Travelers rejoice over 1st Phoenix-Paris nonstop flight: 'I'm going to be so spoiled'

The Valley of the Sun now has a nonstop flight to the City of Light.

Air France’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down on the runway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for the first time at about 12:15 p.m. Thursday, May 23.

Just after 2:30 p.m., Air France Flight 69 took off with passengers bound for Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was the first Phoenix to Paris nonstop flight in Sky Harbor Airport history.

That flight was 97% full, said Boaz Hulsman, Air France vice president of commercial operations in North America. Hulsman said the launch of the new nonstop route was "long overdue."

Air France will fly the Phoenix-Paris route three times a week. Here's what to know about the flight's first day.

Is there a direct flight from Phoenix to France?

There is now.

Air France will operate nonstop flights from Phoenix to Paris, France, via Charles de Gaulle Airport three times weekly. Phoenix is the 17th U.S. destination the airline serves.

The airline recently announced it will continue offering the Phoenix-Paris flights into winter 2025.

Upon hearing from Hulsman that the first Phoenix-Paris flight was 97% full, Phoenix Aviation Services Director Chad Makovsky said he thought it made the case for Air France to eventually offer daily flights.

What days does Air France fly from Phoenix to Paris?

Air France will operate its Paris flights from Phoenix on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Flights leave Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport at 2:10 p.m. Arizona time and arrive in Paris at 9:15 a.m. Central European Time the next day. Flights to Phoenix leave Paris at 10:10 a.m. CET and arrive at Sky Harbor at 12:10 p.m. Arizona time.

The Boeing 787-9 plane used for the flights has 30 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats and 228 economy seats, according to Air France.

What passengers said about the new Phoenix-Paris flight

Passengers who flew on the inaugural flight included a mix of first-time travelers and people revisiting France for the first time in many years. Some were thrilled about how the new Phoenix-Paris nonstop eliminates layovers and cuts their travel time — 10 hours to Paris and 11 hours for the return flight.

Frederick Dormigny, who lived in Paris for 17 years and is now a metro Phoenix resident, traveled on the Air France flight as part of a larger trip to France and Poland. The trip is his first to Paris in two decades; when traveling from Phoenix in the past, getting to Paris required layovers in Atlanta, Los Angeles or Newark, New Jersey.

"It costs a little bit more, but you get there in 10 hours," he said. "If you go on a big vacation, it's 21 hours (round trip) versus 40 hours."

Marlene Simmons, a flight attendant for Air France in the early 1960s, traveled with her neighbor Joy Leach on the first flight. This trip marked Leach's first time going to Paris. The women, both residents of Sonoita, also planned to visit Luxembourg and Poland.

They found the flight special for different reasons. For Simmons, it was reconnecting with a beloved destination she hadn't visited in 40 years; for Leach, it was knowing her first visit to Paris would be on the first nonstop flight there from Phoenix.

"I'm going to be so spoiled," Leach said. "I hear all these stories about how it's 16 hours to (arrive in) France, and I'm going to be there in 10 hours. It's a bonus we get to be on the first nonstop flight from Phoenix."

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Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Air France new Phoenix-Paris flight takes off at Sky Harbor Airport