Phoenix to Paris Nonstop Flight on Air France: Costs & Benefits

I admit when I’m wrong, and I’d been betting that PHX Sky Harbor’s big announcement in 2024 would be a nonstop from Phoenix to Seoul or Tokyo.

I was surprised and excited to hear about the new Air France nonstop flights from Phoenix to Paris, which began in late May and are apparently doing very well.

Developments on the PHX-CDG Flights

Passenger numbers are higher than expected.
Air France changed from a Boeing 787 to a 777 to fit more people in 2024.
In 2025, flights will operate 5 days a week from Phoenix to Paris.
Air France is expected to transition to an A350, with a larger business class cabin.

Benefits of the New Phoenix to Paris Nonstop

Air France’s new nonstop to Paris came with great fanfare in the spring of 2024, with talk at the press event about the champagne served in coach, and flights starting in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Normally from Phoenix, a flight to Paris will take about 15-20 hours, depending on your layover and flight path. With a direct flight, the travel time gets cut to roughly 10 hours (depending on a number of factors).

However, these are the true benefits of the PHX-CDG on Air France:

It’ll shave hours off your flight time, since you won’t have a layover along the way.
Lack of a layover means: your luggage will make it to Paris.
Lack of a layover also means: you won’t be impacted by storm delays or other issues in your layover city.

Fly From Phoenix to Paris to ….

For me, even better than a direct link to Paris, the Air France introduction at PHX opens up many more destinations. Charles de Gaulle is a great jumping-off point to explore the rest of the world!

Air France flies to nearly 200 destinations from Paris’ CDG.

In the last few years, I’ve flown Air France from Paris to:

Bilbao to take a road trip through Northern Spain (photo below).
Stockholm to explore Scandinavia.
Slovenia for a road trip down to Italy and Croatia
Krakow to report on Ukrainian refugees for work.

You’ll find flights from CDG to small cities in Europe which you’ve probably never even heard of!

Plus, a nonstop Air France flight from Phoenix to Paris will be great for families looking to go to the Middle East, Africa, and India.

Pro Tip: Give yourself a lengthy layover (at least two hours) in Paris, since CDG is a massive airport. You’ll likely have to wind your way through parts of it to connect to a second flight.

Air France Phoenix to Paris: The Basics

This information will definitely change over time, so I’ll be sure to update it. The plan is to run the nonstop Air France Phoenix to Paris flights three days a week.

The flights will last from 10 to 11 hours. With a layover, you’re looking at a minimum of 13 hours, but probably more like 15 hours each way. So the nonstop Air France option would save several hours of travel time.

Air France PHX to CDG

Flights began May 23, 2024.
Phoenix to Paris: 10 hours. (2:10pm to 9:15am)
Paris to Phoenix: 11 hours. (10:10am to 12:10pm)
Flights operate: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Air France began flying a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route.

Changes on the Paris Flight in 2025

Air France announced it will increase its nonstop service to Paris from three to five flights a week starting May 2025.

When the route launched on May 23, 2024, it operated three times weekly with a Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner seating 279 passengers.

Demand exceeded expectations, prompting Air France to upgrade to a larger Boeing 777-200 with 328 seats for the winter season.

In May 2025, service frequency will increase to five flights a week, with Air France introducing the Airbus A350-900 on the route. Here’s what that means for you:

The A350 offers a larger business class cabin and a total capacity of 324 passengers.
Business (34 seats)
Premium Economy (24 seats)
Economy (266 seats).

Flights are scheduled to depart Paris at 10:45 a.m. and arrive in Phoenix at 12:50 p.m.

Return flights will leave Phoenix at 3:05 p.m. and land in Paris the following day at 10:10 a.m.

“Within one year since the launch of their Paris service, Air France will have almost doubled the capacity on the Phoenix-Paris route. The airline has been a fantastic addition to our airport, and we are grateful for their confidence and investment in our market,” said City of Phoenix Aviation Director Chad Makovsky.

The Cost of the Phoenix to Paris Flights

We were wondering if we’d pay a premium for the convenience of a nonstop flight.

Paris Pricing

After high prices during the peak travel months (end of May through July), rates came down nicely by mid-August between Phoenix and all of Europe.. The lowest-cost flights from Phoenix seem to be on Tuesdays.

In 2024, by mid-September & October passengers were paying:

Coach Base: $800
First Class: $3660

For people looking for first class/business class seats from Phoenix to Paris, it doesn’t get much better than $3660!

The nonstop Phoenix to Paris flight is right on par with the price of flights on other airlines.

Wrap: Is the Nonstop Phoenix to Paris Flight Worth It?

Yes! Remember: fall, winter and spring prices are much more affordable than summer.

Focus on the big perks of a nonstop: the time saved, and the lack of delays in a layover city!

And again, if you’ve been to Paris, use it as a jumping-off spot to explore the rest of Europe!

Most people never fly first class, but for those who do (or if you’re splurging for a special occasion), you’ll have more seat options in the A350 that’ll begin flying in 2025.

Demand is high elsewhere, too. Air France resumed flights from Minneapolis to Paris in 2024. Plus, the airline expanded its flights from Raleigh-Durham to Paris to seven days a week.

Overall, I’m thrilled to see another international airline move in to PHX Sky Harbor! And who knows, maybe my prediction will one day come true and the next one will deliver nonstop service to Asia!