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Hello and welcome to Smart With Points. I'm Jack, and today I'm absolutely buzzing to share some brilliant news for anyone in London and the South East who collects Flying Blue miles. Air France is coming back to Gatwick after nearly two decades, and this could be a proper game-changer for how we use our points. Grab a cuppa and let's dive in.
So, the big news is that Air France has just announced a new twice-daily service between London Gatwick and Paris Charles de Gaulle, launching on the twenty-ninth of March two thousand and twenty-six. Now, you might be thinking, we've already got easyJet flying this route, what's the big deal? Well, the difference here is massive. With Air France, you can actually earn and redeem Flying Blue miles, which opens up the entire SkyTeam alliance including Delta, KLM, Korean Air, and many more. That's something you simply can't do on easyJet.
Air France will be operating these flights using the modern Airbus A two twenty aircraft, and they've been quite clever with the flight times. From Paris Charles de Gaulle to London Gatwick, you'll have a morning departure at nine twenty, arriving at nine thirty, and an afternoon flight leaving at fifteen forty-five, arriving at fifteen fifty-five. Going the other way, from London Gatwick to Paris Charles de Gaulle, there's a ten thirty departure arriving at twelve forty, and an evening flight at seventeen ten arriving at nineteen twenty.
That morning departure from Gatwick is particularly interesting if you're thinking about connections. You'd arrive at Charles de Gaulle by lunchtime with plenty of afternoon departures to choose from across Air France's network of nearly one hundred and seventy destinations in seventy-three countries. It's a proper hub with connections to West Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia where Flying Blue redemption rates can be really competitive.
Now, let's talk about why this matters for us points collectors. First off, you'll earn Flying Blue miles on these flights. While we don't have a dedicated Flying Blue credit card here in the UK, you can earn miles through American Express Membership Rewards, which transfer one to one to Flying Blue. The Amex Gold card earns double points, so two per pound, on flights, making it excellent for booking Air France cash fares.
Flying Blue also runs these brilliant monthly Promo Rewards offering up to twenty-five percent off select routes when booked during specific windows. It's always worth checking before you redeem your miles.
Another brilliant perk is that Air France recently announced that all Flying Blue members now get complimentary Wi-Fi across the fleet. High-speed connectivity will be on thirty percent of aircraft by the end of two thousand and twenty-five, with full fleet coverage expected by late two thousand and twenty-six. Free Wi-Fi on short-haul European flights is still relatively rare, so this is a really nice touch.
If you've matched your British Airways status to Flying Blue through their status match programme, you'll enjoy priority boarding, extra baggage, and lounge access on these flights. Those SkyTeam benefits suddenly become much more useful when you've got a carrier operating from your local airport.
Here's a fun bit for rugby fans. Air France will operate twelve special flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Cardiff from the thirteenth to the sixteenth of February two thousand and twenty-six to coincide with the Six Nations Championship. If you're planning to follow Les Bleus to Wales or simply enjoy the atmosphere, this provides a convenient direct option.
Air France's return to Gatwick is part of a broader trend we're seeing at the airport. Jet two is opening a new base there in March two thousand and twenty-six, Air Arabia will fly twice-daily to Sharjah, and Condor is adding three daily Frankfurt services. For those of us in the South East, Gatwick's growing network makes it increasingly competitive with Heathrow, especially with the Gatwick Express providing a direct thirty-minute link to Victoria. With approved plans for increased use of the Northern runway, expect Gatwick's slot availability to continue improving in the coming years.
If you're thinking about connecting through Paris to long-haul destinations, Air France has been investing heavily in its premium products. The new Business Class suite on selected Boeing seven seven seven and Airbus A three fifty aircraft features privacy doors, direct aisle access, lie-flat beds, and larger high-definition entertainment screens. All long-haul passengers receive complimentary champagne, and Premium, Business, and La Première passengers enjoy menus crafted by Michelin-starred French chefs.
For the ultimate experience, La Première offers a private suite with a full-length bed spanning five windows, though redemption seats are limited to Platinum-level Flying Blue members and above. It's an absolutely stunning product if you can get access to it.
So what's my take on all this? I'm genuinely pleased to see this announcement. While Heathrow remains my usual departure point for long-haul travel, Gatwick has always been more convenient when I'm heading south. Having Air France as an option rather than just easyJet means I can actually earn and burn miles on this route.
That morning Gatwick departure time is well-positioned for connecting onto afternoon long-haul flights from Charles de Gaulle. If you're heading to destinations like Johannesburg, Mauritius, or the Caribbean, this could be a sensible positioning flight before your onwards journey.
For those of you who've taken advantage of the Flying Blue status match from British Airways, this gives you another route on which to use those SkyTeam benefits. More options are always better in this game.
The bottom line is this: Air France's Gatwick launch adds meaningful competition on the London-Paris corridor while opening up Flying Blue earning and redemption opportunities for those of us based south of the Thames. The flight times work well for connections, the free Wi-Fi sweetens the deal, and having SkyTeam access from Gatwick is a welcome addition to UK points collectors' options.
Air France, recently named Best Airline in Western Europe at the two thousand and twenty-five Skytrax Awards, last served Gatwick back in two thousand and seven, so this marks their return after nearly two decades.
Flights will go on sale in the coming months. Keep an eye on the Smart With Points website and I'll update you when booking opens.
That's all for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening to Smart With Points. If you've enjoyed this episode, please do subscribe to the podcast on all major platforms or head over to our website at smartwithpoints dot co dot uk. It really helps us out and means you won't miss any future episodes.
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