Originally Posted by
bazzatel
Though AF remains commited to it's non-Paris model, the general rule of thumb is that you still have to fly through CDG to get anywhere of note
I disagree. Apart from SXB, these places are mini-hubs in their own right.
CFE alone (population: 145k, or less than half the population of Leicester) has 16 direct destinations!! Passengers flying between Paris and Corsica often change planes to CCM at MRS. The lowcosts have been unable to break into the market exactly because of the AF network's extensive coverage and the airline's operational reliability (people are willing to pay a bit extra to fly AF). And all this while competing against ridiculously fast trains on heavily subsidised (even if there's nothing wrong with that from a general "greater good" point of view IMHO) SNCF.