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!

Hello,

We’re planning a cruise to the UAE/QATAR/OMAN starting from DUBAI, with flights departing from Paris CDG. Which airlines would you recommend for round-trip flights, with or without a layover? We need assistance for check-in and boarding/disembarking (my husband is a mobility-impaired traveler who uses a cane and/or a walker). We’ve done a cruise return from Dubai to Paris CDG before in 2016, with a layover in Istanbul, but we booked the transfer and return flight with COSTA. For our current plan, it would be with Celestyal, which doesn’t offer round-trip flights from Paris to Dubai. Should we book very far in advance, or is a few months before departure enough (4/6 months)? We’re thinking of arriving the day before the ship departs, so we’d need to stay overnight in Dubai—either on the way there or for the return flight, depending on the flight schedules. Could you recommend a hotel not too far from the airport, and how to get to the port from the airport?

Thanks so much for your advice. Have a great Sunday! Mum49

Hi there,

For my upcoming trip to Thailand, I’ve narrowed it down to Emirates and Air India and would love to hear recent feedback from members who’ve flown with them.

I’ve noticed on several sites that reviews for both airlines are pretty negative. I’m not surprised about Air India, but I read they’ve been acquired.

I flew Emirates twice in 2018 and was surprised by the drop in recent reviews. It almost makes me think of Etihad, which I initially liked but then declined (I’m not sure what their situation is like now).

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to warn you all after my disastrous trip back on February 28th because of Emirates airline. Please note that if you need to file a complaint with this airline, wait until you're back home in France or your country of origin. Here’s what happened to me. I had booked and paid for seats on the plane for my outbound flight on February 10th from Lyon to Dubai, then Dubai to Bangkok. Despite our reservation, these seats weren’t assigned to us. I spoke to a flight attendant who told me she’d inform Emirates management and advised me to file a complaint once I was at my hotel. So, I did that on the Emirates website to request a refund for the paid seats that weren’t assigned, totaling 34 €. On February 26th, I tried to check in online for the next day, which was supposed to be my return flight. To my surprise, my husband still had his return ticket, but mine was no longer scheduled. I contacted the airline via chat, and an advisor told me, "Ma’am, you canceled your return flight." I responded, of course, that I hadn’t, and as proof, my husband still had his return ticket. The advisor ended the conversation by insisting I had canceled my flight. I was devastated and in tears, and like most tourists, I only had data and no way to call except via WhatsApp and Messenger. I had to contact my daughters so they could call Emirates to understand and resolve the situation. But nothing worked—they insisted that when I filed my complaint, it was indicated that all my future tickets were canceled. The flight on February 27th was fully booked, so either my husband returns to France alone, or we return together on February 28th, but we’d have to pay 2300 € for both of us. Despite multiple explanations to Emirates—including that I’m disabled and can’t be alone—they refused to listen or understand. We had to pay 2300 € to get home on February 28th. We also had to extend our hotel stay in Bangkok by one night and change our train for the return on the 28th, totaling 2565 € to get back home. I’ve since filed requests with Emirates for a refund of the return flight tickets and with my Visa card, but I have little hope of recovering anything. If anyone here has experienced this situation or has any ideas for a solution, I’d really appreciate your help. Thanks so much for your valuable support. Most importantly, remember: DO NOT FILE A COMPLAINT WITH EMIRATES BEFORE RETURNING FROM YOUR TRIP.

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...

Hi,

I received an email from the airline saying my return flight was canceled and rescheduled to another flight.

Nothing about the connection in France...

I checked my passenger file, everything is the same as when I first booked.

I asked for an explanation by email.

They replied that my original flight was canceled and that I should sort it out with Air France since I bought the ticket through their site.

I called Air France. Finally got through to someone. The agent checked my file and told me there were no changes and therefore couldn’t reschedule my flight.

I checked my file again: the flight is the same as on the day I bought it.

They suggested I change it by paying!!!

I forwarded Air Mauritius’s emails to Air France. Waiting to see what happens next...

Have you ever had this kind of problem? What’s going on with Air Mauritius? Have they become a third-rate airline that’s absolutely not recommendable?

Thanks for your thoughts and any attempts at explaining this...

(The Air Mauritius flight is no longer for sale on Google Flights. The replacement flight isn’t either... Yet it still appears on the Air Mauritius site as the replacement flight.)

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

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.

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 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! !

Hi, I’m torn between a few airlines for late March departing from Paris: Vietnam Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways. Which one is reliable with a comfortable flight? Air France’s schedule doesn’t work for me. Thanks for your feedback!

Hello, I’m traveling this May to France and have a layover in Dubai with a 4h45 connection. Could you let me know if I need to collect my luggage when I arrive at Terminal 3 to depart from the same terminal? My travel agency is telling me to pick it up, go through customs, and then check in again for my departure with my luggage. That seems odd to me. Could you confirm whether this is correct or not? Best regards.

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

I completely forgot the transit procedure at Doha Airport and I’m a bit worried because I only have 1h30 to change planes, since my first flight was rescheduled. My flights: Barcelona/Doha: arrival at 6:15 AM Doha/Bangkok: departure at 7:50 AM

We only have carry-on luggage. Will they be checked again? Do we have to go through security again? Are the connections smooth and well signposted? Finally, is it common in this situation to ask a flight attendant for help?

Thanks! 🙂

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

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, I’m planning a trip to Australia—Paris to Melbourne. I’m flying with Etihad and have a 1-hour connection in Abu Dhabi. Does that seem doable to you? Thanks for your feedback and experiences!

Hi, Air Cairo offers good prices on domestic flights and schedules that work for us, but is this airline reliable? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Hi there, We’re heading to Mexico in May, and I’d love to know if any of you have flown with this airline before and what you thought of it. Thanks for your feedback!

Hi there,

I’d like to fly to Malta from Lyon. I’ve read a lot of negative reviews about KM MALTA, especially regarding baggage fees at the airport. Of course, I don’t want to book through third parties (like SkyScanner, Opodo…). AIR FRANCE offers tickets to MALTA in partnership, if I understood correctly. On AIR FRANCE, the tickets include everything (checked baggage, cabin bag, small personal item, seat), whereas with KM MALTA, everything is extra and the final price is almost double! In this case, is AIR FRANCE considered the same as sites like Opodo or others? Given the price difference, I’m hesitant… Have any of you booked with AIR FRANCE for this destination? How did it go? Thanks, HERVE

Hi there, I have a question... Has anyone managed to get a refund from Oman Air?

After a delayed flight, we missed our connecting flight to get home!! At midnight, the flight attendant booked us on a flight to Nice via Munich, even though we were in Munich and wanted to get back to Nice... Too tired from the trip, we didn’t notice the mistake!! The next day, of course, the booking wasn’t valid!! We had to pay again for the flight back to Nice... I’m really struggling!! I think they’re giving me the runaround!! I’ve sent several emails, tried Messenger and WhatsApp, but the only responses I get are: "We need to investigate!! We’ll get back to you in 15 days!!" It’s been over a month!!

I just sent a registered letter (LRAR) to their office at Paris Charles de Gaulle, which is still open!!

Do you have any other suggestions for me?

Thanks in advance for your help! Virginie

Hi there, we're flying with Air Caraïbes and bringing our dog—he'll be traveling in the cabin with us. The airline recommends a carrier size of 43×35×20 cm, but despite calling them several times, we can’t figure out if the 20 cm is the height or width, or if the carrier can be slightly larger. Thanks to anyone who replies and has flown with Air Caraïbes before!

Hi there, Can anyone tell me if they’ve taken a No.. Face Base Camp S or XS duffel bag as carry-on on an international Air France flight? Bag dimensions (S): 33.03 x 53.34 x 33.02 cm I’ve never traveled with just a carry-on—only my 15L backpack. Thanks! !

Hi there,

I’ve been trying unsuccessfully to run a simulation on Nile Air’s website for a flight from SSH Sharm to Cairo, but it keeps crashing every time. I’ve tried several dates. I have flights with Egyptair or Air Cairo, but it seems like Nile Air’s prices are much more interesting. Does anyone know if they have daily flights or not? Thanks, and happy holidays to everyone.

Hi, I need your help because I’m stuck. I booked 6 flight tickets to Palermo on August 6th through the Lastminute site. The flight is operated by Air France, and I just realized my name is wrong. I immediately contacted Air France, who told me it’s up to Lastminute to make the change, but they say it’s Air France’s responsibility. I’m really anxious because I’m traveling with my two kids. Can you help me? Thanks

Booking for October 28th to Varadero, on October 22nd I was notified that it was canceled. I called and changed it to November 7th, departure at 7 AM. On November 6th, an email informed me that it was delayed until 12:30 PM. My return from Varadero on April 14th, 2025—on November 17th, another email notified me that my return flight on April 14th would no longer be direct but would make a stopover in Toronto. So, a heads-up to those thinking of booking with Air Canada...

Booked an Air Mauritius ticket via a flight operated by Air France, but my middle name was shortened to just an initial with "Ms" attached instead of being written as Lalina Alexandra Fernandez. On the ticket, it shows as Lalina Ams Fernandez, even though I booked with the correct name. Apparently, no one can modify the ticket. Do you think this will cause problems?

Great news for those heading to Bahia / Salvador toward the end of the year. Air France plans to increase flights from 3 to 5 during the December 2026 / February 2027 period. Original source: Salvador terá mais voos diretos para Paris durante o verão; veja o que muda | Jornal Correio 1 Tropical greetings from Salvador, @IvanBahiaGuide (local specialist, active on the French-speaking Brazil Forums for over 16 years now)

Hi there, I traveled in June 2025 with Nouvelair Destinations to Hammamet. I had one checked bag and one carry-on sized 40x24x30, which I usually take on low-cost flights, and I didn’t have any issues. But I just read on a website that Nouvel Air only accepts carry-ons of 40x20x15. I’m flying back to Djerba in June—what do you think? Especially since that size is impossible to find??????? Thanks

Hi there! Has anyone taken the direct flight from CDG to Las Vegas with Air France? Looking forward to your feedback!