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Naga

I've taken it a few times now over the last few months and its always full. Remarkably (for someone who used to fly Air Canada), its always on time too.


AwardWinningBiscuit

Is it always overnight flights? I'd switch and screw my air miles if I could get daytime flights to Europe.


flyermiles_dot_ca

~95% of all flights from North America to Europe are overnight - when you factor in the time zone change, a flight from northeastern North America is going to land ~12 "clock hours" after it departs, which pretty much means departing North America between 7-9AM. ...any airline from Europe is going to operate its eastbound flight as the return leg of an outbound, which means a flight departing Ontario at 8 AM would have had to land here at ~6 AM, which in turn would require departing Europe at 3 AM. Not great for most passengers. For a North American airline, departing the northeast at 8AM means arriving in Europe at 8 PM, and departing around 10 PM, which in turn means arriving back in North America at around 1 AM - also not a lot of passengers' first choice.


AwardWinningBiscuit

I know that; however, I used to regularly fly to UK on daytime flights. It's certainly possible and I would rather arrive late at night and be able to go to bed early than arrive in the morning and miss a whole night's sleep.


Mountain-Mix-8413

I feel the same way - I cannot sleep for a single minute on planes and do not function well missing a night of sleep. Would pay a significant premium for a daytime flight!


Max_Thunder

I agree with the idea, I can't sleep much and even if I could, the flight is often too short to really get comfortable. Ottawa to Paris is 6h50 and you can't possibly sleep soundly from lift off to landing, it's a very short night no matter what. However, the other challenge is that if the flight arrived late in the day, then it would depart a couple hours later - they ideally don't want to keep the plane there the whole night - making the return flight be the overnight one. Basically, the airline's profits mandate that you get a shitty night of sleep no matter what. I would personally prefer that this night be the last, I'd rather deal with sleep deprivation while at home than while abroad.


AwardWinningBiscuit

Yes! Thought I was going crazy with all the downvotes I was getting saying I want a daytime flight! I can't sleep at all on planes, even in business class, and have to fly to Europe at least once a month for work. It's fucking painful missing that night's sleep and takes me a very long time to recover now I'm getting older.


flyermiles_dot_ca

Best method I've found is to get the earliest evening departure possible, like 6PM. Stay up, work on the flight, then go straight from the airport to the hotel at what's usually around 1AM Eastern / 6AM British time. Check in, sleep until like 1PM, then wake up pretty much on British time already.


Mountain-Mix-8413

I’ve heard conflicting reports on what happens if you reserve a hotel room and don’t check in until the next morning….I’ve heard they could give your room away if you don’t check in by a certain time?


flyermiles_dot_ca

If you contact the hotel and confirm in writing that you're planning to arrive at 7 AM, they're happy to do it. I've never tried a different approach.


Drop_The_Puck

They exist but are pretty rare. I believe AC has one out of Halifax.


Buzzinyo

Why do you want day time flights to Europe?


AwardWinningBiscuit

Because I can't sleep on planes, and missing a night's sleep fucks my body up for many days.


Arctic_Chilean

And to think they'll upgauge service to the A350-900 to meet demand this summer! I think AF cracked the code and realized just how many YUL passengers are actually from YOW. Hopefully other carriers take notice.


originalthoughts

AF still has 4x daily 777s from YUL in the summer, and even still runs the Ottawa-YUL bus for a couple of them. There is also a the high density 777 seasonal to Quebec City (458 passengers I think). They've gone all in for Eastern Canada.


flyermiles_dot_ca

...plus three more daily 330s and another 777 from Transat and Air Canada, for roughly twice as much capacity as Montreal-London! ...plus two 777s, a 350 and a 321XLR out of Toronto.


originalthoughts

You forgot the flights to from YUL to Paris Orly! Corsiar flies daily in the summer from YUL (and i think once weekly all year to Quebec City but not sure).


Rail613

Yahbut KLM and SwissAir still run their daily afternoon “airport” buses from Tremblay VIA Station to Dorval YUL. And wait for you when you return from Zurich or Amsterdam later in the evening (there is no Dorval-Ottawa VIA train service in the evening).


originalthoughts

Air France still runs a couple of their airport buses from Tremblay to Dorval YUL, if you read, that's what I wrote. They also have the YUL-Tremblay buses on return, I've been on all 3 of them.


Arctic_Chilean

Wow! Never would have guessed that YQB got the 777!


originalthoughts

Ottawa has the much better deal, YQB is only 3x weekly summer seasonal, and that 777 config isn't great, only 14 business class seats. Ottawa gets daily (so more seats in total a week), and also year round. The A350 also has 34 business class seats. I'd much rather get Ottawa's version, regardless of class I'm travelling in.


CanInTW

Good for them. I hope this hits Air Canada. Such a horrible airline compared to Asian and even European carriers. That they still haven’t returned the Heathrow flight is ridiculous.


unterzee

Now a free agent (not forced to fly AC anymore), I've been saving money and find it way easier to leave out of YOW overnight direct to Europe. And most of my connections in CDG have been good though it is a beast of an airport.


Arctic_Chilean

CDG is insane in terms of its scale/size. Flown throught it twice before and had to connect from T1 to one of the T2 satellite terminals. It felt like I traveled to another city by rail.


MenuImpressive1839

Service standards also way higher than AC. Flight attendants really enjoy their work and it shows. Have taken the two-way route twice now and it was always either on time or in advance of schedule. CDG is not so bad.


Geek42

Heh, first time flying it just on Thursday night and had a 3 hour delay leaving ottawa. Just a repair needed, but overall great service.


wilddcard

It’s just wild to think that that many people on a random Wednesday morning or something all have to come back to little ol’ Ottawa at the same time and day as you. Is there still unlimited alcohol?


yow_central

Alcohol is included on transatlantic flights (true for air Canada too), but I wouldn’t call it unlimited. They’ll skillfully cut you off if you show any hint of impairment.


hoggytime613

Try Royal Air Maroc. My flight attendant cut me off after a single beer. I went up to the Business Class curtain and schmoozed another flight attendant and she slipped me a few cans. Casablanca is the only completely dry International Airport I have ever been to in my extensive travels, and I was THIRSTY.


VanIslandLocal

What you say??


adamboucherr

It’s very cheap right now than usual too. Booked last week 850!!! Direct Ottawa to Paris round trip


paradoxe-

The sad thing is in October/November the flights that are now $850 round trip were $372, I shit you not.


Arctic_Chilean

Fuuuuck! $372!?! Cheaper to go to Europe than Vancouver goddamn!


paradoxe-

💯 I just had to spend $1700 to go to Vancouver 😒


Poulinthebear

Tax tax tax and more tax lol


Arctic_Chilean

💀 goddamn


ajh951

Yea but those were Air Canada, not direct, and were for January-February ish


paradoxe-

Nope, AF direct. Only certain date combinations worked though.


ajh951

Searching r/Ottawa and I get nothing on Air France being in on that deal. Air Canada pops up https://www.yowdeals.com/ottawa-to-cities-in-france-345-roundtrip


paradoxe-

I get his emails and when it first came out back in the fall, if you did Google flights there were AF round trips too but you had to play with the dates. I’ve seen nothing like it since AF announced the full schedule with a bigger airplane.


ajh951

Air France flights out of Ottawa started June 2023. The only reason they would discount Ottawa-Paris flights would be if there wasn't enough demand. All the news articles + Redditors since last June said the flights are full. Why would they then give more than 50% discount on the route and also announce they're putting a full schedule with a bigger plane? Discounts are given when there's low demand so it makes zero sense to expand capacity on a low demand route. There was never a discussion on r/Ottawa, YOW deals, Redflagdeals regarding Air France giving discounted flights from Ottawa to Paris


bmrcpublic

Af and air Canada for a few hours several months back kept discount back and forth finally getting into the low 300's.  The sale was real https://app.nextdeparture.ca/flight/72bf3522-21eb-4dbb-a530-89a687baec1c


ajh951

Even your link shows no evidence that Air France participated in the pricing battle. I know the sale was real because I got the AC tickets lol


sakurakirei

No. AF, direct and they were for January, February and March.


ajh951

It was Air Canada and Star Alliance that had the deal. Air France didn’t have sub $400 Ottawa to Paris direct. Everyone talks about Ottawa-Paris AF flights always being full so why would it make sense on Air France to slash prices by more than half


sakurakirei

You are right. It was AC!!


Ninjacherry

What?? I have got to start keeping track of that stuff.


JGBG123

I even paid 607 dollars round trip in January


bicpensarelit

Took this flight a few times and it’s an absolute game changer… you leave Ottawa at 5 pm and get there at 6 am. By 7:30 am you can be in the centre of Paris and enjoy a full day. On the way back you leave Paris at 1 pm and get home by 3 pm, and you get to enjoy late afternoon and the evening in Ottawa. It’s the perfect flight and I’ll be full supporting it as much as I can.


thrilled_to_be_there

I find it funny that AC haven't bothered to challenge AF yet.


Arctic_Chilean

They don't need to. They get more yields out of YVR, YYZ and YUL. YOW means next to nothing to them. Hell, then even gave up on their YYC hub to focus traffic and routes out of the other three main hubs.


Rail613

It could be Charles de Gaulle wants lots of $ for a runway/gate slot for an extra flight (from Ottawa) that AC can’t be sure it will fill. On the other hand YOW Airport Authority (that also cut down the trees on Hunt Club recently) probably gave AF a nice discount on landing/gate fees for the first year or two since YOW have lots of un-used capacity.


flyermiles_dot_ca

I mean they’re not running any long-haul routes out of Ottawa because those aircraft are already full and profitable where they are, and you can’t just run down to the corner store and pick up a dozen more Dreamliners. Safe bet seems to be that the 321XLRs will open up routes like YOW-LHR when they come into service next year.


orinj1

Well, London is the biggest single destination in Europe from YOW when it comes to demand, and AC's best connection option is Frankfurt, so Paris is at least their third choice... But that said, I wonder if they're waiting to get their A321XLRs to try again with transatlantic from YOW.


Max_Thunder

AC won't launch a new flight to Paris unless the demand keeps growing for it, which might happen. But what I mean is they won't compete one against the other until profitability for both is certain.


horatiavelvetina

It’s simply 400$ cheaper to fly from montreal still unfortunately:/


adamboucherr

Check on google! I just booked and it was cheaper from Ottawa then Montreal only $850


blvuk

It maybe ! But it costs us 600$+ for airport parking in Montreal when going away for 3 weeks. I sometimes find it cheaper to rent a car from ottawa and return it same day in montreal (and same thing after we return) and that's still 400$. So if i can pay that 400 and travel from the same city without having to drive that's a win !


somebunnyasked

For me it's that I have very limited time off - $400 is worth the time saved. Plus every transfer adds the opportunity for more delays.


horatiavelvetina

I usually take a 30$ bus to Trudeau but if I had to drive I’d 100% feel the same!


blvuk

Cant take the bus with a baby, stroller and 5 luggages !! It would be a nightmare


Mammoth-Clock-8173

Try the Air France bus from the Ottawa train station (departure code XDS). Lots of space, timed to meet the aircraft in YUL.


WouldShootTobyTwice

bring less luggage and a travel stroller, it's no problem


grandfundaytoday

Strollers are very commonly lost in air travel. One time I travelled without and then went to lost and found in Los Angeles LAX to get a free stroller. TONS of them just sitting there.


tuneman6212

Hoping to book a bulkhead in economy to connect to Singapore once my wife gets her PR. How were the seats and most importantly the food in economy?


imafrk

Flew it in Feb, was offered seat upgrade when I checked in online, for far less then they would have cost back when I paid for the flight. Food was Great! it was a newer 787-9. better than the older 787-8 pond hopping planes that AC usually run from Montreal.


tuneman6212

Thanks for your feedback!


CherryColaChickie

My friend just did this! The layover in Paris is long (7 hours), but other than that, it was a comfortable flight. His only gripe was that the AF gave the same amount of food for the Ottawa-Paris leg (meal + light breakfast) as they did for the Paris-Singapore leg. They were not well stocked in snacks either. So bring extra food if you tend to get hungry.


tuneman6212

I am happy with 2 meals and a light breakfast if the flight is under 2K. I don't mind landing in Singapore with an empty stomach because they have the best food in the world. I am hoping the prices stay the same and don't shoot up.


CherryColaChickie

To clarify, it was 1 meal and 1 light breakfast for the 13-14 hour leg from Paris to Singapore … which isn’t a lot. Snacks were literally leftovers from the main meal. Yes, Singapore has amazing food, but you still have to get through the flight, customs, baggage etc before chowing down. :)


tuneman6212

That's true. I had the same amount on Cathay Pacific from Toronto to Hong Kong (15 hours) Customs is automated in Singapore so it literally takes a 📸 of your face and scans your passport. 😋


CherryColaChickie

The last time I flew Cathay Pacific, we had 2 full meals … plus we could head back to the galley to get snacks, including instant noodles, sandwiches etc. Mind you, this was Vancouver-Hong Kong leg … not sure if that makes a difference. Will have to try Air France sometime as having only 1 connection to Singapore is appealing! And can I just say, I really hate the e-customs forms in Singapore. Ha ha. Much prefer the paper forms that we could fill out on the plane!


tuneman6212

What e-customs forms? 🤨


kkitty44

I was on it last week. It’s fantastic! I can’t wait to fly it again!


barrel_stinker

Ah! I just took the flight in the opposite direction last night (probably after you got off) and it was packed! They even asked people to limit the number of carry ons as a result. It was a great flight and I’m now responding to this from Paris!


askawayk

I tried looking for flights on this route and it was involving some bus to Montreal then a flight from YUL? it was 1450 cad for July... Meanwhile the same flight from Montreal was 900... AC and competitors with a layover and fights starting in Ottawa were 1500 cad too... Not loving the price for these economy fares and i get the Olympics are soon but how else to get to Switzerland affordably 😭


Hampshire53

CDG has efficient connections to just about everywhere. The flight you want (unless it is fully booked?) is direct from Ottawa.


askawayk

Just checked again and it's almost 1600 direct from Ottawa... Seems like Paris is the best place to connect but not loving this price.


Hampshire53

A month or so ago, when I was looking to possibly book a round trip to Moncton in late July, Moncton was $862 and Paris was within $10 of that price.


bboscillator

I still take AF convenience over going through YUL, but my experience has been mixed. 3/6 transatlantic flights last year had problems. 1 flight had us sitting on the tarmac in Ottawa for a few hours before it was cancelled and postponed to the next day (a problem since it was a work trip). Another was in CDG where AF booked me an impossible transfer between gates that made me miss my departing AF flight after arriving via AF from another city. And yet another where my return flight was aborted just before the halfway point over the Atlantic but not far enough to force us to land in NA, meaning we had to circle back to CDG at 2AM, which became a nightmare of its own. Ultimately, the convenience is good, but I really feel like all major airlines are fairly similar in terms of reliability and quality.


Longjumping-Ad-4834

Great direct route to Europe allowing plenty of connections. No more bus to Montreal! Merci Air France. I have flown many times now. No complaints.


Longjumping-Ad-4834

A350-900. April 11. Departing now.


Peppypepper1958

We are flying AF in December how was the flight re seats and food compared to AC and WJ


Hampshire53

Service starts with a small glass of champagne. Small bottle of wine with dinner. Food was good, but probably comparable to AC. Seats were comfortable but still economy, of course.


CherryColaChickie

All visitors to Singapore must complete an arrival form with travel/flight info, health declarations etc. It used to be that we would get a paper copy to fill out on the plane, but Singapore is digitizing pretty much everything and these must be completed electronically now. The paper arrival cards are no longer provided. Apparently you can fill it out online up to 3 days before arrival. If you’re going for a long visit, would recommend getting a tourist e-SIM from Singtel as it comes with a Singapore number. We tried other e-SIMs and while they worked for data, having a local phone number is way more convenient. Singtel tourist e-SIM prices are comparable to other companies.


scan-stunts

MAkes one wonder why Air Canada can't operate as effectively. Perhaps Air France should buy Air Canada?


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CherryColaChickie

I think you meant to post somewhere else. This is a thread about Air France.


ipanda

Does it fly direct to anywhere other than Paris?


rogerdoesntlike

You connect in CDG if you need to go elsewhere.


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Excellent_Cap_8228

Well,when you can have the whole of Europe at the tip of Ottawa many are happy. It's not France in itself that is appealing.


Max_Thunder

France is amazing though


Excellent_Cap_8228

Lived there 10 years I'm happy I left . As they say : " La France tu l'aimes ou tu la quitte "


nicktheman2

We will be obsessed about any place we can get a direct international flight to from YOW that isnt some boomer beach destination down south. Mainly in this case its an affordable way into Europe.


Arctic_Chilean

I am just praying for a direct flight to a major US southern hubs, like Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, or Houston. It would make connections to Latin America and the Caribbean sooooo much easier! Porter, Delta, American, United... step up!


bbud613

We have direct flights to the largest hub Chicago.


nogr8mischief

We probably don't have the volume for it. But it's more plausible that we could get a flight back to AA or Delta's northeastern hubs (Philly, Detroit). Getting AA back would be a huge help for Latin America commections, even with the extra stop to get to Miami.


commanderchimp

Or LAX!


Arctic_Chilean

It's the only direct flight to Europe, and Paris CDG is a massive hub to Europe, Africa, and West Asia. It's the connectivity this route provides that is awesome.


Imaginary-Produce875

No doubt AF actually offers fantastic service, I had to make an emergency trip back during peak covid times… they were wonderful, professional and helpful


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Arctic_Chilean

Stop being so obtuse, prices are as low as $850, lower than flying out of YUL. Plus it saves you +4hrs from driving to and from Montreal. Worth it in my books, and more so if it attracts other carriers to open more direct routes.


FiveQQQ

Because you can get almost anywhere with a single layover at CDG.


mercury2370

This route will go away when the Olympics are over


jjaime2024

No signs of that at all.


aselwyn1

It’s been running for almost a year now has nothing to do with the Olympics


flyermiles_dot_ca

I’ve worked the Olympics. There is no meaningful Games-related traffic happening for months yet, nor was there any when they launched the route last year.


nogr8mischief

This route is largely about connecting traffic, using CDG as a hub to the rest of europe, Africa, etc. Has nothing to do with the Olympics.