Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Air France shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Air France offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Air France at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Air France? Wrong! If the Air France is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Air France then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Air France? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Air France and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Air France wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Air France then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Air France site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Air France, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Air France, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox_Airline |airline=Air France|logo=Air France logo.svg|200px|logo_size=250px|fleet_size=237 (+105 orders)|destinations=187|IATA=AF|ICAO=AFR|callsign=AIR FRANCE|parent=Air France-KLM, [France ([Chairman and CEO), Pierre-Henri Gourgeon (Chief operating officer), Philippe Calavia (CFO)]|focus_cities=Paris Orly Airport
Saint-Exupéry International Airport
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport|lounge=Departures Lounge|alliance=[SkyTeam, [France, and a subsidiary of Air France-KLM Group. It operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 185 destinations in 83 countries. Its global airline hub is located at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Paris Orly Airport, Saint-Exupéry International Airport and Nice Côte d'Azur Airport are secondary hubs..

Prior to its merger with KLM, Air France was France's primary national flag carrier, employing 71,654 people (as of March 2004). AIR FRANCE - KLM Company Profile Yahoo! Finance By March 2007, the airline employed 102,422 staff.

The company's corporation headquarters was located at Paris Charles de Gaulle to the North of Paris. This is where the headquarters of Air France-KLM is now located. Between April 2001 and March 2002 the airline carried 43.3mn passengers and earned a profit of Euro (currency) 12.53bn. Régional, Air France's regional airline subsidiary, operates the majority of its regional domestic and Europe scheduled services with a fleet of regional jet and turboprop aircraft. Régional (Compagnie Aérienne Européenne), Company Profile Air France is also accredited by International Air Transport Association with the IATA Operations Safety Audit (IOSA) for its safety practices. Air France IOSA Operators Profile History Air France was formed on October 7, 1933. On that day the airline came into existence, as a result of a merger between Air Orient, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA) - the first commercial airline company in France founded as Lignes Aériennes Farman in 1919, Air Union and Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne (CIDNA). At that time the airline had already built an extensive route network across Europe, as well as to the French colonies in North Africa and farther afield.

During World War II, Air France moved its operations to Casablanca, Morocco.

At the beginning of the post World War II era, on June 26, 1945, all France air transport companies were Nationalization. On December 29, 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 operational and engineering base, by a regular coach service. At that time the Air France route network covered 160,000 kilometer, which was claimed to be the longest in the world. Air France (Airline, France)

Société Nationale Air France was set up on January 1, 1946.

Air France inaugurated its first direct scheduled air service between Paris and New York on July 1, 1946. This service was operated with Douglas DC-4 piston airliners, which covered the route in just under 20 hours.

In 1946 and 1948, respectively, the French government authorised the creation of two wholly privately owned airlines. These were Transports Ariens Internationeaux - later renamed Transports Ariens Intercontinenteaux - (TAI) and SATI (which became Union Aéromaritime de Transport in 1949).

In 1948 Air France already operated one of the largest aircraft fleets in the world, numbering 130 aircraft.

Compagnie Nationale Air France was created by an act of parliament on June 16, 1948. Initially, the government held 70% of the newly created company. (In subsequent years the French Government's direct and indirect shareholdings in Air France reached almost 100%. In mid-2002 the French state still held a 54% stake in the airline.) M.R. Golder, The Changing Nature of French Dirigisme - A Case Study of Air France. Thesis submitted at Trinity College, Oxford, 1997, p.28

On August 4, 1948, Max Hymans was appointed president of Air France. During his 13 years at the helm, he implemented a modernisation policy centred on the introduction of state-of-the-art jet aircraft. In 1949 the company became a co-founder of SITA.

In 1952 Air France moved its main operational and engineering base to the then newParis Orly Airport, where its operations were concentrated at Paris Orly Airport, Orly Airport's South Terminal. By that time the company's network had further expanded, covering 250,000 km.

On September 26, 1953 the French government instructed Air France to share its long distance routes with the newly created private airlines. This was followed by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport's imposition of an accord on Air France, Aigle Azur, TAI and UAT, under which some of the former's long-haul routes to Africa, Asia and the Pacific region were transferred to the latter three airlines.

On February 23, 1960 the Ministry of Public Works and Transport transferred Air France's domestic monopoly to Air Inter. To compensate it for the loss of its domestic monopoly, Air France was given a stake in Air Inter. On February 24, 1960 Air France was furthermore instructed to share out its Africa routes with Air Afrique and UAT on an equal basis.

On February 1, 1963 the French government enacted a law that formalised the division of routes between Air France and its private sector rivals. Under this act Air France was required to withdraw all services to West Africa (with the exception of Senegal, which it continued to serve), Central Africa (except Burundi and Rwanda), Southern Africa (including Republic of South Africa), Libya in North Africa, Bahrain and Oman in the Middle East, Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) in South Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand as well as New Caledonia and Tahiti. These routes were exclusively allocated to the newly formed Union des Transports Aériens (the result of a merger between TAI and UAT). UTA also obtained exclusive traffic rights between Japan, New Caledonia and New Zealand, South Africa and the French Réunion island in the Indian Ocean, as well as Los Angeles and Tahiti.

From 1974 onwards, Air France began shifting the bulk of its operations to what was then a brand-new Charles de Gaulle Airport. (By the early 1980s, only its flights to Corsica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, most services to French Guyana, Réunion, the Maghreb region, Eastern Europe - except the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Southern Europe - except Greece and Italy, and one daily service to New York JFK remained at Orly.)

On January 21, 1976 Air France operated its inaugural supersonic service on the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Rio de Janeiro (via Dakar) route. Supersonic services from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport as well as from Paris CDG to Washington Dulles International Airport commenced the following year. It covered Paris to New York in only three hours and 23 minutes, at about twice the speed of sound. (Approval for flights to the United States of America was initially withheld due to noise protests.) Eventually, services to Mexico City via Washington, D.C. were started as well.

Air France has code-shared with a number of regional French airlines in the past. TAT (French airline) was the most prominent among Air France's past code-share partners. It applied the Air France livery to several of its aircraft that operated on Air France's regional international routes. http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Air%20France%20(TAT%20-%20Touraine%20Air%20Transport)&distinct_entry=true

By 1983, Air France's golden jubilee year, the firm's workforce numbered more than 34,000, its fleet comprised about 100 jet aircraft (including 33 Boeing 747s) and its 634,400 km long network served 150 destinations in 73 countries. This made Air France the fourth-largest scheduled passenger airline in the world, as well as the world's second-largest scheduled freight carrier.

In 1986 the French Government unexpectedly decided to relax its policy of neatly dividing traffic rights for scheduled air services between Air France, Air Inter and UTA, without any route overlaps between them. The French government's decision to adopt a less rigid interpretation of its official aviation policy gradually opened up some of Air France's most lucrative routes on which it had enjoyed a government-sanctioned monopoly among France's scheduled airlines since 1963, and which were located within its exclusive sphere of influence, to rival airlines, notably privately owned UTA. These changes therefore enabled UTA to launch scheduled services to new destinations within Air France's sphere of influence, in direct 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 of its non-stop Paris-Los Angeles services to Papeete, Tahiti, which competed with UTA on the Los Angeles-Papeete sector. UTA's ability to secure traffic rights outside its traditional sphere of influence in competition with Air France was the result of a successful campaign it had mounted to lobbying the French government to enable it to grow faster, thereby becoming a more dynamic and more profit business. This had infuriated the Air France management. Answers.com (Business and Finance) - Chargeurs International

On 12 January 1990, the operations of majority government-owned Air France, semi-public Air Inter and wholly privately owned UTA were merged into the Air France Group. Air France (Airline, France) Air France's acquisition of both UTA and Air Inter was part of an early 1990s French government plan to create a unified, national carrier with the economies of scale and global presence to counter potential threats resulting from the liberalization of the European Union's internal air transport market. FT.com/Business Life, The Monday Interview, 30 September 2007 - Pilot who found the right trajectory

On August 31, 1994 Stephen Wolf, a former United Airlines Chief Executive Officer was appointed as adviser to the Air France Group's then chairman Christian Blanc. Stephen Wolf has widely been credited with the successful introduction of Air France's hub and spoke operation at the airline's Paris Charles de Gaulle hub. (Stephen Wolf resigned his position as adviser to the Air France chairman in 1996 to take over as CEO at US Airways.) The New York Times, 31 August 1994, Air France's New Adviser Business Wire, 16 January 1996 - Statement from Air France Group Chairman regarding Stephen M. Wolf

A new holding company, Groupe Air France, was set up by decree on July 25, 1994. Groupe Air France became operational on September 1, 1994. It acquired majority shareholdings in Air France and Air Inter (renamed Air France Europe).

In 1997 Air France Europe was fully absorbed into Air France.

On February 10, 1999 Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government approved the airline's partial privatization. Its ownership equitys were listed on the Paris stock exchange on February 22, 1999.

In June 1999 Air France and Delta Air Lines formed a bilateral transatlantic partnership. On June 22, 2000 this bilateral transatlantic partnership was expanded into the the SkyTeam global airline alliance..

Air France-KLM merger tailOn September 30, 2003, Air France and Netherlands-based KLM, announced the merger of the two airlines, with the new company to be known as Air France-KLM. The merger finally became reality on May 5, 2004. At that point former Air France shareholders owned 81% of the new firm (44% owned by the French state, 37% by private shareholders), while former KLM shareholders held the rest. The decision of the Jean-Pierre Raffarin government to reduce the French state's shareholding in Air France from 54.4% (of the former Air France) to 44% (of the current Air France-KLM) effectively privatised the airline. In December 2004 the French state sold 18.4% of its equity stake in the Air France-KLM Group. It subsequently further reduced its stake to just under 20%.

Air France-KLM is the largest airline company in the world in terms of operating revenues, and the third-largest in the world (largest in Europe) in terms of passenger kilometers.

Air France-KLM is a participant of the SkyTeam alliance with Aeroflot, Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico, Korean Air, Czech Airlines, Alitalia, Northwest Airlines, Air Europa and Continental Airlines. Both Air France and KLM continue to fly under their own brand names.

New transatlantic profit and revenue sharing joint venture On October 17, 2007 the creation of a fully integrated profit and revenue sharing transatlantic joint venture between Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines was announced during a press conference at Air France-KLM's Roissy-Charles de Gaulle headquarters. The new joint venture will become effective on March 29, 2008. It will exploit new transatlantic opportunities to capture a major share of the lucrative long-haul business traffic from London's London Heathrow Airport, which will be opened up to unrestricted competition on that day as a result of the recent "Open Skies" pact between the EU and US. It is envisaged that Air France and Delta Air Lines, as well as their fellow SkyTeam members Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines, will begin nine daily roundtrips between Heathrow and various destinations in the US, including a daily Heathrow-Los Angeles service operated by Air France. Once the new Air France-Delta joint venture has received United States antitrust law, it will be extended to the other two transatlantic SkyTeam partners as well. This will enable all four partners to codeshare on each others' flights, as well as to share revenues and profits. Financial Times, 17 October 2007 - Air France and Delta target London Airwise, 17 October 2007 - Air France And Delta Set Transatlantic Venture

The new transatlantic joint venture marks the Air France-KLM group's second majorexpansion in the London market, following the launch of several new CityJet-operated short-haul routes from London City Airport that have specifically been aimed at business travellers working in the City of London's burgeoning financial services industry.

Destinations Most of Air France's international flights operate from Paris Charles de Gaulle. Air France also has a strong presence at Paris Orly and Lyon Saint-Exupéry. Some flights operate out of Nice Côte d'Azur Airport as well.

Fleet Passenger fleet The Air France passenger fleet consists of the following aircraft as of June 2007: Air France website - Fleet{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"|+ Air France Fleet|- bgcolor=lightblue!Aircraft!Total!Passengers
(First/Business/Economy)!Routes!Notes|-|Airbus A318|46|133* - 136*
138 - 142|Short-medium haul
Africa, Europe, Middle East||-|[Airbus A320|15|196* - 200*
206|Short-medium haul
Africa, Europe, Middle East||-|[Airbus A330-200|19|252 (6/42/204)
272 (36/236)
289 (30/259)|Long haul
Africa, Americas, Asia, Caribbean||-|[Airbus A380|10|395 (13/58/322)
433 (39/394)
474 (17/457)|Long haul
Africa, Americas, Asia, Caribbean|Replacement aircraft:
[Airbus A380
Boeing 777-300ER|5|||Replacement aircraft:
[Boeing 777
Boeing 777-300ER|25|264 (4/49/211)
270 (12/56/202)|Long haul
Africa, Americas, Asia||-|[Boeing 777-300ER|23
(28 orders)|310 (8/67/235)|Long haul
Africa, Americas, Asia|Launch customer|-|}*Short Haul aircraft base L'Espace Affaires seating amounts by demand.The average fleet age of Air France is 8.8 years as of September 2007 Air France Fleet & Age.

Cargo fleet {| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"|- bgcolor=lightblue!Aircraft!Total!Notes|-|Boeing 747|3|Exit from service: End of 2009|-|Boeing 747|1|4 More to be added after being converted
from passenger configuration to cargo|-|Boeing 747-400ERF until 2008|-|[Boeing 777|(10 orders)|To be delivered|}

Orders

Retired fleet

Fleet history Air France entered the jet age in 1953 with the original, short-lived De Havilland Comet series 1, the world's first jetliner.

The airline commenced uninterrupted pure jet aircraft operations in 1960, both with the Sud Aviation Caravelle and the Boeing 707.

It was also a major operator of the Vickers Viscount turboprop.

Air France was an early Boeing 747 operator. It eventually operated one of the world's largest 747 fleets.

In 1974 Air France became a launch customer for the Airbus A300 twin-engined widebodied plane, Airbus Industrie's first commercial airliner. In 1988 it became a launch customer for the Airbus A320 narrowbody twin, along with Air Inter and British Caledonian.

In 1976 Air France became one of only two airlines in the world - British Airways being the other airline - to actually introduce the Anglo-French Concorde, the world's first and operationally only successful supersonic aircraft, into commercial airline service.

at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

The five Air France Concordes were permanently grounded on May 31, 2003, allegedly as a result of insufficient demand following the 2000 accident, as well as higher fuel and maintenance costs. However, it is widely believed that Air France chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta's fear of personal criminal liability in the event of another Concorde accident was the real reason for the aircraft's withdrawal from service. Airbus's subsequent decision to stop supporting the in-service Concorde fleet forced British Airways to retire its own fleet prematurely. The Airbus decision to end all Concorde support came at an inopportune time for British Airways as it had just completed a major refurbishment of the aircraft's interiors and invested heavily in post-2000 crash modifications. (British Airways flew its last Concorde service on October 24, 2003.) Concorde F-BVFA was transferred to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annexe of the National Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia area of Fairfax County, Virginia, Virginia, United States, near Washington Dulles Airport. F-BVFB was given to Sinsheim in Germany, F-BTSD to the Paris in Paris, while F-BVFC was returned to its place of manufacture in Toulouse at the Airbus factory. F-BVFF is the only example to remain at Charles de Gaulle.http://www.concorde-spirit-tours.com/concorde.htm

Air France signed up as a launch customer for the Airbus A380 "superjumbo" in 2001. ASIATravelTips.com, 18 June 2001 - Air France confirms major A380 order

Cabin Air France has three primary classes of international service: L'Espace Première (First), L'Espace Affaires (Business), and Tempo (Economy). European shorthaul flights feature Tempo class service. For flights to the Caribbean and Indian Ocean, a premium economy class, Alizé, is also offered. Air France - On Board Inflight entertainment via AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) is available in select cabins.

L'Espace Première L'Espace Première, Air France's longhaul First class travel product, is available on Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. The L'Espace Première cabin features four to eight wood and leather seats which recline 180°, forming two metric system 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.

L'Espace Affaires L'Espace Affaires, Air France's longhaul business class product, is available on Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200ER, and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. L'Espace Affaires features lie-flat seats which recline to two meters in length. Each seat includes a 10.4" touchscreen TV monitor with interactive gaming and AVOD, reading light, personal telephone, and laptop power ports. Meal service features three-course meals and a cheese service, or an express menu served shortly after takeoff.

-100 landing

Tempo Tempo, Air France's economy class product, features seats that recline up to 118°. The latest longhaul Tempo seat, which debuted on the Boeing 777-300ER, includes winged headrests, a personal telephone, and a touchscreen TV monitor with interactive gaming and partial AVOD, with films and programs restarting every 15 minutes. Shorthaul Tempo services are operated by Airbus A320 family aircraft with different seating arrangements. On short haul flights, a cold meal is served. On long haul flights you can choose between two main courses. Complimentary alcoholic beverages are available on all flights. On flights over 10.5 hours, a self-service snack buffet is available in the galley.

Alizé Alizé, Air France's premium economy product, is available on flights to the Caribbean and Indian Ocean (such as the Antilles, Guyana, and Mauritius). On the Boeing 777-300ER, the Alizé cabin is located in front of the Tempo cabin and features 36 seats. Alizé seats recline up to 123° and feature massaging foot rests. A predeparture drink, enhanced meal service, and feather pillows and blankets are offered.

Codeshare agreements In addition to its Brit Air, CityJet, Régional, and SkyTeam alliance partnerships, Air France offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:{||- valign="top"| |

|}

Subsidiaries In partnership with The Netherlands affiliate, transavia.com, Air France is to launch a new low-cost subsidiary to be based at Paris Orly and to begin operations in May 2007 with leisure route services in the Mediterranean and North Africa. It will operate 4 "Next Generation" Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Transavia is understood to have a 40% stake, with Air France holding the rest Airliner World (January 2007).

Incidents and accidents There are numerous reported incidents/accidents involving Air France aircraft/flights. At least twelve of these involved heavy loss of life. Record of Air France accidents/incidents at the ASN Aviation Safety Database

Selected accidents/major incidents are listed below:







































 

Air France



 
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