It’s not too early to book your flight
It is your first step and the commitment that starts your journey
Our group will leave for France on Tuesday, December 23rd for an overnight flight to arrive in Paris the morning of Christmas Eve
A non-stop flight is nice, but may not be available or affordable. One year, using airline frequent flyer points, our flight had two stops on the way to Paris. Instead of arriving at the airport late in day for a non-stop flight, we spent the whole day traveling through airports, eventually leaving from Toronto. It was hard find comfortable seat position on the final trans-atlantic-leg overnight flight after spending the day waiting and sitting. We did enjoy the beautiful Toronto airport and a wonderful Air Canada flight.
It is comforting to fly with an airline which is part of a network, should flight changes occur. They may be able to transfer you to another flight. Overall, our experience is that foreign airlines (specifically Swiss Air or Air Canada) were more luxurious. The seats and entertainment systems felt like they were better maintained, and all the little extras were just a little nicer. Foreign flights are less likely to be non-stop and may depart from Canada or travel through another European city on the way to Paris.
We like aisle seats and enjoy the surreal night walks up and down the aisles of the airplane through the dark night. Standing up and stretching really helps during long flights. Your seat partner will probably want to climb out of their seat, just as you are falling asleep, but that is the trade-off.
The return flight from Paris usually leaves late in the morning on New Years Day. This allows for a leisurely trip to the airport after New Years Eve. If it is a non-stop flight, you will arrive home sometime in the afternoon that day.
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Paris for the Holidays 