Air France Expands in North America, Launches Service to Raleigh

Air France continues to bolster its service to North America, currently one of its most dynamic markets in the world. For winter 2023-2024, the airline plans to operate up to 212 weekly flights to 21 destinations in the US, Canada and Mexico. 

Effective October 30, 2023, Air France will be adding a new American destination to its network: Raleigh-Durham (RDU). This winter, the North Carolina capital will become Air France 14th US destination, after  Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, Newark, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington.

The carrier will operate 3 weekly non-stop flights Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Paris-Charles de Gaulle on a Boeing 787-9 equipped with 279 seats (30 in Business, 21 in Premium Economy and 228 in Economy).

Flight schedules: 

Flight AF692 leaves Paris-CDG at 13h30, and arrives Raleigh-Durham International at 16h35. Flight AF693 leaves Raleigh-Durham International at 18h45, and arrives Paris-CDG at 08h25 (next day). All times are local.

Raleigh-Durham: Gateway to the “Research Triangle”

Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, is among the most dynamic cities in the Southern United States. A blend of tradition, history and modernity, it is nicknamed the “City of Oaks” for the many oak trees that line its streets.

Raleigh, and its neighbouring cities Durham and Chapel Hill, are home to three prestigious universities, and together they form the “Research Triangle,” recognized nationwide as a hub of education, research and innovation.

Second only to Silicon Valley in the US for advanced industries, Research Triangle Park is one of the leading high-tech research and development areas in the country.

This route was previously operated by Delta Air Lines, Air France's partner in the transatlantic joint venture comprising Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic.

In addition to the launch of the Raleigh-Durham service, the winter season will also see an increase in number of flights from/to Dallas-Fort Worth (Texas) from 3 in 2022 to 5 this year.

Canada: Up to 38 flights a week to 4 destinations this winter

Air France is also planning more flights higher north, from/to Canada. The top European carrier in terms of capacity between Europe and Canada, Air France will connect Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa all winter.

The non-stop service between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Ottawa introduced on June 27 will continue for the winter season. The airline will operate 5 flights every week, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, on a Boeing 787-9 equipped with 279 seats (30 in Business, 21 in Premium Economy and 228 in Economy). 

Flight schedules: 

Flight AF328 leaves Paris-CDG at 13h10, and arrives Ottawa at 15h05. Flight AF327 leaves Ottawa at 17h15, and arrives Paris-CDG at 06h05 the next day. All times are local.

Air France is the only carrier that offers non-stop flights between Ottawa and Europe. Flights will also be added to Montreal and Vancouver, with up to 21 and 5 a week, respectively, versus 17 and 3 last winter.

Finally, as of December 2, 2023, Air France will resume flying during winter between Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Montreal, with 2 weekly flights Tuesdays and Saturdays on an Airbus A320 with WIFI.

Montreal is among the 5 destinations served via Air France’s Caribbean regional network, which connects Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Fort-de-France (Martinique) to Belém (Brazil), Cayenne (French Guiana), Miami (US) and Montreal.

Meanwhile, KLM will fly between Amsterdam and 19 North American destinations: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Calgary, Cancun, Chicago, Edmonton, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mexico, Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Montreal, New York JFK, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington.

Both carriers operate a shuttle bus service in Canada, between Montreal-Trudeau, Quebec City and Ottawa for Air France, and between Montreal-Trudeau and Ottawa for KLM.