Cheapest Route | $358 |
---|---|
Most Popular Route | ORY to MIA |
Shortest Flight | 7h 00m |
Longest Flight | 20h 30m |
French bee is a France-based discount airline notable for its cheap fares and a la carte pricing model. The airline flies direct between Paris Orly Airport and the US destinations of Los Angeles, Miami, New York (EWR) and San Francisco. French bee also offers flights to Tahiti, the Dominican Republic and Reunion Island.
While French bee provides some amazingly cheap long-haul airfares, I advise travelers to carefully review what is included with the fare, and how much extra options will cost you. Sometimes the added options can add up to eliminate much of your potential cost savings.
A French bee experience on basic economy with no extra services for a more than 8-hour-long trans-Atlantic or cross-Pacific flight is not ideal-especially if you’re stuck in a middle seat. But if the cheap French bee airfare is what makes your dream trip to Paris or Tahiti a possibility, then I’d recommend you go for it. My strategy is to select a couple high priority add-ons and use potentially hundreds of dollars of savings on my vacation.
Currently French bee flies exclusively on Airbus A350 aircraft, which makes it easy to plan your seats regardless of flight. Premium cabin seats are arrayed in a 2-3-2 pattern, and 376 economy seats are set up in a cramped 3-4-3 format.
In terms of selecting seats on French bee flights, my feeling is it’s best to pay the extra money to reserve an aisle or window seat or pay to get seats together as a family. These flights are too long to endure one of those middle seats.
Here’s what you can expect from each cabin class offered by French Bee.
French bee’s Premium Economy class is the airline’s top-level front-of-cabin product with wider seats and services that are not included in regular Economy seating. I think the in-flight experience matches well with Premium Economy in many other full-fare international airlines. And for the price, I’d say it’s a great deal for long-haul flights, sometimes even beating economy class fares on other airlines.
French bee’s Premium Economy seats do not lie flat (or even close to flat) as do most international business class seats. But the seats are wide, have a decent recline, and ample leg space. I was able to get in some fitful sleep on my 8-hour flight, but didn’t find it nearly as comfortable as most airlines’ business class seats. The bulkhead seats have extra legroom, but I don’t think are worth the extra fee charged to select them.
I think that service is excellent in Premium Economy, with a friendly and helpful flight attendant staff that you don’t see in many discount airlines. On my flights, staff were quick with refills on drinks, extra pillows or blankets if needed, and helped passengers get situated in their seats.—They even facilitated some seat swapping amongst passengers.
Meals are included in French bee Premium economy, a nice benefit. While the food is decent enough, I didn’t feel it was a super-premium experience, as it was served in tin trays and plastic cups. However, but I appreciated the refills on good French wines and champagnes, and the helping size was adequate to get me through my journeys.
French bee’s Cosy Cabin is the airline’s slightly more expansive Economy Class seating, located in the first few rows in the front of the section.
Cosy Cabin seats and services are identical to regular Economy Class but with two main benefits: The rows are at the front of the cabin facilitating entry and exit. The seats have extra leg room, which I greatly appreciated, being over six feet tall. I’d say the extra price is worth it to select these seats if you need the leg space.
French bee’s Economy Class seating is packed with 376 seats, including two middle seats in each 3-4-3 row. While the seats are cramped and the cabin crowded, I think paying for a few extras can make the journey more pleasant.
First, the good news for French bee Economy Class: I found the leather seats are comfortable enough for their size, about standard for the industry. Seat back entertainment systems with decent movie selection helped me fill the time in flight. I was pleasantly surprised with the service, which was courteous and helpful, unlike many discount airlines with outright surly staff.
The challenges with French bee Economy Class is that I found it very cramped and crowded, particularly if you’re in a middle seat. And following the discount carrier model, pretty much everything but using the bathroom costs extra on the flight, including blanket, headset and any food or drink beyond water.
My recommendation for Economy Class on French bee is to pay the extra fee to select an aisle or window seat to try to maximize your comfort. The airline assigns seats at random to those who don’t pay, so if you’re feeling lucky (and cheap) you can cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Meals are not included in French bee Economy Class, so you’ll need to plan ahead for the flight. You can select from a variety of meal options, including regular, vegetarian, kid and teen, and even a deluxe “French Bouillon” meal with foie gras, duck confit and reblochon and brie cheeses.
My suggestion for in-flight dining is just bring your own food, or order a few essential items off the menu in-flight. If you’re trying to shave every dollar from your flight costs, this is an area where you can do it. I don’t feel the meal options are worth the price. Packing a few snacks and ordering a couple glasses of wine got me through my flight ok.
French bee offers Wi-Fi packages for a fee on its flights. Costs are based on data usage by the megabite. I found service to be spotty, but mostly accessible, so if you have some essential business to conduct, go ahead and buy a package. But if you’re trying to save money, I’d say skip the Wi-Fi, read a book or watch a movie, and catch up on the internet when you arrive.
French bee does not have a frequent flier program, and is not partnered with other airlines for mileage accumulation.
French bee only offers lounge access at Paris Orly Airport. This lounge access is for a fee, even if you’re flying Premium Class. The Paris lounge is adequate, but I don’t think it’s worth the price of entry, unless you have extended time to kill or really need to escape a busy day in the airport.
French bee’s Basic fare allows for only one small personal item and no carry-on bag (but it can be added for a fee). Smart fares and Premium allow one free standard-sized carry-on with a maximum weight of 26 pounds. I made it aboard my flights without anybody weighing my bag, but I’ve heard of overweight carry-on bags being rejected, so pack carefully if you want to avoid a potential baggage fee.
Regular-sized checked bags on French bee can weigh up to 50 pounds, weighable at the check-in desk. Premium passengers and Smart Fare passengers are allowed one free piece of checked luggage and a carry-on.
I’d recommend cost-conscious fliers to look into the pricing details of any given flight to see if it’s cheaper to pay for a carry-on and/or checked bag versus purchasing a more premium fare. Usually a Basic fare with just a carry-on luggage add-on is cheaper than a Smart fare—a sweet spot for cheapskates like myself.
French bee offers a dizzying array of add-on services, available in combined packages and as a la carte menu options. I think this is a good way to target exactly what you’re willing to pay for on a flight. But I’d warn you to be careful at selection options, as prices may add up to eliminate much of the savings of your discount airfare.
French bee offers three main Economy Class service plans: Basic, which like it sounds, doesn’t include anything beyond your seat. Basic + which allows for ticket changes, and Smart, which comes complete with carry-on and checked bag and a meal.
My recommendation for cost-conscious fliers is to book a Basic ticket and select a few add-on a la carte services. For me, the essentials are a carry-on bag, a window seat, and a glass of wine on-board. Others may appreciate priority boarding, especially given the large number of passengers on board.
While it may take some time comparison shopping within the French bee website, I think it is worthwhile to go through the process of pricing out all the options for a given flight, and comparing a la carte vs. package or Smart fare options. This way you can maximize your comforts on the flight at a minimum price.
This Cheapflights-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
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