Here's how much it costs to travel to France via direct and connecting flights
How much will a direct flight to Paris from Manila cost with Air France?
The French carrier earlier announced that it will operate three direct flights weekly from Manila to Paris-Charles de Gaulle starting December 7, 2024, using Airbus A350-900 aircraft with Business, Premium, and Economy cabins.
Compared to connecting flights, travelers may wonder which is better in terms of prices, booking inclusions, and travel time compared to direct flights.
To help, PhilSTAR L!fe has compared the prices for booking direct and connecting flights from France to Manila and vice versa.
For this, we checked how much it would cost to book a flight through for Dec. 8 for one adult passenger, but do note that ticket price varies depending on the date and time of booking.
Ticket prices
As of writing, the lowest price for a ticket from Manila to France via Air France's upcoming direct flight is $487 (P27,193.11). Meanwhile, the returning flight, which we scheduled for December 14, costs $825 or P46 066.35 (Economy), $2,008 or P112,125.71 (Premium), and $2,280 or P127,455.41 (Business).
Meanwhile, a connecting flight with Philippine Airlines from Manila to Paris on the same date has a four-hour layover at Changi Airport in Singapore costing $548.70 (P30,638.31). Its returning flight with the same layover destination has the lowest price at $812.80 or P45,437.14.
Flight duration
Flight duration is a crucial factor in air travel, as sometimes, layovers can take a few hours.
In the case of the flights L!fe checked out, the direct travel will take about 15 hours, while the connecting one will take more or less 22 hours and 5 minutes.
Baggage
In terms of baggage included per passenger, Air France has various options for Economy, Premium, and Business class ranging from $487, $699, to $2,098.
For a Manila to France direct flight, the economy light option ($487 or P27,176.79) includes one hand baggage and one personal item, totaling 12kg. This option does not include checked baggage and does not offer free seat selection.
The Standard option ($541 or P30,195.64) includes one handbag and one personal item weighing a total of 12kg and one 23kg checked bag(s).
Lastly, the Standard Plus ($590 or 32,930.55) includes one hand baggage and one personal item totalling 12kg, one 23kg checked bag(s), and a front-section seat.
On the other hand, on PAL's connecting flight, checked bags are 25kg, while carry-on bags must be 7kg.