QUALIFY IT
Does it qualify?
Notice first. Under 7 days: owed, unless the re-route left within an hour of the original and landed under two hours late. 7–13 days: two hours early, four hours late. 14 days or more: no compensation, but the refund or rebooking is still owed.
Then direction, and this is where agents leave money on the table: Air France owes on flights INTO the EU as well as out of it. A JFK–CDG cancellation on AF metal qualifies. The same route on Delta metal does not.
Codeshares follow the operating carrier. An AF flight number on a Delta aircraft is a Delta flight for 261 purposes — check the e-ticket’s “operated by” line.
THE MONEY
What is it worth?
€250
Under 1,500 km
€400
1,500–3,500 km
€600
Over 3,500 km
Per passenger, measured on the journey’s great-circle distance.
Under 1,500 km €250 · 1,500–3,500 km €400 · over 3,500 km €600. The transatlantic cancellations are €600s; a family of four on a cancelled CDG–JFK is €2,400. Intra-Europe from CDG sits mostly in the €250 band.
THE PUSHBACK
What Air France will say
Air France’s first reply is often not a refusal but an avoir — a voucher, sometimes for more than the cash amount. Vouchers need your client’s written agreement under Article 7(3). Decline in one line and restate the cash figure.
The refusals cite strikes. French ATC strikes are extraordinary; strikes by Air France’s own crew or ground staff are not (Krüsemann, C-195/17). Ask which strike, on which date. AF has lost this argument repeatedly at MTV.
THE EDGE
What’s specific to Air France
Air France is slow: four to eight weeks to a substantive reply is normal. Calendar the eight-week mark on filing day — that is when MTV opens.
MTV (Médiation Tourisme et Voyage) is free and its recommendations carry weight AF rarely ignores; the DGAC is the enforcement body behind it.
France allows five years to file — shorter than England’s six, longer than Germany’s three. Retro-check AF bookings back to 2021.
US-origin flights on AF metal are covered inbound — the qualification most agents miss on this carrier.
Reading this as the passenger, not the agent? The plain-English version for your own trip: what to do when your flight is cancelled.
THE PLAY
How do you file it?
File through Air France’s online compensation request, every passenger on the PNR in one claim, in English or French.
Attach the booking confirmation and the cancellation notice; note the operating carrier explicitly.
Decline any voucher in writing and restate the cash amount per passenger.
At eight weeks without a substantive answer, file with MTV.
FLYING IT YOURSELF?
Check what Air France owes you — free, two minutes. $39 only if the airline pays.
Check my flight →TRAVEL AGENTS · Forward the booking and this claim is prepared for you. Start watching client flights →
AGENTS ASK
Questions agents ask
AF offered a €700 voucher on a €600 claim — take it?
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Only if the client wants AF credit. The cash is the entitlement; the voucher is AF’s preference.
The flight was JFK to Paris on Air France — does EC261 really apply?
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Yes. AF is an EU carrier, so arrivals into the EU qualify. It would not on Delta.
They were re-routed via Amsterdam on KLM — still claimable?
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Yes, if the arrival at the final destination fell outside the notice window. The re-route’s carrier doesn’t change who owes.
Does an AF strike kill the claim?
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AF’s own staff striking is not extraordinary. Only third-party strikes — ATC, airport — excuse payment.
Can I file for the client?
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Yes, as correspondent with written authorization; AF accepts agency submissions through the same form.
General information for travel professionals, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate prepares claims; it does not represent passengers and takes no percentage of any compensation.