On 24 and 31 December 2008, Air France will be offering all its long-haul passengers chocolates on board its flights. A box of four chocolates by Lenôtre, a famous ambassador of fine French cuisine, will be offered to “La Première” passengers. A box of six squares of fine chocolate by Valrhona will be offered in Espace Affaires, while Tempo passengers will enjoy Lindor chocolate on their meal trays.

On medium-haul flights in Europe, Valrhona chocolates will also be offered to passengers in l’Espace Affaires and Tempo Challenge, depending on the time the flight leaves Paris, while Lindt dark and milk chocolates will be offered on the entire French network on 24, 25 December and 1st January.

In the ‘La Première’ lounge at Paris-CDG, passengers will be offered a box of Cluizel chocolates during the festive season, chocolates that passengers will be able to enjoy on board throughout the year.

Fly with Air France and toast with Champagne! In fact champagne, synonymous with celebrations the world over, is available on Air France flights all year long. During December alone, Air France will serve close to 90,000 bottles of Champagne on all its flights.

Champagne is served to all passengers on board Air France, irrespective of cabin class, to North America, South America, Africa and the Middle East, as well as Air France’s Asia network. Champagne is also offered on the Air France medium-haul network to passengers travelling in Espace Affaires and Tempo Challenge.

Air France serves 900,000 bottles of Champagne a year to its passengers and is the only airline to offer champagne to passengers travelling in Tempo (economy) cabin class.

For cinema lovers… Wall-E, Shrek and the latest Batman

Air France, Europe’s largest multiplex cinema with 85 movies available, is celebrating Christmas with a special festive programme.

Young children will enjoy watching ‘Merry Christmas Shrek’ and ‘Wall-E’, the latest box-office smash hit from Pixar, while older ones will enjoy ‘Batman Begins’ in ‘The Batman Saga’ and the latest episode of ‘The Dark Knight’.

TV programmes will also have a Christmas theme, with cartoons from the eighties and stories and music chosen by the FNAC, such as “The Mouffetard Street Witch”, “Blue tales of the perched cat” (well-known French tales) or “Christmas Songs from all over the world” to soothe our youngest passengers.

This entertainment programme (500 hours of Audio/Video on Demand including

85 movies, 30 hours of TV programmes, a juke-box featuring 200 CDs, radio programmes and games etc.) is available on half of long-haul flights in December 2008 and will be available on nearly all flights over the course of 2009.

Especially for children, a new lounge at Paris-CDG and a special children’s area in Paris-Orly

Besides the traditional decorations in various airports that young globetrotters love so much, the Christmas holidays are an occasion for Air France to open its latest lounge in terminal S3 at Paris-CDG for children travelling alone (UM – Unaccompanied minor).

This cosy, little nest, colourfully-furnished by designer MondoMio, has plenty of entertainment on offer for children of all ages as well as an area to relax in.

Smaller children will find an area set aside for manual activities and colouring, while older children can relax in a ‘lounge’, an area dedicated to board games and interactive games with PS3 consoles and flat screen televisions.

A reception area has also been given over to children in terminal 2 E at Paris-Charles de Gaulle. There is 150 sq.m of space for children to recharge their batteries between two flights.

At Paris-Orly airport, from 17 December 2008 to 4 January 2009, the large number of children travelling at this time of year are catered for in a special children’s area, that is open non-stop from the first flight departure in the morning right through to the last flight at night. From 22 December 2008 to 26 January 2009 nearly 45 students have been recruited to assist Air France ground staff in welcoming passengers and providing them with information.

For children travelling to and from French Overseas Departments, family assistants on board and additional cabin crew

On long-haul flights to Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort de France, Cayenne and Reunion during the holiday rush, family assistants will assist cabin crews in taking care of our youngest passengers. These family assistants, who have all had previous experience as seasonal cabin crew, are students specially trained by Air France.

This exclusive Air France service, offered on long-haul routes where large numbers of children frequently travel during the holiday season, is completely free of charge.

Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL), the French pilot association, is organizing a nationwide four-day strike from Nov. 14 to 17. Eight unions representing cabin staff have called for a five-day stoppage from Dec. 5 to 9.

The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) is supporting the French strikes. The French government is rushing legislation like a “sorcerer’s apprentice,” claims the ETF, as flight crew retirement age is still under discussion within the European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Allowing pilots to continue their career beyond the current 60-year limit will be detrimental to the recruitment of young pilots and to the promotion of current cockpit crew members as pilot-in-command, claims SNPL.

“Mechanically, in a system where the ‘elder’ does not make his post available, the consequence is one recruitment less,” said SNPL. Cabin crew unions voiced similar recriminations and also claimed that the French government’s plan was “a threat for security on board.”

The French unions resent that lawmakers attempted to push through the new age limit without negotiating with workers’ representatives, as a simple amendment to the draft law on the financing of the French social security system in 2009.

The member of the French parliament who proposed the incriminated amendment, Jacques Myard, argues that he wants France to adopt the ICAO standard of November 2006 that allows one pilot to be up to age 65 provided the co-pilot is under age 60. “Our objective is to let those who want to continue until the age of 65, in conformity with international practice,” said Myard in Parliament.

As for cabin crew, the French MP claims that his amendment would “repair an injustice” and prevent them from being bumped off aircraft at the age of 55, which is currently the limit in France. “At 55, they can no longer fly, but they have been trained to be onboard aircraft. hey are transferred to a ground job, but it only works for one out of a hundred,” argued Myard.

In the United States, the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act of December 2007 allows both pilots on a domestic flight to be up to age 65. For international flights, one pilot may be up to age 65 provided the other pilot is under age 60, consistent with ICAO standards.