Air France Launches New Paris–Ottawa Route

In its first new Canadian route announcement of 2023, Air France has revealed that it will begin service between Paris and Ottawa later this year. As of June 27, 2023, the Paris-based airline will launch a new flight between the two capitals, beginning with five times per week.

In the same announcement, Air France also stated that the service to Quebec City will resume for Summer 2023, and the year-round frequency to Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto will also be increased.

Air France’s New Ottawa–Paris Route

Once service begins on June 27, 2023, flights will operate seasonally between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The flight numbers and times are scheduled as follows:

• AF364 Paris (CDG) to Ottawa (YOW), departing 1:10pm and arriving 3:05pm
• AF361 Ottawa (YOW) to Paris (CDG), departing 5:05pm and arriving 6:15am the next day

The flight will be operated by a three-cabin Airbus A330-200 aircraft, offering 36 lie-flat business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, 21 premium economy seats, and 167 economy seats.

Air France also operates flights between Paris and Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and Vancouver, making Ottawa the airline’s fifth Canadian destination.

Should Ottawa-based passengers wish to fly to or from Paris on a day when the non-stop flight is unavailable, there is a complimentary bus service between Montreal and Ottawa that connects passengers to Air France flights.

Air France Restores, Increases Frequency on Other Canadian Routes

Air France has also announced the resumption of the service between Quebec City and Paris, as well as an increase to the number of flights to its other Canadian destinations.

The Quebec City service, which was inaugurated in 2022, is set to resume on May 2, 2023. Air France will operate thrice-weekly flights between the two cities on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and the route will be served by the Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Air France also runs a shuttle bus between Quebec City and Montreal on days when flights don’t depart from Quebec City.

Air France operates year-round flights from Paris to Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. These routes are set to see a 25% increase in service compared to 2019 levels, which is great for anyone who is planning a visit to Europe.

Passengers departing from Montreal will enjoy up to three daily flights, and passengers departing from Toronto will enjoy two daily flights.

If you’re based out of Vancouver, you’ll soon have the option of flying direct to Paris daily.

Keep in mind that KLM also flies to Canadian airports, with service to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. Between the two airlines, you should be able to find a suitable option from any of these Canadian cities.

It’s great to see more choice being available for Canadian travellers. We’ve seen some very attractive business class fares available in the past, and let’s hope that Air France and KLM continue to offer great deals going forward.

Booking Air France’s Ottawa–Paris Flights with Points

Since redemptions with Flying Blue are dynamic, the cost of booking this route may vary. Since the flights are loaded into the airline’s search engine already, we can get a sense of what it might cost to redeem miles on this new route.

Keep in mind that while you may be able to find tickets as low as the below values, it may also wind up costing much more.

Booking in economy appears to begin at 20,000 miles:

Booking in premium economy appears to begin at 40,000 miles:

And booking in business class appears to begin at 70,000 miles:

Note that the taxes and fees increase as you move into a higher class of service. Once the number of fares available at each level sell out, expect the prices to jump up.

Earning Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles is becoming easier and easier. While the most simple method to earn miles is through transferring from American Express Membership Rewards at a ratio of 1:0.75, you can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points or earn through daily spending on the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard.

Lastly, keep an eye out for Promo Rewards to any of Air France and KLM’s Canadian destinations. These can represent an excellent deal, as they slash the number of miles required for flights typically by 25–50%.

We’ve also seen the discounts apply to business class in some situations, which brought the price of a flight from Montreal to Europe down to around 27,000 miles. If this happens, be sure to jump on the opportunity, as it doesn’t get any cheaper than this.

Conclusion

Air France has announced upcoming direct flights between Ottawa and Paris, set to begin five times per week as of June 27, 2023. This route is their fifth Canadian destination.

If you’re able to secure a business class flight at the low end of Flying Blue’s dynamic spectrum, spending 70,000 miles for a flight to Europe isn’t a bad deal at all, despite the less favourable transfer ratio from American Express. Snagging a Promo Reward could drop the cost down to an even more attractive level, too.

It’s great to see Air France expanding its reach into Canada, as it gives travellers more options for flights across the Atlantic.