French SkyTeam member Air France and Air Austral are offering two deals from Paris to Réunion Island starting at just €443. This deal doesn’t offer checked luggage, but you can add a 23 kg bag in Air Austral or Air France for €50 per way. While offering either worse seats or higher luggage prices, leisure carriers Air Caraibes, Corsair and FrenchBee compete with similar prices. You can find flights for less than €500 throughout the entire year, the exception being school holidays.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates for less than €500 for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Skyscanner with your selected flight dates. From there, you can book directly with the operating airline, or check what OTAs have to offer, as they sell these tickets for up to €30 cheaper. Not every airline is available at the lowest fare on each day.
Air Austral uses Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8 aircraft for these flights. Both aeroplanes feature personal, on-demand entertainment systems for every seat – but no power outlets.
Air France uses a Boeing 777-300ER as well, with seats comparable to Air Austral.
From a comfort standpoint, French Bee, Air Caraibes and Corsair are equally worse choices. The former both use Airbus A350 aircraft with unusually narrow 3-4-3 seating configuration (review). Corsair fits a 3-3-3 pattern in the A330-900neo planes, compared to the industry standard 2-4-2. Flights take approximately 11 to 12 hours each way.
Visa Info
Since Reunion is an overseas department of France, European citizens need nothing but their passport to enter the country.
Search & Book
Air France’s offers ends on February 12, 2025, and the other airlines will likely follow suit. A minimum stay of three days or a Saturday overnight stay, and a maximum stay of three months apply. You can find flights for less than €500 throughout the entire year, the exception being school holidays.
You can find suitable dates using our calendar above or with the help of Google Flights. We recommend booking directly on the Airline website.
While you can find cheaper prices with Skyscanner, booking on OTAs has notable downsides.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Miles & Points
Air France issues these tickets in booking class X. SkyTeam frequent flyers can earn the following mileage:
- 2,908 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 2,908 RDM + 582 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 2,326 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 2,326 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 2,326 Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- 2,326 Miles on Korean Air Skypass
- 2,326 Award Miles on Etihad Guest
- 2,326 Award Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 2,326 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 1,624 Award Miles + 24 XP on Flying Blue
- Customize Calculation
Air Austral tickets are issued in booking class M, making it impossible to earn miles in any major program, just like with the other airlines.
Cover Picture: ©Unclesam – stock.adobe.com
