XL Airways France

Not Verified | Hold onto your boarding pass if you want a refund. They cancel flights. The excuse given was the plane hit the gangplank and damaged a wing so a smaller plane was sent. Having 150 passengers in JFK. They knew at 5pm there was an issue yet let us stand in line from 9pm to midnight allowing passengers to board with criteria. It appeared it was who yelled the loudest. They in fact paid three days hotel which is how long it took to get the next flight. And in line many not involved in our error were also carried over from other flights. According to the hotel staff the airline knew at 5pm there was an issue. Yet we were made to stand for three hours. So now they have my confirmation. They paid my hotel, yet I have to prove I went on the rescheduled flight by giving them my boarding pass. A e-ticket from my original ticket is not enough. They know the flight had issues, they paid my hotel, they flew me on another flight. But will not consider processing my complaint without the boarding pass for the new replacement flight.

Not Verified | Paris to New York. This is a very low cost airline and believe me it shows. The cabin luggage weight is 5KG, my was 8 kg and the agent was so rude and insisted that it had to be checked. I offered to pay excess baggage and he said check it or leave. I finally got to my seat and there were 2 overhead bins completely empty! I am Global Entry so when I landed I was through customs and immigration within 15 min. I then had to wait 90 min to get my 18" carry on. The aircraft is all coach 400+ passengers almost no empty seats. My bag was one of the very last to come off.

✅ Trip Verified | Punta Cana to Paris. I was sceptical of this airline having read the reviews but there was a limited choice when booking airlines. Overall it was better than I was expecting. The plane was tidy although showing its age a bit. Good news was there was power at the seat. Bad the seats are not very comfortable especially for a long haul flight ok for a day flight but not for a night flight. There is a wifi entertainment system where you can watch entertainment, see info about destinations (which does not have any use due to the limited information) and flight tracking. Of course there is an upgraded option available for 10 EUR. Food was very average. Drink options good but have to pay. Free tea, coffee and water the later being freely available and the cabin crew visited the cabin regularly to top up. Be aware the check-in ques were bad so give yourself plenty of time. Also carry on luggage has a max weight of 5kg with it being checked a lot of the time.

✅ Trip Verified | New York JFK to Paris. I would not recommend anyone booking a flight with this airline. Two weeks ago, I had a flight leaving from JFK to CDG on Sunday night. When I got to the airport, there was no one from XL airways there. Over 150 passengers were waiting for a flight that never arrived. The worst part is that I tried getting in touch with the airline in New York and in France and there was no answer. The airline did not even have the decency to send me an email or text that there was no flight. The first time I heard from the airline was Tuesday night informing me that my flight will be leaving Thursday afternoon. It was so unprofessional and honestly appalling. The airline did not value any of the people’s time and did not even care to correspond with passengers until two days later. In addition, I lost money on a flight that I had leaving from Paris to another country.

✅ Trip Verified | I was meant to fly out of JFK to Paris. I understand the conditions at JFK Terminal 4 were out of XL Airways' control however what was in XL Airways control was to inform its passengers of what was going on. There were no email or text updates about the delays in the flight therefore I traveled to the airport at the appropriate time only to find no information and no XL Airways staff. This is is inexcusable to have no reps in person and the only phone number we could reach was a french number which incurred international charges. The only reason I even found the number to call was because other passengers said they had found some announcements on the XL airways website. Why none of us could be informed via phone, email or any representatives in person is beyond me. How hard is it to send one email blast out to all passengers saying "We apologize for the inconvenience, please check our website for updates and we will continue to share news with you as soon as we have it. Thank you for your patience". Again I understand that the weather and the pipe burst are extenuating circumstances however it is within XL Airlines capabilities and responsibilities to communicate effectively with passengers and have a plan in case of such events that severely inconvenience so many people. It is now 24 hours after my flight was scheduled and I have yet to receive any information from them.

✅ Trip Verified | New York to Paris. This is truly the absolute worst airline. They are unresponsive, incompetent, and unequivocally rude. They do not have representatives at the airport and the staff that they do employ refuse to answer customer's questions. I was scheduled to leave on a flight 2 days ago at 9:30 pm. The flight's gate kept being changed for hours after the departure time until it was ultimately CANCELLED around 2 am. Then, they had us stand in the line waiting for a representative to speak to each traveler individually about rescheduling our flights. We waited in this line until 4 am without anyone being spoken to. Then, they made an announcement that they had hotels reserved for us and that we were just waiting for buses to take us there. An hour later, they noted that no buses were on the way and that there were no hotel rooms reserved. They did not provide us with water or answers/information as to when our flight was being rescheduled to. The staff members insulted passengers calling us rude, disrespectful, and annoying for voicing our concern and frustration. They refused to speak to us and did not answer a single question. We could not leave the airport because they would not release our luggage. After we were forced to sleep on the bare floor of the airport, they said that the flight would be rescheduled to the next day at 7:30 pm. We lined up for check in at 4:30, as instructed. The XL representatives/staff members said that we were "misbehaving" so they chose to delay check in until 6 pm. We finally checked in. The flight was re-listed as being scheduled for 9:30 pm. We waited at the gate until 11:30, when they claimed that they were commencing boarding. We stood in line waiting for boarding until 12:45 pm. At this time, they CANCELLED the flight again. Then, XL threatened to have any passengers that complained or showed anger arrested. They instructed us to go pick up our luggage at the carousel. We went to the carousel, where we waited until 4 am. At 4 am, we were told that no luggage would be released to us, and that no other information would be given. I left the airport. I received an email at 3:00 pm notifying me that the flight was scheduled for 2:00 am the following morning. Then, this flight was also cancelled. 3 flights cancelled. They still have our luggage. They have given us no additional information.

✅ Verified Review | Flew New York JFK to Paris CDG. Worst airline ever that I have ever flown with. The seats were terribly uncomfortable, there is no amount of perks that can be had that offsets this. I almost thought it was me that was the problem but after flying with 3 other airlines on our European trip it was XL that was the problem. We flew with 3 other airlines and confirmed that XL Airways one of the worst airlines we have ever used. Choice between XL and walking, I'm walking.

✅ Verified Review | Miami to Paris. So reading most of the other reviews I was expecting the worst when I boarded XL Airways. If you have been flying for the last 30 years it is a just like going back to the 90s. No screen with individual entertainment. Pros: Food was good as well as price and staff. Cons: If you want a pillow and decent blanket you have to pay 8 euros for it. It's a low cost airline so what do you expect. Value for money is excellent.

✅ Verified Review | Paris to Los Angeles. I was skeptical about flying with this airline before I booked. I had read prior reviews and the ratings were very low. I felt that I should contribute with regards to the overall service that I received from XL Airways. My fare was excellent. I paid more for connecting within Europe then flying across the world. Crew, attentive and very friendly. I received lunch, dinner and snack, as well as headphones. Basic water, tea and coffee provided with meals and throughout the flight. Anything else, needed to be paid for. I understood that before I booked. It's a low cost airline so basic caffinated drinks and or specialty drinks as well as blankets incur an extra charge. The blanket came in a colorful pouch with a blow up half moon pillow and eye mask, for 8 Euros. Credit cards are accepted onboard. They provided duty free purchases before landing. As for Internet, there was a fee to watch movies and listen to music for 9.95. You needed to download the airlines app before departure. If you didn't want to purchase internet to view and listen to music/movies, the aircraft did have three tv's on the plane, in which they played 3 movies and a travel documentary on a particular destination for the long flight. I found the movies entertaining and family oriented. The seats were comfortable for me but of course just average, it's economy class. So please consider this if you are tall! If you need extra legroom, economy plus for an extra fee is available before confirming your flight. The aircraft was very clean and facilities were positioned properly on the aircraft with several almost available at a time. The last check-in was an hour before departure, so get there early. No exceptions are made and is a strict policy that the airline adheres to. I witnessed two customers that tried checking in 6 mins after the airline closed the check in counters and were still denied check in. As for carry on, strict 5kg allowance, one personal hand bag and one carry on only. If you exceeded the 5kg weight, the bag is checked to your destination but with no additional fee to do so, which is nice. I'll definitely use XL Airways again in the future. I found the airline to be great for the overall. I was very pleased with their services! I have a disability and the crew was wonderful in accommodating me and making sure I had proper assistance before boarding and when we arrived to the final destination. Thank you for a pleasant flight.

✅ Verified Review | San Francisco to Paris CDG. Worst experience ever! My husband's legs (lean built - 5 foot 9 inch) wouldn't fit in! His legs bent sideways. This has never happened in any economy class flights. Vegetarian meal is considered a "special" meal. Its an additional $14 per person. There is extra charge for every little thing ($3-$15) for snacks, soft drinks, chips, cookies etc. Additional charge to book seats beforehand. Husband paid $75 extra to sit in "exit" row. Cabin crew was nice and friendly but a smiley face doesn't alleviate the extreme discomfort. Long lines to get boarding pass. We were in line for an 1 hour 10 minutes even though we reached airport 3 hours early. No seat back TV/screens. No plug point to charge phone/ tablet.