Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations

Air France will ensure that services are provided to a person with a disability when a request for such services is made at least 48 hours in advance of the scheduled departure. Such request should be made by the person with a disability at the time of reservation and as far in advance of travel as possible. The person shall advise the carrier of the nature of his/her disability, the nature of the assistance required and check whether it will be necessary to take the trip with a support person. Air France will make a reasonable effort to accommodate persons with a disability who fail to make reservations 48 hours in advance. However, if a person with a disability makes a request for a service referred below, Air France will provide the service even if the request is made less than 48 hours before the scheduled time of departure:

Note: if the request for a service is received less than 96 hours before the scheduled time of departure and Air France informs the person that further information or documentation is required to allow it to assess the request, the required information must be provided more than 48 hours before the scheduled time of departure.

If a person with a disability requests a service, except a service referred to in the paragraph above, Air France may require that the person provide any information or documents, including a medical certificate, that are reasonably necessary to permit the carrier to assess the person’s request. However, Air France will make a reasonable effort to provide any service requested by a person with a disability, no matter when it is received if: (1) the person does not provide the information or documents required by the carrier within the period of 48 hours or the information and documents provided are not reasonably sufficient to permit the carrier to assess the request, or (2) Air France is not able to complete its assessment of the request within the period of 48 hours because it includes at least one day that is not a business day. While medical clearance is not always necessary, Air France recommends to consult a doctor to determine whether the person fits for air travel in the following cases:

Medical clearance delivered by Saphir Air France’s Medical Service is mandatory in the following cases:

To obtain an Air France Medical Service clearance, the person should download, complete and submit both forms A and B no later than 48 hours before the departure of the flight; both forms are also available on airfrance.com in the “Reduced mobility and other disabilities” section.Formulaire AFormulaire B

In order for us to best meet the person with a disability needs, the assistance request should be done at the time of booking the ticket, at least 48 hours before the departure.The person can book either:

  * Through this service, customers with disabilities can book their flights and receive helpful tips and information. Online booking enables the person to book the ticket and assistance directly on airfrance.com. For most assistance requests, the person can book, pay and have the ticket issued online. Certain assistance requests (traveling with a personal wheelchair, an assistance animal, etc.) require that the person provides additional information. After booking online, the person will be contacted by a Saphir agent to finalize the trip preparation and proceed to payment and ticket issuance. Note 1: some Air France flights may be operated by another airline in accordance with a code share agreement.               In such cases, the operating company's rules will apply and, in some situations, could be more restrictive than Air France's rules.               Therefore, Air France may not be able to confirm the requested assistance. The person should contact a Saphir agent to find out which company will be the operating carrier. Note 2: to book flights that connect through Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, we strongly recommend to anticipate a minimum 1.5 hour transit time between flights. Paris Aeroport is responsible for the transit and cannot guarantee the service required without at least 1.5 hour for transit.

Where the nature of the disability is identified, Air France will inform the person with a disability about seats available in the class of service the person has requested that might best meet the accessibility needs of the person, such as a seat that has additional leg room, a larger seat pitch or movable armrests.  Passengers with a disability will not be permitted to occupy seats in designated emergency exit rows, bulkhead aisle seat, or otherwise in accordance with applicable safety-related rules and regulations.

When a person with a disability requests individual assistance with boarding, seating, or stowing hand baggage, pre-boarding is offered whenever possible. Even in the absence of a request to this effect, the carrier may also provide boarding ahead of the other passengers to allow sufficient time for the person with a disability to board calmly and be welcomed individually by the crew, who will provide the necessary information to ensure that the flight takes place in the best possible conditions for safety and comfort.

For greater peace of mind, we ask passengers with disabilities to leave the aircraft after other passengers. Upon arrival, their baggage, wheelchair (if it was placed in the hold), and secondary mobility equipment, if any, will be delivered as a priority. On request, the carrier will take the necessary steps to help the person with a disability to clear customs and collect their checked baggage.

Passengers in wheelchairs must retrieve their boarding pass at the Air France or KLM check in counters in order to obtain the necessary assistance. Beyond the baggage allowance associated with the person’s ticket, following items can be transported at no extra cost, as priority-  checked baggage:

In the cabin, the person may transport a single hand baggage item whose weight does not exceed 12kgs / 26lbs and whose dimensions do not exceed 55 x 35 x 25 cm / 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.8 in. Air France handles the baggage starting at check-in. It will be affixed with a specific label to facilitate its identification. (a)  Manual wheelchair            Where facilities permit, the person will keep it up to the boarding gate where it will be checked in and loaded in the hold except in the case of a foldable wheelchair; if the foldable wheelchair dimensions do not exceed 27cm/11in length, 94cm/37in height, 90cm/35in width, 65cm/26in for the wheel diameter and 15 cm /6 in for the wheels’ cumulative thickness (one on top of the other) and that its weight does not exceed 12kgs/26lbs, the person may be able to keep it in the cabin, where it will be placed in an area as close to the person’s seat as possible.         Note 1: the request should be done during booking.         Note 2: the wheels must be able to be disassembled and stored in a slipcover. (b) Electric wheelchair      Regardless of the kind of electric wheelchair, as a general rule, it must be checked in as baggage.      In addition, we strongly recommend to make the electric wheelchair transport request no less than 48 hours before the flight;        if not, transportation may be declined if the wheelchair’s battery type does not allow for safe transport.  (c) Safety rules regarding wheelchair batteries      The following 2 types of batteries can be transported:

(d) Transport conditions for invertible batteries

      (e) Transport conditions for wheelchairs with non-invertible batteries             Because these batteries can compromise the safety of the flight, their transport requires special precautions and can be refused on board if preliminary information is not provided.            Passengers are required to consult their conditions of transport during booking.        (f) Small assisting devices            Air France will allow persons with disabilities to bring on board smaller assistive devices they require during travel, such as canes, crutches, communication devices or portable oxygen concentrators.     (g) Onboard wheelchairs          All the aircrafts operated by Air France are equipped with an onboard wheelchair designed to circulate in aircraft aisles and to access the restrooms during the flight.           Although our flight attendants will assist the person with disability with the use of this wheelchair, they are not permitted to lift or carry the person. The persons with disabilities will not receive any assistance within the restrooms.

Air France may require the presence of a support person for transport if, because of the nature of their disability, the person, after departure and before arrival, needs:

A support person is required in the following cases:

Air France will provide a passenger seat for the support person that is adjacent to the passenger seat of the person with a disability.A support person must meet the following requirements:

The fare available at the time of booking will apply to the support person.

Passengers traveling with a service dog must collect their boarding pass at the Air France or KLM check in counters in order to obtain the necessary assistance.  Air France will, on the request of a person with a disability who needs to travel with a service dog, accept the service dog for transport free of charge provided that the dog is properly harnessed and certified in writing as having been individually trained by a professional service dog institution. The person with disability should contact Air France Saphir desk (mail.saphir.medicaldesk@airfrance.fr) at least 48 hours before departure, to allow us enough time to arrange it for the passenger. The service dog must comply with all sanitary/hygiene requirements in the departure, arrival and connection countries;   its function must be apparent by its dog tag or harness;   it must remain leashed at all times and, for service dog other than guide dog, be tied to the seat or seat belt at all times. The service dog cannot obstruct the aisles inside the aircraft and must be well-behaved in all circumstances. Air France will offer a seat with the most space possible, but the dog may not occupy a seat and is forbidden from occupying the space near the emergency exits.  If an assistance dog does not fit in the assigned location, the person with disability will get another seat in the cabin within the same travel class where the dog will either fit under the seat in front of the passenger or not create an obstruction. If necessary, we   can request other passengers to change seats. However, we are not required to offer more space for the dog other than the space   from the reserved seat, to provide a seat in a travel class other than the one that has been paid for or to deny another passenger on the flight. If no single seat in the cabin will accommodate the person and the dog without creating obstruction, we might offer the option of travelling on a later flight or having the service dog travel in the hold.  Note: on flights scheduled to take 8 hours or more, Air France may ask passengers to provide documentation that the dog will not need to relieve itself during the flight and/or if the passenger has taken any items for the dog (e.g. nappies, medicine) to avoid any health or sanitation issue on the flight.

Air France does its best to accommodate passengers with allergies; however, we cannot guarantee an allergen-free meals, snacks or environment. Passengers with severe allergies are responsible to take additional precautions, such as packing their own snacks, using hand sanitizer, bringing wet wipes to clean surrounding areas, and carrying an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) or the proper medication and  other protection. Air France also recommends to pack any necessary medication in the carry-on baggage. Upon request, Air France will permit a person with a disability due to a severe allergy to board in advance of other passengers if the person has requested to clean their passenger seat to remove any potential allergens. Note: persons with severe allergies can request an allergen-free meal onboard of all our intercontinental flights no later than 24 hours before the flight;            this meal does not contain the following products or their derivatives: grains containing gluten, shellfish, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts), celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulfur dioxide and sulfites in a concentration exceeding 10 mg/kg, lupin and mollusks.            For an allergy to a product not mentioned above, we recommend bringing a cold meal for the flight.

Air France cannot be responsible for passengers who may bring peanuts or other products on board, or for any residue that may remain on or between seat cushions. Air France cannot allow a child who is severely allergic to travel as an unaccompanied minor On flights to and from Canada, a buffer zone* can be set up around the person’s seat in order to help avoid the risk of exposure;        only the other customers seated within the buffer zone will be briefed on board by the crew prior to departure: they will be advised to refrain from consuming nut/peanut products.           There will be no announcement to all customers of the existence of a buffer zone or of the customer with severe nut/peanut allergy. *A buffer zone is delimited by the seats that are immediately adjacent to each other and does not include the seats that are across the aisle.            To request a buffer zone for flights to and from Canada, the person with severe allergy should notify Air France Saphir medical desk a minimum of 48 hours before the departure of the flight (mail.saphir.medicaldesk@airfrance.fr).            In cases where notification is not provided 48 hours prior to the flight departure, Air France will make a reasonable effort to accommodate the request.

If the mobility aid of a person with a disability is not retained by the person during transport and is damaged or delayed with Air France, we will do our best to care for your interim mobility needs, at our expense, and ensure that the repair of the damage is completed as efficiently as possible.  In the event of a delay, the carrier will provide the person with a temporary equivalent replacement mobility aid.   If a damage cannot be repaired or is delayed and cannot be located within 96 hours after arrival, Air France will replace it with a comparable model or reimburse the person for the full replacement cost of the mobility aid.

If a person with a disability who uses a mobility aid makes a reservation for transportation on Air France, the person has the option to make a special declaration of interest, under Article 22(2) of the Montreal Convention* that sets out the monetary value of the mobility aid and a description of its identifying features. Air France will permit a person with a disability to make the special declaration of interest at any time before the mobility aid is removed for storage in the aircraft’s baggage compartment. * Article 22(2) of the Montreal Convention: “In the carriage of baggage, the liability of the carrier in the case of destruction, loss, damage or delay is limited to 1,288 Special Drawing Rights for each passenger unless the passenger has made, at the time when the checked baggage was handed over to the carrier, a special declaration of interest in delivery at destination and has paid a supplementary sum if the case so requires. In that case the carrier will be liable to pay a sum not exceeding the declared sum, unless it proves that the sum is greater than the passenger's actual interest in delivery at destination.”

An air carrier's tariff is the document that contains the terms and conditions of carriage applicable to the air services it provides. (for travel between Canada and a foreign country/region) *Tariffs are subject to change without notice.

The accessibility plan is the document that contains the details of the implementation of accessibility improvement measures for Air France customers traveling from or going to Canada. This document responds to the Canadian Accessible Canada Act and Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations (ATPRR)

Please find Air France’s feedback process, as defined by the regulation, on the preparation of accessible transport plans and reports. The procedure describes the various feedback channels available and dedicated to people with disabilities who wish to declare a situation of inaccessibility. This procedure complements the other means already available to customers.

The progress report produced communicates various information gathered as part of the feedback process, detailing the consultations and various comments made by people with disabilities, who may or may not have traveled on Air France flights to/from Canada.