Love_Travel

Flying ATL-CDG-BOM. For the segment CDG-BOM, it is AF 218. This is a Delta ticket. Does AF Keeps the middle seat empty? I called AF to upgrade to Business class but they won't since it is a delta ticket and delta quotes around 3000$.

offvoice

They do not. You might be lucky and flight load be low enough not to have someone. Considering you’re flying in and out of destinations with loads of restrictions, that might very well be the case.

mlin32

None of the major European airlines block middle seats, so it will depend on the load factor of your flight.

Braniff

Blocking the middle seat in Economy Class would cannibalize their Business Class product 😄

bostontraveler

Absolutely not. Flew ATH-CDG last night-- maybe 5 empty seats on the whole plane.

Mirk

The middle seats aren't blocked but the filling of the plane is done by starting on the windows and aisle, the middle being filled only if necessary to accommodate the load.

carnarvon

CDG/TXL : A320. Every window and aisle seat occupied, plus some odd middle seats -not many, only a few).

TXL/CDG: they switched from the planned A320 to an A319 at the last moment (I realised I had been moved from 2nd exit row aisle seat 12C) to a only exit row middle seat (10E).

I complained about being stacked in a smaller plane than planned and their answer has been that they regretted "that I had been an allocated a seat different from the one I had chosen" and "the inconvenience caused" as If I had complained about comfort when I had made it clear it was about health and safety.

In short : they dont' care.

IstKong

Depends on how full the flight is.

If they can block the middle seats, they will do it when they will open OLCI.

On long haul, flights are mostly empty, so if travelling alone, you will most likely have nobody near you and maybe nobody on the whole row.

If it is like 70% full, and it is a long haul flight, the crew uses an iPad after take off to redispatch the passengers (if they want to do so), so that almost everybody can socially distance.

And indeed, their business class product is "cannibalized" on long haul flights : full flex tickets with light fare, empty planes so you can rest fully flat, and very attentive service due to low occupancy. Champagne ? Air France serves it in long haul economy (not the best but it is here).

I had a very good experience travelling AF on long haul economy flights during the pandemic, enjoy your flight.

Goldorak

Hi Carnavon
if you’ve been to TXL recently, would you mind sharing your experience about the Covid test/German requirements in this thread :
COVID testing in Paris Airport
I think we are several interested.

carnarvon

Hi Goldorak.

Little to say .

Only got a paper from German health authorities saying that if we had been to an infected area (or something akin to it) or had symptoms, we should report to health authorities.

Other than that, nothing.... Everything went as usual. No passport control on arrival (Schengen in full force)....

Same thing upon departure.

AurelAF96

Flight to/from Italy are mandatory to have the middle seat block on all flights

Flew 5 times LIN-PAR with AZ and AF in July and August all 10 flights had middle seats blocked

fly747first

Good to know

DrLudwig

Flew several times CDG - FCO and AMS - FCO in ausgust on both AZ as AF and never saw a blocked middle seat in Y.

AurelAF96

I'm on AZ flight from CDG to FCO

All middle seats blocked so...

Moreover Italy's air regulation (ENAC) is dealing with Ryanair about some flights of Ryanair where their is not blocked middle seats

DrLudwig

Happy to see you have middle seats free (should you fly in Y). Airlines are not required to keep middle seats free as long as they adhere to ENAC‘s other rules (masks, social distancing when boarding etc). These other rules where not adhered to by Ryanair. Have a look at: https://www.corriere.it/cronache/20_...dd8eef08.shtml