed L-1049G S. Constellation
|19??
|19??
|-
|Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
|19??
|19??
|-
|McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
|1992
|
|-
|SNCASE Languedoc
|1945
|1952
|-
|Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle
|196?
|1991
|-
|Vickers Viscount 700
|19??
|19??
|}
|}
Concorde
The five Air France Concordes were retired on 31 May 2003, as a result of insufficient demand following the 25 July 2000 crash of AF Concorde F-BTSC, at Gonesse (near Charles de Gaulle International Airport), as well as higher fuel and maintenance costs. British Airways flew its last Concorde service on 24 October 2003. Concorde F-BVFA was transferred to the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the
National Air & Space Museum in the
Chantilly area of
Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, near Washington Dulles International Airport. F-BVFB was given to the
Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum in Germany, F-BTSD to the
Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, while F-BVFC returned to its place of manufacture in
Toulouse, at the Airbus factory. F-BVFF is the only example to remain at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Cabin classes
Air France has four primary classes of international service: La Première (First), Affaires (Business), Premium Voyageur (Premium Economy) and Voyageur (Economy). European short-haul flights feature Voyageur and Premium Voyageur class service. For flights to the
Caribbean and Indian Ocean, a premium economy class, Alizé, is also offered, and a Premium Voyageur class has been announced for selected international routes. Inflight entertainment via
AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) is available in select cabins.
La Première
La Première (former L'Espace Première), Air France's long-haul
first class product, is available on the Airbus A380 along with four-class
Boeing 777-300ER and 777-200ER aircraft. The Première cabin features four to nine (A380) wood and leather seats which recline 180°, forming two-
metre long beds. Each seat features a 10.4" touchscreen TV monitor with interactive gaming and AVOD, a privacy divider, automassage feature, reading light, storage drawer, noise-cancelling headphones, personal telephone, and laptop power ports.
À la carte on-demand meal services feature entrées created by Chef Guy Martin. Turndown service includes a mattress, duvet and pillow. Private lounge access is offered worldwide. La Première is not available on the A330-200 and A340-300, where Affaires is the highest cabin class; and since 2010, the same applies to three-class 777-200ER and 777-300ER aircraft. Premium Voyageur's gradual rollout covers the entire long-haul fleet except the Boeing 747–400.
Voyageur
Voyageur (former Tempo), Air France's
economy class product, features seats that recline up to 118°. The latest long-haul Voyageur seat, which debuted on the Boeing 777-300ER, includes winged headrests, a personal telephone, and a touchscreen TV monitor with AVOD Interactive Entertainment System which are gradually being installed on all of Air France's longhaul aircraft except Boeing 747-400s. Short-haul Voyageur services are operated by Airbus A320 family aircraft with different seating arrangements. Air France is one of the few airlines who features winged headrests on short-haul aircraft in both classes. On short haul flights a snack is served. On medium haul flights a three course cold meal is served. On long haul flights there is a choice between two main courses when available. Free alcoholic beverages are available on all flights, including champagne.
The prior Tempo cabin was renamed as Voyageur with Air France's new image rebranding.
Services
In-flight catering
For its Première cabin, Air France's first class menu is designed by Guy Martin, chef of Le Grand Vefour, a
Michelin three-star restaurant in Paris. Menu items include
hors d’oeuvres, entrées, bread basket, and cheeses, along with a dessert cart including pastries,
petit fours, and tartlets. Air France also serves complimentary champagne to passengers in all classes.
In-flight entertainment
and dessert course in Affaires (Business)]]
Air France offers Audio Video on Demand (AVOD) in all classes on service on its A330, A340, A380 and 777 aircraft. The AVOD system features multiple channels of video, audio, music, and games. Première and Affaires passengers can start and stop programs, plus rewind and fast-forward as desired; in Voyageur class, the system may cycle between programs at a regular interval on all aircraft except Airbus A380 and Boeing 777. Most aircraft in Air France's 747 fleet do not have individual video screens in Voyageur class.
Air France Magazine, the airline's in-flight publication, is included at each seat, and
Air France Madame, a fashion luxury magazine with a feminine perspective, is included in Première and Affaires cabins and lounges. On all flights, all films may be watched in English, Spanish, and French. Selected films on all flights are also available in Chinese, Japanese, and/or Korean. The airline offers
Berlitz International language courses via the in-flight entertainment system.
Air France Magazine is the airline's in-flight magazine.
Lounges
Air France lounges are open to Première and Affaires passengers, as well as Flying Blue Gold, Flying Blue Platinum, SkyTeam Elite Plus, or Club 2000 frequent flier program cardholders. Many airports feature SkyTeam lounges that are used by Air France and member airline partners.
Flying Blue
Flying Blue, the
frequent flyer program of Air France-KLM, awards members points based on miles travelled and class of service. Membership into the program is free. The program is divided into standard (Ivory) and Elite (Silver, Gold and Platinum) statuses. Ivory is the basic level which is attained upon entry into the program. Elite status is attained by accruing a certain number of miles within one calendar year. Elite Silver, Elite Gold, and Elite Platinum cards have added benefits. Flying Blue succeeded Air France's previous frequent flyer program, Fréquence Plus, which operated until the Air France-KLM merger in 2003.
Ivory – Permanent status; accrues mileage on AF, KLM, and qualifying flights.
Silver (Elite) – 25,000 or more miles, or 15 or more segments.
Gold (Elite (Plus)) – 40,000 or more miles travelled, or 30 or more level segments.
Platinum (Elite Plus) – 70,000 or more miles travelled, or 60 or more level segments.
For French and Monegasque residents, Elite thresholds are higher, at 30,000, 60,000, and 90,000 miles respectively.
Air France has featured in Hollywood films. In the 1942 classic Casablanca, an Air France airliner, identifiable via its seahorse logo, featured prominently in the film's climactic last scene. The Air France aircraft was used to take Ingrid Bergman's character (Ilsa Laszlo) and her husband to freedom, as her former lover, Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, watches.[ Additionally, the first in-flight movie was screened on board an Air France Lockheed Constellation in 1951 flying the New York to Paris route.][ An Air France Concorde aircraft featured in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker landing in Rio de Janeiro and with Bond disembarking the aircraft.
]
Air France is also mentioned in some episodes of the US TV drama Gossip Girl where Paris plays a small role in the life of the Waldorf Family.
==Incidents and accidents==
See also
List of airlines of France
List of airports in France
List of companies of France
Transport in France
References
Further reading
Air France corporate history
Air France fatal accident list – in English and French
Financial Times, 17 October 2007 – Air France and Delta target London
Airwise, 17 October 2007 – Air France And Delta Set Transatlantic Venture
FT.com/Business Life, The Monday Interview, 30 September 2007 – Pilot who found the right trajectory
The Seattle Times, Business & Technology, 25 May 2007 – Air France-KLM splits order for jets
Air France corporate history
ASIATravelTips.com, 18 June 2001 – Air France confirms major A380 order
M.R. Golder, The Changing Nature of French Dirigisme – A Case Study of Air France, St. Edmunds Hall, Oxford. Thesis submitted at Trinity College, 1997
Business Wire, 16 January 1996 – Statement from Air France Group Chairman regarding Stephen M. Wolf
The New York Times, 31 August 1994, Air France's New Adviser
Record of Air France accidents/incidents at the ASN Aviation Safety Database
External links
Air France Corporate (mobile)
Air France Consulting
Category:Companies of France
Category:Airlines of France
Category:IATA members
Category:Airlines established in 1933
Category:Association of European Airlines members
Category:Air France-KLM
Category:SkyTeam
Category:Companies based in Paris
![Patrouille de France at RIAT 2004. In 2009, with their 10 Alpha Jets visited Buenos Aires, Argentina. [2] The Patrouille de France makes a great presentation drawing in the sky several times the flags of France and Argentina](http://web.archive.org./web/20110902073238im_/http://cdn8.wn.com/pd/4e/f0/d633b675d127d8718365a90e8be1_grande.jpg "Patrouille de France at RIAT 2004. In 2009, with their 10 Alpha Jets visited Buenos Aires, Argentina. [2] The Patrouille de France makes a great presentation drawing in the sky several times the flags of France and Argentina")
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![Patrouille de France at RIAT 2004. In 2009, with their 10 Alpha Jets visited Buenos Aires, Argentina. [2] The Patrouille de France makes a great presentation drawing in the sky several times the flags of France and Argentina](http://web.archive.org./web/20110902073238im_/http://cdn7.wn.com/pd/4e/f0/d633b675d127d8718365a90e8be1_thumb.jpg "Patrouille de France at RIAT 2004. In 2009, with their 10 Alpha Jets visited Buenos Aires, Argentina. [2] The Patrouille de France makes a great presentation drawing in the sky several times the flags of France and Argentina")
![French actor Gerard Depardieu arrives for the screening of the film "Quand J´Etais Chanteur" at the 59th international Cannes film festival, southern France, Friday, May 26, 2006. (AP Photo/Laurent Emmanuel) (js1)](http://web.archive.org./web/20110902073238im_/http://cdn8.wn.com/ph/img/cd/11/cca58355a213be7c24f7ba8b514f-medium.jpg "French actor Gerard Depardieu arrives for the screening of the film "Quand J´Etais Chanteur" at the 59th international Cannes film festival, southern France, Friday, May 26, 2006. (AP Photo/Laurent Emmanuel) (js1)")