Summary Founded in 2016, it began with an A330-300 and gradually transitioned to an A350 fleet. French bee evolved from focusing on the Caribbean to launching services to the US and Tahiti. The airline rebranded from French Blue to French bee to avoid confusion with JetBlue, expanding globally.
French bee is a leisure airline based in Paris Orly Airport, south of the French capital. With a modern fleet of A350-900s and A350-1000s , the carrier transports passengers to key vacation destinations in North America and serves the French resort island of Reunion right next to Madagascar. Today, we will look at the airline's exciting history.
How it all began French bee, initially named French Blue, launched its operations in 2016 with Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic as its first destination. The airline, owned by Groupe Dubreuil, initially targeted "Sunshine Destinations" like the French West Indies and Reunion Island. Like American travelers, French individuals prefer vacationing in the Caribbean.
Notably, overseas territories such as Saint Martin, Martinique, and Guadeloupe are among the critical destinations frequented by French travelers. So naturally, routes between Metropolitan France, Fort de France, and Pointe-à-Pitre are also very profitable to broader regions like PUJ and Cancun. Which route in the Latin America & Caribbean region has the most scheduled flights by a single operator? Here’s the answer.
It will surprise you. A gradual shift to the continent In 2018, French bee (BFU) underwent a strategic change. Previously, the airline's sister carrier, Air Craïbes, as implied by the name, primarily focused on operations in the Caribbean.
The newly established carrier began flying to New York and San Francisco, along with a fifth-freedom flight via SFO to Papeete in Tahiti. It concentrated on the US mainland and the remote French territory in Oceania. However, it continues to serve Reunion Island .
French bee will have four US routes this winter. Their fleet history French bee, a renowned airline today celebrated for its cutting-edge A350s, commenced its journey with a modest Airbus 330-300, registered as F-HPUJ, which it operated from 2016 to 2019. This aircraft, delivered brand new in 2016, stands as one of the youngest A330ceos in service in France, currently marking its 8th year of operation.
Following its brief tenure at French bee, the aircraft was acquired by Air Caraïbes, where it continues to operate today. France's first domestically registered Airbus A350-900, F-HREU (in connection with service to La Réunion), is also the first A350 operated by a low-cost airline. Its first commercial flight took place on August 22, 2017, to Saint-Denis on Reunion Island.
The second aircraft with the registration F-HREV, was delivered in March 2018, followed by F-HREY in 2019. Subsequently, in 2021, the airframe F-HMIX was delivered, and in 2022, F-HMIB was delivered. These latest airframes, F-HMIX and F-HMIB, are the longer and more densely configured A350-1000s.
Currently, these aircraft are exclusively deployed on services to Saint-Denis. French Blue, then French bee, why the airline had to change its name You may have picked it up already, but French bee was initially called French Blue. On January 30, 2018, the airline changed its name to French bee to mitigate potential confusion with the US-based airline JetBlue, which was not yet offering transatlantic flights.
This alteration was prompted by JetBlue's concerns over brand name similarities. This adjustment was particularly pertinent given the airline's expansion into the US market. The airline's branding inside the cabin remained the same: Eco Blue and its buy-on-board magazine kept French Bluetique, aligning with the former brand identity.
Even their premium economy kept the name Premium Blue, further explaining that the dispute was around the airline's name but not using the word "Blue." Join us as we chat about the past, present, and future of French bee. What is it like to fly on the airline As mentioned, two hard products are onboard: EcoBlue and PremiumBlue.
EcoBlue is the economy class, offering 440 seats on the -1000 and 376 on the -900. It's one of the most dense A350s flying today, and there's a free personal IFE system to keep passengers entertained. PremiumBlue is the premium economy product with 40 seats in a 2-4-2 config -1000 and a 2-3-2 on the -1000.
It's more comfortable with a leg rest and more recline. The offerings are categorized into four distinct product tiers: Basic: Complimentary in-flight entertainment (IFE) is provided. Seat selection is available, starting from 10€ ($11).
Checked baggage is priced at $ 50€ ($55), and meal options start at $ 20€. Basic Plus offers the same benefits as the Basic tier, with the addition of a cabin bag and a complimentary meal. Smart: Similar to the Basic tier, it includes a hold bag.
Premium: Provides access to premium economy seating with complimentary seat selection, premium meal, and complimentary window seat selection. The flight was provided to Simple Flying but all opinions expressed are our own. What does the future hold for French bee? The flow of air traffic to the United States has significantly rebounded from the impact of the pandemic.
Despite this, the US remains a highly sought-after destination for European travelers. Consequently, it is unsurprising to hear rumors that French bee plans to introduce its A35K aircraft to Newark. One of our journalists recently reported on this development, highlighting that the A35Ks represent Newark's highest-capacity aircraft.
This contrasts the Greater New York area, where airlines like Emirates, Etihad, and Lufthansa operate Airbus A380s, which boast even greater seating capacity. The following flights are reported to be affected. BF720 leaves Paris Orly at 18:50 and arrives in Newark at 21:00.
BF721 leaves Newark at 23:00 and lands at Paris Orly at 12:15. From May 16, 2025, the A350-1000 will be operated on this aircraft thrice a week. The flight times are as follows: BF726 leaves Paris Orly at 8.
20 pm and arrives in Newark at 10.30 pm. BF727 leaves Newark at 01:15 and arrives at Paris Orly at 14:30.
With Air France and its joint venture operations with Delta operating multiple daily flights out of CDG to JFK and EWR on aircraft ranging from the A330-200 to the 777-300ER, it is only logical that the Orly-based carrier ups its offering to the Big Apple..
