OT - American Airlines vs. Air France?

[deenass]

Which is a better airline to fly to Europe??

[bostonsmama]

If I had my choice of all airlines, I'd pick neither of those two. I love Delta, and have flown to and from Germany on Delta more times than I care to count...all great experiences (2 good hot meals, 2-3ngood movies, great service, & good ammenities-hot towels, free headphones, pillows, blankets, slippers). I've only flown American Airlines domestically and was not impressed.

Usually carriers that operate out of the country you want to visit (like JAL-Japanese Airlines when going to Japan, Lufthansa when going to Germany, and Copa Airlines when going to Central America) are better and provide nicer services...but then again, many Parisian French aren't the most accomodating, go-out-of-their-way type of people. Some online reviews support that it's an airline of mixed reviews...so/so service, lost baggage, frequently delayed or overbooked w/ full flights, small meal portions (so very French)...although it sounds like it might be nice if you fly business class!!

Sorry, ETA link: http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/af.htm

Good luck deciding...I have no Int'l experience on American.

Larissa

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.
~Elizabeth Stone

[american_mama]

My husband flew Air France last November to Norway (through Paris). He LOVED it, at least he loved the food. I have heard that Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris is confusing and prone to losing bags on some connections, but my DH had nothing to report about that.

As a family, we flew American Airlines to Brussels twice. I liked it: the food was OK or better and the seat space reasonable. To my surprise, many of the crew members were not American and frankly I found them to be a bit hostile or unhelpful, but it is not a big deal. We also flew Continental to Brussels once, which had individual LCD displays in each seat. I think many Northwest KLM flights to Europe have the same.

Frankly, the only things that matter to me about flying to Europe are price, frequent flyer miles, and total travel time. To me, service is pretty much the same on all airlines. Some airlines force you to fly in the opposite direction to their hub to get your international flight and I just can't stand that waste of time. For instance, Northwest sends all their east coast passengers first to Detroit or Minneapolis to get the international connection, then back east to Europe. I don't think I could stand doing that, so I'd probably choose a different airline with a better routing.

[jhrabosk]

I had a good experience on AA, but it was a number of years ago (pre-9/11) and I've heard it's gone downhill since then.

We flew an Air France/Delta partner flight to France 2 years ago and it was hideous. I don't remember much about the food, but the staff was just rude and unhelpful.

I agree with the PP about something like Lufthansa...we flew them to Italy (through Germany) a few years ago and it was spectacular. One of the best international flights I've ever had.

Personally, I happen to be a Continental girl, but that may be due in part to living so near their Newark hub...convenience trumps all! :)

[Zansu]

If you don't have status and you're flying coach, go with whichever is cheaper.

I travel a lot for work, and some of the other people I work with travel almost constantly. I've never heard anyone choose Air France as their first choice.

[bubbaray]

Are those your only choices? FIL flies to Germany multiple times a year and always tries to fly Lufthansa.

Another thing to consider is what type of aircraft the airline runs on the route you want to fly. That is usually my first concern. I prefer Boeing airplanes over Airbuses anyday (got a little too much info from a friend who is a commercial pilot who refuses to ride in any Airbus product). That is just me, though. Plus, I prefer newer Boeing products over old, KWIM?

I've also had good experiences flying British Airways.

I've only flown AA within North America and never had a good experience with them. For domestic US carriers, I've had good luck with Delta. Not sure if this applies, but if you are flying from Canada, Air Canada generally has the WORST service, most customer complaints and crappy safety record.... :(

If you want to check into airline safety records, check here:

http://aviation-safety.net/database/

Have a great trip!
Melissa

Maya Papaya!
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[gour0]

All my friends work for AA so I vote them. ;)

[kozachka]

I flew American Airlines cross-Atlantic once, about 10 years ago, and it was worse than Air Ukraine. And it was in business class. So I never felt the desire to fly with them again.

We fly KLM a lot, they are OK/good as far as service goes and are fairly competitive on the rates. British Airways is nicer in my experience. Of the domestic airlines, Delta was pretty good. United just slightly better than AA. My dad liked flying Lufthansa.

[crl]

Assuming price, scheduling, etc are equal, I'd go Air France. Free wine with dinner and it's fun to be called "mademoiselle" (sp?)!

HTH,