Air France - Ticket refund and compensation in case of flight delays and cancellations

Recent flight delays and cancellations with Air France

Click to view all recent flight delays and cancellation data for Air France. The table below gives you an inside view of how much information we have at our disposal.

About Air France

History and recent development

Air France is France’s biggest airline and the national flag carrier. Founded in 1933 as a merger between several aviation companies, Air France has over 80 years of aviation history. Even the first company logo, a winged seahorse, belonged to one of the original merged airlines – Air Orient. Air France has come a long way since being listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1999. The company currently operates a fleet of 245 aircraft, most of which are manufactured by Airbus, with an average age of 10.3 years.

In 2004, another great merger took place when Air France and Dutch airline KLM united forces to become the world’s largest airline company both in terms of total operating revenues and international passenger kilometers. A few years later, Air France faced a difficult period during the world economic crisis in 2008 and 2009, concluding with a debt of 814m €. Another critical moment in the airline’s history was the crash of flight AF 447 off the South American coast, which was considered the worst accident in the airline’s 80-year history. Today, the airline has returned to a positive development, ordering new aircraft to its fleet in 2013 and upgrading its business class amenities throughout 2014 onwards.

Major destinations

Air France’s main hub is Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), where it operates most of its long-distance and national flights. There are a total of 165 destinations covered by Air France, including almost all major international locations. The French airline serves New York (JFK) from Paris (CDG) with over 1800 connections per year. Destinations in South America include the tourist magnet, Rio de Janeiro (GIG). Flights are offered to many destinations especially in West Africa, for example, Abidjan (ABJ), which passengers can reach from Paris ten times a week. Among the most popular routes are the convenient connections from Europe to the French overseas departments, especially flights to Papeete (PPT) which is served via Los Angeles three times a week, to Réunion (ZSE), served twelve times a week, and Mauritius (MRU), served between three and seven times per week, depending on the season.

Services and quality of service

Air France is a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance, with partners including renowned airlines such as KLM, Delta, Alitalia, Aeroflot, and Korean Air. The airline has a four-star rating on SKYTRAX and runs a frequent flyer program known as “Flying Blue”. Customers emphasize good cancellation policies and handling of delays. Like most airlines today, Air France offers an information service (“AF Connect”) which can be accessed by phone, SMS, or email in the case of a delay or cancellation. However, with an on-time arrival performance of 80%, it would seem that extensive delays are more of an exception than the norm. The gastronomic service on-board is appreciated by most passengers with a four-star rating in all classes on SKYTRAX; the same holds for in-flight entertainment services. However, in terms of the cleanliness of the cabin and washrooms, cabin comfort, and condition, the performance is high in first and business classes, while Air France reaches only a solid three-star rating in economy class.

Cultural and ecological commitments

Air France is committed to sustainable development and has, among many other things, introduced new containers to decrease flight weight. This decrease helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions and kerosene usage, which pollutes the environment. Sustainability is not the company’s only aim: it is also active in the historical and cultural communication of topics related to aviation, especially regarding the company’s history.

If you’re one of the rare few who have experienced a delayed flight or cancellation with Air France, let Flightright help. At Flightright, we assist Air France passengers who have been subjected to a delay or flight cancellation to enforce their rights. Getting compensated is quick and simple. To get started, use our free online calculator to check your eligibility for an Air France flight delay compensation.

More in-depth information regarding the EU-regulation and your passenger rights.

Under what conditions is your flight delay with Air France eligible for compensation?

The 2004 EU261 regulation clearly defines a flight delay as when an airline or its replacement arrives at your destination more than 3 hours later than expected. In this circumstance, you need to check to know if you might be entitled to compensation.

Note: the amount of compensation is dependent on the distance of the flight – not on the amount you paid for your ticket. Additionally, the flight must either take off or land in the European Union. In the case where it is landing in the European Union, the airline must also have its headquarters in the EU.

A Air France passenger is entitled to compensation in the event of the following:

• Flight delay: If your Air France flight arrives at your destination more than 3 hours later than expected.
• Flight Cancellation: if you were not informed of the cancellation or informed less than 14 days before departure.
• Overbooking: If you had suffered a denied boarding due to overbooking of your flight.
• Missed connecting flight: If you missed a connecting flight due to a delay in one of the legs, and you arrived at your destination more than 3 hours later than expected.

Don’t take any excuses!

• Meal vouchers or accommodation (in the case of an overnight delay) do not suffice for compensation.
• All flight packages are covered by this regulation and only the person on the passenger manifest and who has suffered the delay, irrespective of who paid for the ticket, will receive compensation for the disturbance.
• Your claims are valid up to 6 years in the past.
• Only extraordinary circumstances such as union strikes or bad weather relieve the airline of this responsibility.

Here is an overview of which compensation you’ll be entitled to, based on the circumstances of your delay:

• Short distance flight delays – Below 1500km – Passengers are due €250 compensation from Air France.
• Medium distance flight delays – Between 1500km and 3500km – Passengers are due €400 compensation from Air France.
• Long distance flight delays – Over 3500km – Passengers are due €600 compensation from Air France.

Delay, cancellation, overbooking or missed connection flight? You are entitled to:

How to claim compensation from Air France

The first thing to do is confirm that you are eligible for Air France flight delay compensation. This is often not a simple process when done on your own: getting access to flight databases, comparing your situation with other similar cases, checking whether your case applies under European Regulation No. 261/2004, etc. are some of the tasks that need to be done carefully to determine if you are eligible for an Air France compensation. In fact, for an individual without the legal expertise or the required technology, this can prove quite complicated.

But we have made it all easy with Flightright. In simple steps, you can determine your eligibility for an Air France delay compensation. Simply enter your flight details into our free compensation calculator, establish that you’re entitled to a claim against Air France, and then leave the rest to us. It will only take a few minutes for us to verify the eligibility of your claim and initiate action to ensure that you get compensated. Our service is free as we only get a percentage of what we can extract as a claim. By choosing us, you are opting to join the more than 11 million satisfied customers who have used our service. We are a dependable partner and we have been successful at asserting air passenger rights for over 12 years.

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Air France Additional services at the airport

If your Air France flight departure is delayed for more than normal, you immediately have the right to basic benefits and services. These rights vary depending on the distance of your flight. Below, you’ll find an overview of what you’re eligible for:

• Short distance: from 2 hours waiting time – free drinks, free food, and 2 telephone calls, emails, or faxes
• Medium distance: from 3 hours waiting time – free drinks, free food, and 2 telephone calls, emails, or faxes
• Long-haul: from 4 hours waiting time – free drinks, free food, and 2 telephone calls, emails, or faxes

Delays of more than 5 hours

In this instance, you can, regardless of the distance, withdraw from your flight. Air France is obliged to either reimburse you or offer you alternative transportation to your destination.

Departure delayed until the next day

You’re eligible for a stay in a hotel, including transport to and from the airport. Contact Air France customer service directly and ask that confirmation of your hotel room and transfers be provided in writing.

Your flight didn’t take off yet?

You can simply enter your flight details for your future flight and we will let you know whether you’re eligible for compensation. Enter your flight here:

Air France – Summary of operational activities in 2023 

According to Flightright Data, in 2023, Air France operated a total of 217,014 flights, experienced 3,713 cancellations, and had 1,005 delays. 

Top 5 Major Airports Air France Operated at in 2023 

Had flight problems with Air France?

Flightright takes care of your rights in the event of flight delays, cancellations, and overbooking and is committed to ensuring that you receive your compensation from the airline.