Direct flights PAR / BKK in business class: AIR FRANCE or THAI AIRWAYS – prices, comfort. Thanks a bunch!

Hi everyone, I’m planning to go to Vietnam in 2026. Direct flights are super expensive, so I’m thinking of making a stopover to visit a city along the way. I’m considering Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong, but I’m open to other ideas. The goal is obviously also to get a better price than the direct flight from Paris (Brussels, etc.) to Hanoi. Anyone have a great tip? Thanks everyone

Hi everyone,

So glad to see this forum still so active!

Quick question for those who’ve recently traveled to Australia: I found a Singapore Airlines flight from Marseille/Frankfurt/Singapore/Sydney for 1425 € round-trip (from 11/10 to 12/8).

Do you think that’s a good price??

I checked directly on the Singapore Airlines website, but the price is way higher than on the comparison site.

Thanks for your input!

The couple involved refused to pay the extra fee demanded by the flight coordination company. Things quickly escalated. It got so bad that the man ended up physically fighting with an airport agent, even rolling on the ground.

https://www.nicematin.com/faits-divers/il-refuse-de-payer-un-supplement-bagages-le-litige-se-termine-en-bagarre-a-l-aeroport-de-nice-999711

If you can’t afford to pay for your luggage, don’t travel 😡. What’s next? Are they gonna hit the tour guide in Mykonos because the price of the tour went up without warning 🤪?

A heads-up to all EasyJet travelers: baggage checks are more strict than ever!

Hi, I booked flight tickets with Turkish Airlines 15 days ago for a round-trip for 4 people to Thailand in August 2026. On my reservation, I only included my married name, but on my passport, my maiden name appears along with my married name. I only noted one first name—I didn’t include my second or third first name. For my husband and children, I only included their first first name. I called Turkish Airlines a few days ago as a precaution, and they were very helpful, guiding me through the process of adding a comment to request the modification with scanned passports. They confirmed it would be free of charge. Today, I received a response from TK saying I need to buy new tickets with the required changes and then provide them with the new reservation details to be reimbursed for the initially purchased tickets. I called Turkish Airlines again, and they advised me to file a complaint using the initial comment I made. I did that tonight, explaining that I made these requests as a precaution—I fly every year and have never included my maiden name or other first names on my reservations, and it’s never been an issue. Plus, I can’t afford to pay for new tickets since prices have skyrocketed (+1000 € for 4 people). I’m really worried and anxious about this situation. We’ve been saving for a while to afford this trip, and I hope it gets resolved favorably. Have any of you experienced similar issues or situations like this? If so, how did it go at the airport? Thanks in advance for your help

Hi there,

We're planning to visit Yellowstone between mid and late September (yes, I'm leaving it to the last minute for bookings...). I was initially planning to arrive and depart from Salt Lake City, which I’d also like to explore. It turns out that flights to SLC are 300 € more expensive than flights to Jackson Hole, even though the connection goes through... SLC! I’ve checked on several comparison sites from different locations, and these prices remain pretty consistent.

Does anyone know what it would cost if I skip the connection to Jackson Hole from SLC to take advantage of the cheaper fare and then fly back from JH instead?

Thanks in advance!

Sylvain.

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have an idea about how flight ticket prices drop for a given destination? (Excluding Ryanair, of course.)

We need to leave for Seville on December 27th. Generally, airlines launch trips on a specific date with a high price to start filling the plane. As the departure date gets closer, the airline tries to fill the plane and lowers its prices, so the ticket price becomes reasonable again.

Example: Right now, for a trip in about 10 days, the average round-trip ticket price is usually around 200 €. Currently, the round-trip ticket price for December 27th is 450 €.

If any of you have more precise info on this topic (for example, if the price drops 15 days before departure), thanks in advance for your input. Jean Paul

Hi there,

I’m flying to Bogotá with a one-way ticket in early January. A friend told me that I’ll likely have trouble boarding in France if I can’t show a return (or onward) flight out of Colombia. He was in the same situation but from the US and had to buy one at the airport before leaving.

So, I’m thinking of buying a ticket that I can get refunded once I’m there. Are there still airlines that offer full refunds without any reason? Is there a legal timeframe within which I can do this?

Thanks!

Levelo.

Hi there,

When I run searches on Skyscanner, I see that only Lufthansa has flights to Seoul with just one stop. Air France doesn’t show up, even though I thought the French airline served Seoul? I can’t even log into the Air France website—it keeps glitching.

So, even before starting my explanation, I’d like to introduce myself since this is my first post on the forum :) I’m Jérôme, a huge Asia enthusiast, and I’m currently in the process of moving to Japan with my family in 2028.

Now, onto the topic :)

We’re a family of four traveling together to Seoul, with two separate bookings.

Our original itinerary was: Madrid → Doha → Seoul (March 23–24)

The issue is that our entire outbound flight was canceled, and the airline simply rescheduled the Madrid → Doha leg. Now we’re left with an incomplete journey, with no solution to reach our final destination (Seoul).

Since then:

- Can’t modify flights online (technical error every time) - Can’t get help via chat or WhatsApp - Phone support is unreachable, and the usual French number isn’t working right now

We don’t want a refund. We just want to be rerouted to Seoul, as our original ticket promised.

We’re flexible:

- On dates (we can leave on March 21 or 22 instead of the 23rd) - On the itinerary (different layovers if needed)

Have any of you dealt with this before? Do you know how to unlock a booking in this case or get a rerouting? We’re considering going straight to the airport to resolve it at the Qatar Airways counter....

Thanks so much for your help! 😊

Hi there,

Do you know any tricks for traveling on a budget? With flight prices constantly rising, it’s a real lifesaver!

Hi there. I’m planning a trip to Chile, and the fares from the Colombian airline Avianca are really appealing. Way cheaper than Air France, for example. That said, the reviews I’ve seen online aren’t great. What do you think of this airline? Have any of you taken long-haul flights with Avianca? Thanks in advance for your replies. Eric

Hi there,

Lately, when I check Skyscanner (sorted by price low to high 😛), I don’t see Gulf airlines at the top of the list anymore. Instead, Air India dominates (I flew with them a few years ago, and my experience was pretty mixed). After that, there’s Royal Jordanian… and the first Gulf Air, Etihad, and others only show up at 7XX € or more (with endless layovers). What’s going on with these airlines? Did they change their target market? I really like these routes for Southeast Asia trips because they give you a perfect midway break.

Hi there,

My daughter, wife, and I are starting to plan a two-week trip to Japan for... April 2026. My wife wants us to really treat ourselves, so we’re considering business class (we usually fly premium economy or even economy). Since we’re departing from Paris and want a direct flight, we have three options: JAL, ANA, or Air France.

I’ve flown Air France in business quite a bit for work, and I do find it very comfortable. But I wonder if I’m just defaulting to a national bias—maybe the other two airlines have advantages I’m not considering.

If I’m looking at criteria like: - Comfort (especially for sleeping) - Meals - Entertainment

Any advice? Personal experiences? Have any of the three airlines updated their business class on this route recently?

Thanks! !

Bonjour,

Depuis qu’il est en vigueur, le règlement 261/2004 du Parlement Européen et du Conseil, qui définit les droits des passagers aériens, fait l’objet d’une résistance acharnée des compagnies aériennes, appuyées par IATA (l’association regroupant la presque totalité des compagnies aériennes de transport de passagers).

Outre la résistance des compagnies aériennes aux droits des passagers, souvent abusive, et même fréquemment, empreinte de mauvaise foi, IATA, depuis des années, effectue un lobbying constant auprès des instances de l’Union Européenne, avec, depuis bien longtemps, une oreille très attentive du Conseil.

Il s’en suit que le Conseil et la Commission, depuis bien des années, proposent au Parlement Européen, depuis des années, une révision du règlement 261/2004 particulièrement défavorable aux passagers. La dernière tentative correspondait à la quasi suppression du droit à indemnisation en cas de retard de 3 heures ou plus lors de l’arrivée à destination finale.

Mais s’agissant d’un règlement du Parlement Européen ET du Conseil, ces deux entités devaient se mettre d’accord.

Mais, le Parlement européen a toujours tenu bon, en répondant, inlassablement, que le droit des passagers devait être préservé.

Après 11 ans de lutte, il semble probable que nous arrivions, enfin, à la fin du match entre la commission européenne, le conseil (les 27 chefs d’états ou de gouvernement), et le parlement européen.

En effet, la Commission et le Parlement européen se sont mis d’accord sur un texte qui sera encore débattu lundi 6 juillet 2026, un vote devant avoir lieu le 7 juillet 2026. Il est très probable que ce texte, qui rentrerait en vigueur dans un an, soit adopté.

Les principales modifications seraient les suivantes : - les familles avec enfant(s) ne seront plus obligées de payer pour être assis ensembles dans les avions ; - un vol sera considéré comme annulé (et pas seulement retardé) dès lors qu’il partira avec plus d’une heure de retard ; - droit à indemnisation pour arrivée à destination finale si retard excédant 3 heures (et non plus si « 3 heures OU plus »). L’heure d’arrivée sera l’heure à laquelle l’avion, parvenu à son stationnement, enclenche ses freins de stationnement (et non plus l’heure d’ouverture de la porte de l’avion) ; - les compagnies ne peuvent plus, au vol retour, ni refuser l’embarquement, ni réclamer un supplément, à un passager qui n’a pas pris le vol aller ; - si vol annulé la compagnie aérienne doit, simultanément à l’information relative à cet évènement, donner le choix entre le remboursement et le réacheminement, et informer le passager de ses droits à assistance et, s’il y a lieu, à indemnisation - la compagnie doit, sans retard injustifié, informer les passagers du motif ; - en cas de vol à correspondance, si correspondance manquée, et si retard à destination finale ouvrant droit à indemnisation, celle-ci sera à la charge du transporteur aérien responsable de l’irrégularité. C’est très différent de la situation actuelle puisqu’en vertu de l’ordonnance KLM, tout transporteur aérien opérant un des segments de vol est redevable de l’indemnité. Voilà qui promet encore des litiges que la Cour de Justice de l’Union Européenne devra trancher si deux compagnies aériennes distinctes opérant, chacune un segment de vol d’un vol à correspondance, sont toutes deux responsables du retard. Voir pour exemple ce cas : https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2026/04/18/swiss-international-air-lines-la-mauvaise-foi/ Par ailleurs, ce cas démontre, par avance, un autre nouveau sujet de litige : Il sera possible d’affirmer qu’il ne s’agissait pas d’une correspondance manquée puisqu’elle a été annulée avant même le départ du premier vol… - Dans les 96 heures d’un vol pouvant ouvrir droit à indemnisation, la compagnie aérienne devra prendre contact avec les passagers pour les informer de leurs droits et indiquer la marche à suivre. - Le passager devra réclamer son droit à indemnisation dans les 9 mois. Ceci est très différent de la situation actuelle, puisque le règlement 261/2004 ne fixe aucun délai de forclusion. Actuellement, c’est donc le droit national qui s’applique. En France, ce délai est de 5 ans. La compagnie devra répondre dans les 30 jours. Si la compagnie refuse l’indemnisation en invoquant des « circonstances extraordinaires, elle devra indiquer à quel type de cas elle se réfère suivant la liste des cas figurant en annexe du nouveau règlement. Si le cas invoqué ne figure pas sur la liste en annexe, elle devra indiquer de quel évènement il s’agit, et en quoi il s’agit de circonstances extraordinaires au moyen d’explications « claires, substantielles, et concises » et pourquoi c’est en lien DIRECT avec le motif invoqué, et, aussi, déclarer quelles ont été les « mesures raisonnables » prises pour tenter d’y obvier. Il s’agit là, bien sûr, d’un changement gigantesque de la réglementation, l’objectif manifeste étant d’empêcher les compagnies aériennes de déclarer tout et n’importe quoi comme étant des « circonstances extraordinaires » exonératoires de l’obligation d’indemniser. - Si dans les 3 heures d’un vol annulé, ou retardé, en dernière minute, la compagnie aérienne n’a pas proposé un réacheminement, dans la limite du possible, dans des conditions de transport comparables et dans les meilleurs délais, que ce soit avec un de ses propres vols ou au moyen d’un vol d’une autre compagnie, le passager aura le droit d’organiser son réacheminement lui-même et d’exiger le remboursement du nouveau billet dans la limite de 400 % du prix de son billet. Voilà une amélioration importante qui aurait fait que le cas rapporté là https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/reacheminement-catastrophique-droit-indemnisation-meme-circonstances-extraordinaires-2/ n’aurait, probablement, pas existé. -Si un vol a été annulé pour « circonstances extraordinaires », la compagnie ne sera plus tenue qu’à offrir pas plus de 3 nuits d’hôtel. Il s’agit là d’un gros changement, car, actuellement, il n’y a pas de limite. Il faut prévoir des litiges à venir dans l’hypothèse où les circonstances extraordinaires ont pris fin alors que le passager n’a pas été réacheminé. - le prix d’un vol, tel qu’affiché en premier, doit, obligatoirement, inclure un bagage cabine. Ceci n’empêche pas la compagnie aérienne de proposer une réduction de prix si le passager renonce à un bagage cabine. Voilà qui mettra fin à des pratique anormales, notamment (ce n’est qu’un exemple) Condor qui sur ses vols transatlantiques Francfort (Allemagne) – Puerto Plata (République Dominicaine) – Saint Domingue (République Domincaine) – Francfort, fait payer en supplément le bagage cabine sur un tel vol long courrier. - correction gratuite d’une erreur sur le nom du passager si demandé 48 heures avant. Attention, il ne peut pas s’agir de remplacer un passager par un autre, mais juste d’une correction, par exemple Dupont au lieu de Dpont -les sites Internet et les applications des compagnies doivent comprendre les informations sur la marche à suivre pour formuler une réclamation.

Il est clair qu’en dépit de quelques détails, ces changements sont très positifs pour le respect des droits des passagers. Il reste à voir si ce texte sera, comme c’est très probable, définitivement adopté le 7 juillet 2026, et surtout, si IATA encouragera les compagnies aériennes à respecter loyalement ces nouvelles règles, ou persistera dans ses anciennes habitudes.

Cordialement

Hi there, I’m flying from Marseille to Bali this year and have a 1h30 layover in Frankfurt, from Terminal 1 to Terminal 1. Do you think that’s enough time, considering I don’t know the airport or the language? Thanks. »

hi everyone, what's the cheapest flight ticket to fly from Paris to Madagascar in July or August? thanks for your help

Hi there,

Since I’m not familiar with Australian airlines, I’d appreciate some advice.

I need to book a domestic flight from Adelaide to Sydney quickly, and I see Jetstar, Virgin, and Qantas as options. On paper, Qantas’s schedule and price are less appealing.

Which of the three is the most reliable (fewer flight cancellations, since this is the last flight of the day) and easiest to book on their website?

Thanks!

It’s been over 10 years since I last went to Madagascar. Back then, I flew Corsair from Paris. I’m planning to go back in September 2025. I’ve heard about Air Austral... Air France: the issue is the flight arrives in the evening at Ivato. What do you recommend? Which airlines fly from Paris to Tana? Thanks for the help!

Hi, I’m heading to China at the end of March and I’ve got the question in the title.

Chinese airlines only sell the most expensive tickets on comparison sites or their websites outside China. For the best prices, tickets need to be bought in China. Has anyone ever bought a domestic flight there through a local agency or online? Same question for trains.

Thanks

Hi there,

Starting November 27th, Air France will offer a new direct route between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Phuket, in the south of the Asian country. There will be 3 flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from Paris, with returns on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from Phuket. The flights will be operated using a Boeing 777-300ER equipped with 472 seats

Hi, We’re planning to go to Bohol from El Nido (Airswift flight from El Nido to Cebu, then ferry to Bohol). I can’t find any info about the checked baggage price for the flight. The airfare to Cebu includes a 7 kg carry-on. Does anyone know about checked luggage? Thanks in advance

Hi, I’m traveling to New Zealand in January 2026 with Lufthansa. To check the allowed baggage dimensions, I went to my "booking" account on the Lufthansa website. And that’s when I discovered that my last layover, the Zurich-Bordeaux flight operated by Swiffairlines, was canceled. I never received an email, and even worse, it’s not even noted on my booking. So I contacted Lufthansa. They told me that for now, there are no other flights but that there will be by the time I leave. They advised me to call them every week to get a flight. What do you think of their response? Has this ever happened to you? Emilie

Hi there, I’m facing a rather unusual issue with SAUDI AIRLINES. I booked a flight to Jakarta with a layover in Jeddah for July directly on their website on February 25th, paying for our three tickets via PAYPAL. I quickly received confirmation that my flight was booked and our e-tickets were issued. However, after several days, I noticed we were never charged for the tickets, and I saw on our PayPal account that the payment authorization was still pending.

At first, I chalked it up to cross-border or banking delays… but since I use PayPal often and the debit from my bank account is usually almost immediate, I called PayPal. They told me that neither they nor I had anything more to do: when a transaction is paid using their solution, the payment is systematically validated by the seller before the transaction (an automated process, I imagine). However, PayPal confirmed that SAUDI hadn’t done this and that they had a month to do so, otherwise the transaction would be canceled by PAYPAL and SAUDI wouldn’t receive the funds. There must have been a technical glitch because normally, I shouldn’t have received the tickets until they had received the payment.

Given the reviews I’ve read about their customer service, I’m worried they might cancel our tickets without notice once they realize their mistake—or that they’ll ask us to pay the amount at that point (since the closer we get to the date, the higher the price goes).

So, I’ve been trying to contact them nonstop via their app (I’ve submitted about 10 tickets), I’ve called them, messaged them on Messenger and Instagram, and so far, I haven’t gotten any response. Either they don’t read my message to the end and just reply that the flight is confirmed + resend the tickets, or more recently, they tell me the issue is being handled by another department. We tried calling them again on Saturday, but no luck—the French-speaking agents were always busy. On Messenger, they keep asking for the secret code sent by SMS at the start of the conversation, but of course, I never receive anything even though my number is correctly registered in my SAUDI account.

I don’t know what else to do, and I’m not sure if I’m right to worry they might cancel our tickets.

I’m afraid this could jeopardize our dream trip, for which I’ve already booked hotels and activities… and we were really looking forward to it.

I hope you can shed some light on this?

Thanks for taking the time to read this

Hi,

Right now, with the war raging in Iran and affecting all the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf, many airports are completely closed to all traffic.

Several airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates, and others have almost completely halted their operations.

Whether in the Middle East or Africa, many travelers are stranded—maybe for a long time... A heartfelt thought for them and the struggles this will cause.

Four months ago, I was in Kenya with a flight booked through Qatar Airways... I can’t even imagine how I’d react if I were stuck there now. ??

Wishing all these travelers courage, patience, and success in making it back home.

...

Doha Airport on October 21, 2025:



...

Hi, my current question: which airline to pick—the cheapest one and also the one that takes the least time from TOULOUSE? Thanks for your help

My request: We would like to modify our return flight booking scheduled for December 3 under reference: O__T. We’d like a flight that gets us to France no later than January 27, 2025, under the same conditions as our current ticket. Please let us know the options and any additional fees. (We paid 2,256 € for the round-trip Bordeaux/Tamatave tickets for 2 people.)

Air Austral’s response: We’ve managed to free up seats for January 22. (Same class.) The penalty and adjustment fee is 895 € per person. (That’s 1,790 € for 2.)

My response: Given the outrageous prices Air Austral is charging for a date change, we’re confirming our flight on December 3, 2024, for Tamatave/Bordeaux. Also, you can count on me to share this experience with Air Austral on various online forums. It’s absolutely shameful to offer a flight change for 1,790 € when buying new tickets would cost us 1,564 €. I think Air Austral’s pricing policy is going to interest a lot of people online, and I can assure you that you’ve just lost two customers who will give you some great publicity.

Despite a complaint, no reaction from Air Austral—they’re clearly in big trouble...

We bought round-trip tickets from Mulhouse/Basel to Maun (Botswana) in January 2023 through Option Way.

Turkish Airlines issued the entire round-trip tickets. The flight plan was:

31 August 2023: TK 926 from Basel/Mulhouse to Istanbul and TK38 from Istanbul to Johannesburg 1 September 2023: Airlink (4Z)300 from Johannesburg to Maun. 11 September 2023: Airlink (4Z)301 from Maun to Johannesburg and TK43 from Johannesburg to Istanbul 12 September 2023: TK1923 from Istanbul to Basel/Mulhouse.

On 1 September, on the outbound trip, Turkish Airlines flight TK38 from Istanbul to Johannesburg arrived 1 hour and 30 minutes late due to airport congestion. As a result, we missed our connection with Airlink flight (4Z) 300 from Johannesburg to Botswana (even though the initial layover time was sufficient for the connection). Upon arrival at Johannesburg Airport, a Turkish Airlines agent greeted us, booked us a room near the airport, and rebooked us on the same flight for the following day, 2 September. On 2 September, after numerous difficulties checking in at the Airlink counter in Johannesburg, we finally reached our final destination with a 24-hour delay. We lost our first day of vacation in Botswana, including the activities that were planned for that day. On 11 September, during our return trip and almost certainly due to the rescheduling of the outbound flight, the Airlink check-in counter in Maun did not recognize our tickets issued by Turkish Airlines. After many searches and phone calls, we had to buy new tickets for the Maun/Johannesburg flight 4Z301. This cost us 9,306 Botswana pula (643 €). Upon arrival in Johannesburg, the Turkish Airlines check-in counter again had trouble identifying us for flight TK43 from Johannesburg to Istanbul. It’s clear that the root of our check-in problems stemmed from the renumbering of our tickets when the Turkish Airlines representative rebooked us on the Airlink (4Z)300 flight for 2 September. During this process, all subsequent flight tickets must have been canceled. Since our return, I’ve requested the following from Turkish Airlines: · Compensation under the European Regulation EC 261/2004 of 11 February 2004 for flight delays, amounting to 600 € per passenger. We meet all the conditions: departure from a Franco/Swiss airport, arrival at the final destination more than 4 hours late, and a distance greater than 3,500 kilometers. Turkish Airlines has not provided evidence that they did everything possible to avoid this delay. · Reimbursement for the Airlink Maun/Johannesburg tickets on 11 September, which we had to pay again to Airlink even though we had already paid for them through our agent, Option Way. Turkish Airlines refuses compensation on the grounds that they complied with all regulations. Turkish Airlines and Airlink are passing the buck when it comes to reimbursing the tickets we paid for twice. For Turkish Airlines, claims can only be made through their website, and each time a different agent responds. I’ve contacted our insurance, legal protection, the travel ombudsman... without success. Currently, the case is with a lawyer working for "Air Indemnité," but I have little hope. Obviously, I won’t be flying with Turkish Airlines again—they seem to have a habit of not respecting schedules or customer satisfaction. A good lesson for planning very long layovers.

Hi everyone,

I have a Ryanair flight scheduled for 10/14 (outbound, returning on the 16th) from Charleroi in Belgium. A strike is confirmed, and the airport will be closed on the 14th. But Ryanair is still saying the flight is confirmed. I get that they’re trying to make us change and pay extra fees rather than wait for the free compensation.

If I make a new booking, can I still claim a refund for the first one?

Thanks in advance for your help—this is the first time I’ve faced this situation.

Hi, We’d like to travel to Guadeloupe as a family (5 adults) for Christmas 2025. We’re leaving on the first Saturday of the school holidays and returning on January 1st—we can’t leave outside of the holiday period. Could you give me a rough idea of what a reasonable price is for that time? Is booking as soon as reservations open a good deal, or should we wait? Thanks for your help. Isabelle