Air France Arriving in Raleigh-Durham With New Flight to Paris

Updated: July 12, 2023, 11:58am CDT

Edited by:

Air France Arriving in Raleigh-Durham With New Flight to Paris

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

This fall, the French flag carrier will land in Raleigh-Durham — marking the airport’s first Dreamliner service, as first reported by Ishrion Aviation.

Over the last year, airlines from Avelo to Breeze to Icelandair have launched flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) to keep up with the steady growth of the Research Triangle area.

Here are the details on Air France’s latest expansion efforts — and what this may mean for the existing Raleigh-Durham (RDU) to Paris (CDG) route on SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines.

Air France’s Raleigh-Durham to Paris Route

On October 30, 2023, Air France will launch flights between Raleigh-Durham (RDU) and Paris (CDG) with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. This route will operate 3x weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays:

Depart Paris (CDG) 1:30 p.m. — Arrive Raleigh-Durham (RDU) 5:35 p.m.
Depart Raleigh-Durham (RDU) 7:45 p.m. — Arrive Paris (CDG): 8:25 a.m. (+1)

Upon closer look, Delta Air Lines’ existing Raleigh-Durham (RDU) to Paris (CDG) flight matches Air France’s proposed schedule. Currently, Delta flies the same nonstop flight to Paris with its Boeing 767-400 aircraft 7x weekly. But come October — when Air France will launch this new flight — Delta’s route is also slated to reduce to 3x weekly.

Air France Business Class — Air France’s Dreamliner aircraft boasts 30 business class seats. Image Credit: Stella Shon

While not officially announced by either carrier, this may mean that Delta will hand over the route to Air France entirely. So while not exactly a “new” route for Raleigh-Durham (RDU), it’s worth noting that Air France’s 787 aircraft is larger with 276 seats, compared to Delta’s 767-400 with 236 seats.

Hot Tip:

Even better, Air France/KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty program is one of the best for booking business class flights to Europe. Every month, the carrier offers a 25% to 50% discount off award flights through its monthly Promo Rewards.

Flights From Raleigh-Durham (RDU) to Europe

With the announcement of Air France’s newest route, here’s a closer look at the transatlantic flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) starting this fall:

SCROLL FOR MORE

Destination	Aircraft	Frequency
Paris, France	Boeing 787 (Air France), Boeing 767-400 (Delta)	7x weekly; 3x weekly starting this fall
London, U.K.	Boeing 777-200 (American Airlines)	1x daily
Reykjavík, Iceland	Boeing 737-MAX8 (Icelandair)	4x weekly

Final Thoughts

The mid-size RDU airport has seen no shortage of new domestic and international routes over the last year. And now, Air France will inaugurate a new route to the heart of North Carolina to connect even more passengers to Paris.

Featured Image Credit: Air France

Was this page helpful?

About Stella Shon

With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in The New York Times, USA Today, and more.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE^™