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French bee expands U.S. long-haul routes amid evolving flight strategies

French bee expands U.S. long-haul routes amid evolving flight strategies
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Simple Flying | Simple Flying

French bee, a French low-cost airline established in 2016, focuses solely on long-haul flights. The airline currently operates six routes, with four connecting to the United States. Initially, French bee began its operations with flights to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic but has since ceased this route. In 2017, it started servicing Reunion Island, a French overseas department.

In 2018, the airline expanded its US presence by launching flights to San Francisco and Tahiti, followed by New York as its second American destination. The airline transitioned from using Airbus A330-300 aircraft to exclusively operating Airbus A350 models in June 2019. According to ch-aviation data, French bee's fleet comprises four A350-900s and two A350-1000s.

The A350s are equipped with premium and economy cabins. Passengers can choose additional services such as priority security checks and WiFi access. Cirium reports that French bee has scheduled 194 flights for this month, including routes to the US and one route connecting the US with Tahiti.

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Operating from Orly Airport in Paris, which is popular among low-cost carriers, French bee offers nine weekly flights to Reunion Island this November. For these flights spanning 5,802 miles off Africa's southeastern coast, both variants of the A350 are used.

French bee also competes on routes from Paris to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), a major hub for United Airlines. Initially offering daily flights at the start of November, frequencies have now decreased to five times per week.

The Miami route was introduced at the end of 2022 but initially struggled with load factors below half capacity; however, it has improved to an average load factor of approximately 75%. Currently operated three times weekly on an A350-900 aircraft, there are plans for over 10,600 seats available this month.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is another key location for French bee's operations. From SFO, they fly onwards to Fa'a'ā International Airport (PPT) in Tahiti twice weekly without requiring fifth-freedom rights due to Tahiti being part of France's overseas territories.

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