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LATEST: All the new flights to and from France this autumn

Despite some travel changes ahead, people in France have plenty of new flight routes that might interest them this autumn whether it's to get home or to get away. Here is The Local's listing.

Published: 6 September 2024 15:06 CEST
LATEST: All the new flights to and from France this autumn
An Easyjet Airbus A319-111 flying in July 2022. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP)

This year, there will be some travel changes for passengers – including the introduction of the EES biometric passport checks – but there are also new flight services that might help some people find an easier route home or just to get away.

The Local has created a list of the several new flights from France to international and domestic destinations starting up this autumn 2024.

Here are some that you can take advantage of;

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EasyJet

The budget airline EasyJet has announced several new flights to and from France, according to Air Journal.

Paris-Newcastle – Six flights a week (every day except Saturday), starting October 27th

Paris-Oslo – Three flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) starting on October 28th

Paris-Fuerteventura – Starting November 2nd

Paris-Tromsø – Two flights a week (Thursday and Sunday) starting November 28th

Nice-Madrid – Up to 4 flights a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday), starting on October 27th

Nice-Strasbourg – Five flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) starting October 27th

Nice-Lanzarote – Two flights a week (Wednesday and Saturday) starting November 2nd

Lyon-Berlin Brandenburg – Two flights a week (Friday and Sunday) November 8th

Bordeaux-Zurich – Two flights a week (Thursday and Sunday) starting November 7th

Nantes-Prague – Three flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) starting October 30th

Strasbourg-Barcelona – Two flights a week (Monday and Friday) starting October 28th

Strasbourg-Nice – Five flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) starting October 28th

Strasbourg-London Gatwick – Three flights a week (Monday, Friday and Sunday) starting November 11th

Transavia

The low-cost subsidiary of Air France, will also open six new international routes for the period of October 27th to March 29th, also reported by Air Journal.

These include Nice-Dakar (one per week, outbound Sunday, return Saturday, starting October 27th), Lille-Dakar (two flights per week, starting on October 30th, with outbound on Wednesday and Saturday, and returns on Tuesdays and Fridays).

There are also flights planned for Strasbourg-Algiers (twice a week, Wednesday and Saturday), and Rennes-Marrakech (two flights a week, mostly Thursday and Sunday). 

Air France

Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Zanzibar – Kilimanjaro – Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) starting on November 18th. This will replace the current Paris-Zanzibar-Dar Es Salaam route, though Dar Es Salam will remain accessible via Amsterdam, according to the Air France website.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Salvador de Bahia – Three times a week (Monday, Thursday and Wednesday) starting on October 28th.

Keep in mind that Air France plans to shift nearly all its domestic and international flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport by 2026. This is a phased process which began in November 2023 and will continue over the next two years with gradually fewer and fewer flights from Orly.

Volotea

As for Spanish low-cost airline, Volotea, will add two new routes from Bordeaux airport after Ryanair departs in November.

Bordeaux-Marrakech – Two flights a week (Tuesday and Saturday) starting November 5th

Bordeaux-Madrid – Three flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) starting November 6th

What about the Bordeaux airport?

In May, low-cost airline Irish Ryanair announced it would close its base of operations in the French city of Bordeaux in November following a failure to find an agreement with the airport about fees.

The airline has been operating flights to and from around 40 different destinations around Europe from Bordeaux-Merignac (BOD), which was as of 2023 the eighth busiest French airport with 6.6 million passengers each year.

The head of route development for the airport, Cyrielle Clément, told Actu France “our first priority is to recover a large number of destinations that were only operated by Ryanair. As for the others, we’re working hard to identify the best companies to take over”.

Clément admitted that “in one year, it is impossible to recover all of the passenger volume, but we can meet demand with less frequency.”

READ MORE: What will happen to flights from Bordeaux airport after Ryanair leaves?

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TRAVEL NEWS

What we know about Eurostar’s re-launched ski train services to French Alps

For those in the UK planning a ski trip in the French Alps, there is good news - Eurostar has re-launched their 'snow train'. Here are your questions answered about the winter train to the mountains.

Published: 4 September 2024 10:30 CEST
What we know about Eurostar's re-launched ski train services to French Alps

Eurostar has re-launched its ‘snow train’ service for the 2024/2025 winter, offering a simple journey from London St Pancras to the French Alps.

The Local has answered several common questions about the ‘snow train’. 

When will it run?

The service will begin on December 21st and run through the entire ski season, until March 2nd.

Trains will run every Saturday from London to the Alps during that period, while the return trains to the UK will run on Sundays.

Where does it go and how long does it take?

This is not a direct train from London to the Alps. The first journey is from London to Lille, then you board a connecting train to Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Along the way to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the train passes through the stations Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-Les-Bains and Aime-la-Plagne.

You can see the Eurostar route map here.

Which ski resorts are nearby?

Once you arrive at your final station, there are coach and TER (regional train) services that can get you closer to the ski resorts.

Nearby resorts include Tignes and Val d’Isere (side by side), Les Arcs, Les Menuires, Val Thorens, Courcheval, La Tania, and Meribel.

You should be able to find bus (navette) schedules on the resort or town websites. For example, HERE is the schedule for Val d’Isere.

READ MORE: From high altitude to family friendly: 15 of the best French ski resorts

How much does it cost?

Tickets start at £99 (one-way) for 2nd class. However, due to high demand some are already unavailable for the first few weeks of the service (between December and early January).

How do I reserve tickets?

The one-way ticket includes your journey to Lille and the subsequent train to the Alps. To purchase, go to the Eurostar website and search for ‘Bourg-Saint-Maurice’ as the destination (or the other stations that the train stops at along the way).

Keep in mind that these may not immediately appear on the dropdown menu, you have to specifically search for them.

Be sure you are looking only at Saturdays during the period, as the trains do not run on any other day of the week. The same goes for returns – focus on Sundays.

What can I bring on-board?

Unlike travelling by plane, you are not confined by the weight limit on bags or liquid rules (which have come back into force in European airports).

READ MORE: What the return of liquid limits at airports means for travel in France

As for packing skis and snowboards, Eurostar snow has special rules for sporting equipment. Eurostar says that they “allocate extra space on board so you can take one pair of skis or one snowboard on board with you in addition to your standard adult luggage allowance.

“For safety reasons, skis and snowboards have to be kept in a protective case that covers the whole item.” More info here. 

What alternatives are available if it’s sold out?

You can always book the package yourself – a Eurostar train to Lille or Paris, and then a connecting French SNCF train to the Alps. You can book SNCF trains using SNCF Connect.

Booking for French trains will be available 90 days prior to your desired date of departure.

READ MORE: What can I do if I’ve booked a French skiing holiday and there’s no snow?

What about EES and passport checks?

The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will launch on Sunday, November 10th 2024. It will digitally register the data of non-EU citizens every time they enter and exit the external Schengen borders and it will replace the physical stamping of passports at passport control.

For those travelling from the UK to France via Eurostar, passport checks are done in the UK. Eurostar chiefs announced in May that they would add special EES kiosks and increase the number of e-gates and manual booths, as well as French border control officers.

READ MORE: How to prepare for travel under Europe’s new EES and ETIAS rules

Passengers required to complete EES registration will be funnelled first towards the three areas set aside for the EES kiosks before moving through to the main part of the check-in area, where they will go through check-in, security and passport checks with both UK and French border officers.

On the first time registering for EES, non-EU tourists and visitors will need to complete the digital registration. This will include a facial and fingerprint scans, passport scan and then a series of standardised questions such as “how long is your planned trip?” 

Passing through these kiosks is estimated to take at most 90 seconds per passenger. You can read more about what to expect at St Pancras, as well as exempt groups here.

As for the return journey to the UK, passport checks would be carried out at the Lille station.

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