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  French bee

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BF/FBU

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Paris Orly Airport

  Year Founded:

  2016

  CEO:

  Marc Rochet

  Country:

  France

French ‘smart cost’ carrier, French bee, has announced the launch of a new route to the United States. The carrier will now fly to Los Angeles nonstop from its Paris Orly hub. French bee has long been offering passengers a connection via Newark in partnership with Alaska Airlines for this route. However, total travel time can now be slashed by around ten hours thanks to this new nonstop service.

Marking the momentous occasion, French bee President Marc Rochet said,

"As summer travel demand surges for international trips, we are thrilled to expand our U.S. network and add Los Angeles as our third nonstop route to Paris. Affordability continues to be a top factor for our customers as well as our new Airbus A350 fleet, which makes long-haul travel efficient and comfortable.”

Bonjour Los Angeles

French bee is a leisure airline famously known for connecting distant French territories like Tahiti, Papeete, and Pointe-à-Pitre with the mainland. However, the all-Airbus A350 operator also has two other routes to the United States (San Francisco and Newark), and the LAX-ORY route will make an excellent addition.

Flights start from April 30th, three times a week, until the airline doubles its capacity to six weekly flights by July 2022. French bee will use one of its five Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft for the service. The modern jet is equipped with 411 seats, 376 of which are in the economy class, while the remaining 35 are Premium seats.

French bee’s high-volume capacity A350 will take off from Paris Orly Airport at 14:50 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for the transatlantic trip to its US West Coast destination. The aircraft will reach LAX at 17:15 and take to the skies again at 19:45 to complete the 10h 50m return journey back to its home base.

Long-haul at Low-cost

Thanks to the use of ultra-modern and extremely efficient planes with a high-volume cabin of more than 400 seats, French bee is able to offer some incredible prices for its long-haul flights. Fares announced for the LAX-ORY route are a good case in point. One-way prices for Basic Economy start at just $321, while the premium economy ticket will set you back around $679.

The Basic Economy package is just that: basic. Passengers can only carry one hand baggage (12 kg or 26 lb) and one accessory. A modest upgrade to Smart Economy comes with one checked baggage allowance (23 kg or 50 lb) and an in-flight meal. Furthermore, Premium Blue adds another checked baggage to the list along with more comfortable 18” wide seats with 36” of pitch (compared to 16” width and 32” pitch in basic and smart economy).

Changeable tickets before departure are available at all fares.

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What do you think of French bee’s new United States route? Do you think there is space in the market for the airline’s low-cost long-haul model? Please, let us know your thoughts in the comments.