Air France is France's flag carrier and a SkyTeam founding member, operating from Paris Charles de Gaulle with one of Europe's deepest long-haul networks — especially to Africa, the Caribbean, and French overseas territories. For UK travellers, AF is often the default SkyTeam option when KLM Amsterdam routings are full or when Flying Blue award space opens on AF metal from London.
Long-haul business class on the 777 and A350 uses a reverse-herringbone seat with direct aisle access — a meaningful upgrade from the old angled-flat product. La Première first class remains a genuine differentiator: private salons at CDG, onboard service pacing, and a hard product that competes with Lufthansa First on select routes. FlightLogic's La Première CDG lounge review scores the ground product 8.9/10.
Flying Blue is the loyalty currency, shared with KLM. Amex Membership Rewards UK transfers to Flying Blue at 1:1 — useful for Promo Rewards that periodically discount award prices. UK261 applies to UK-departing AF flights; EU261 applies to EU departures including CDG.
The weakness is the hub: CDG's Terminal 2 sprawl means sub-terminal bus transfers and immigration for some Schengen connections. Budget 90+ minutes for intercontinental connections and verify your arrival/departure hall before planning lounge time. Compare AF against KLM via AMS (/reviews/klm-airline-review-2026) for SkyTeam routing from the UK.
