Air France announced they will add a new route connecting Paris (CDG) with Phoenix (PHX) for the first time. This additional route will be Air France’s 17th US destination and the third direct flight from Phoenix to a major European destination. The other European cities with direct flights from Phoenix are Frankfurt (via Condor) and London (via American Airlines and British Airways). While the announcement may shock some, the size of the Phoenix market and the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris make this an ideal fit in the Air France and SkyTeam network.

Air France’s New Paris to Phoenix Route

As of May 23, 2024, Air France will operate thrice weekly flights between Paris (CDG) and Phoenix (PHX). The new flight will operate weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with the following flight times:

• AF68 Paris (CDG) to Phoenix (PHX), departing 10:10AM and arriving at 12:10PM – 11hr flight time
• AF69 Phoenix (PHX) to Paris (CDG), departing 2:10PM and arriving at 9:15AM (next day) – 10 hr flight time

Credit: GCMapper.

Air France will operate its 787-9 Dreamliner on this route in a three class configuration: 30 Business Class seats, 21 Premium Economy seats, and 228 Economy Class seats – for a total of 279 seats. The Business Class cabin on the Air France 787-9 has a herringbone design which offers every passenger direct aisle access. While the Air France 787-9 does not offer the newest Air France Business Class hard product, as seen on the A350-900, it is still a terrific way to cross the Atlantic. The Premium Economy Class and Economy Class seats also provide respective comfort on the 10hr+ flight.

Credit: Air France. Business Class.

Credit. Air France. Premium Economy.

Credit. Air France. Economy Class.

Booking Air France’s New Paris to Phoenix Route

The new route already appears on the Air France site for cash bookings only. Tickets for the inaugural flight are priced as follows: ~$1,500 USD in Economy, ~$2,700 in Premium Economy, and ~$7,250 in Business. Thankfully, the cash rates the week before the Olympics heading to Paris are on par with other dates.

At this time, there are no opportunities to book an award flight. However, given the new “flat rate” redemption structure Air France rolled out at the end of last year, the expected one-way point cost is: 20,000 in Economy, 35,000 in Premium Economy, and 50,000 in Business. At these rates, Air France offers incredible value on flights between the West Coast and Europe.

Final Thoughts

As of May 2024, Phoenix will offer customers three year-round transatlantic flights with Air France (Paris) joining American and British (London) and one seasonal flight with Condor (Frankfurt). The move continues a pattern by Air France of moving into “2nd Tier” United States markets, joining the 3x weekly service between Raleigh-Durham and Paris launched in October 2023. While the increased competition is great for consumers, only time will tell if this is a good long-term strategy for Air France.