Corsair is a long-haul, leisure airline that flies from Paris Orly to mostly tropical destinations, often French overseas territories. The carrier has been a staple of vacationers for decades. Its all-widebody fleet has allowed it to grow its network to other cities in Africa, North America and beyond.
It has also started flying from secondary French airports, a key move that has helped it to temper the tough competition from Air France and other leisure carriers flying from Paris. For some travelers, Corsair is an unfamiliar name, but once you know more, you may find it the perfect choice for your trip.
Despite its name, the airline does not fly to Corsica; its name comes from the Corsican family who founded the company and wanted to honor their roots. Over the years, the airline has been acquired by numerous tour operators and leisure travel brands.
Nouvelles Frontières was first and sold holiday packages and airfare using Corsair. Then came TUI Group, another major European name, which decided to change the brand to that of its umbrella group. This lasted less than a decade before the company returned to the Corsair name to take advantage of its familiarity in the market.
Corsair has a diverse network that focuses mostly on leisure destinations within the French overseas territories as well as Francophone countries. Most flights originate in Paris Orly, but it also operates from other French cities like Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Nantes on a seasonal basis.
Its destinations include islands like Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe; Fort-de-France, Martinique; Mauritius; Mayotte; and Saint-Denis, Réunion. Abidjan, Antananarivo, Bamako, Cotonou, Montreal and Punta Cana are also on the airline’s route map.
The carrier’s flights to its overseas territories like Martinique or Reunion are considered some of the longest domestic flights in the world. This means French nationals would not need to bring a passport (just their national identity card), but I would always recommend traveling with one in case of a flight diversion or reroute on another airline.
Corsair is not a giant airline. Now that it has retired its Boeing 747-400s, its fleet only consists of nine planes. It includes A330-300s and A330-900neos, the latter its newest aircraft. Its planes have three cabin classes: Business, Premium (premium economy) and economy class. Within economy, there is a subsection of Economy Plus seats that have extra legroom.
Business class consists of two or three rows of flat-bed seats in a 2-2-2 configuration on the A330-300 and 1-2-1 on the A330-900neo. In premium economy, the A330-300s have a 2-2-2 layout, but a 2-3-2 configuration on the A330-900neos. These seats have more legroom and recline, but are more like economy seats than a business class seat.
On the new A330-900neos, the business class seats are in a staggered configuration with some seats closer to the aisle and others closer to the window (or the neighboring seat if in the centre section).
I would opt for an odd-row window seat because these have the tables closer to the aisle. When sleeping, this means you will not be disturbed by people passing in the aisle. In the centre section, couples traveling together should also select an odd row since the seats are very close together, and tables on either side protect you from commotion in the aisle.
Economy Plus seats have extra legroom, but otherwise enjoy the same services as economy class. They do not have the extra recline, baggage allowance or upgraded meal service that come with Premium class.
Economy is in a 3-3-3 layout on the A330-900neo and 2-4-2 on the A330-300. I recommend choosing one of the last few rows of either plane because the curvature of the aircraft at the back means there is one fewer seat per row providing a bit more elbow room.
Corsair is a full-service airline, and the offering varies based on the cabin class. Let’s start with the most impressive product, which is in business class. This is new territory for Corsair. Business class was only added to its planes in the past decade. Before that, it was just premium economy and economy.
This is the most exclusive cabin on the plane with seats that lie flat and provide ample storage room. They come with large entertainment screens, a variety of power outlets, noise-reduction headsets and amenity kits.
Four hot meal choices are available in business class, including one vegetarian option, and travelers can preselect their choice up to 48 hours before departure. An open bar is available throughout the flight. Another perk of business class is that the onboard luggage allowance is higher than in economy.
This is Corsair’s premium economy product, and it comes with extra legroom, a small amenity kit, a foot rest and a larger seatback entertainment screen than economy. The onboard baggage allowance is the same as business class.
Inflight, there is a choice of two hot dishes for the meal as well as complimentary beer and wine throughout the flight. Up to 48 hours before departure, passengers can preselect their preferred meal (or request a special dietary requirement meal) to enjoy on board. Cocktails and digestifs carry a surcharge. Before landing, a second light meal is also served.
In all cabins, on flights departing Paris Orly, the airline also sells upgraded meals that feature things like Maison Petrossian caviar and lobster, if you want to treat yourself. Themed meals are also available for sale, such as Italian or fresh seafood.
In economy, the airplane is in a very high-density configuration. These seats have less legroom than you might expect (especially for a tall person). At least, there are entertainment screens, USB charging ports, blankets and pillows at each seat. The legroom is so tight that flight crew force travelers to put their seats upright during meal service (even if you are sleeping) so the tray table will fold down for the person behind you.
Before the main meal, passengers can order a drink from the bar, but later in the flight only soft drinks are complimentary. Before landing, a second light snack is also served, but this is nothing more than a sandwich or croissant. I recommend packing a few extra snacks if you are traveling economy.
When sitting in Economy Plus, the onboard experience is the same as economy with the exception of having extra legroom. It is not separated from the rest of the cabin by a curtain the way that Premium Class is.
Le Club Corsair is the frequent flyer program for the airline, and it awards monetary credits based on the cost of your ticket. Credits can then be redeemed towards the cost of a flight, as well as seat upgrades and extra baggage fees for you or someone else.
As you earn higher elite status, you earn more credits for the same flight. A base member earns 2% back in euros (or the currency of your choice) from the base cost of the ticket (taxes are excluded). Gold status members earn 5% back and Platinum members earn 8% back. Status is based on the number of flights you take during the calendar year.
Unfortunately, the airline has no airline partners with which you can earn and redeem credits. That makes this program less useful, unless you fly Corsair regularly.
Airbus A330-900neo planes have Wi-Fi onboard, which carries a surcharge for everyone except business class passengers. Another perk for business class passengers is lounge access at the departure airport. But, everyone else can pay for per-person lounge access during the reservation process or at the airport ticket counter.
The “SURCLASSE(E)” service allows travelers to bid for an upgrade to premium or business class after making their reservation and up until the day of departure. The system gives a guideline on what the ideal bid would be, but I recommend going a little lower. In my experience, you can score a great deal this way.
You can adjust your bid up to six hours before departure when the auction closes, and any remaining seats are assigned to the highest bidder. There is also the option to “buy-it-now,” which will sell you an immediate upgrade, but chances are you could score an upgrade for a lower price using the auction process.
Corsair also offers a train+air package that allows travelers in nearly two dozen French cities to purchase a train ticket as part of the airfare to reach one of the airline’s gateways. These are timed to allow enough time to get from the train station to the airport via a free shuttle provided by the airline.
By putting everything on one reservation, Corsair will rebook you without charge if the train or flight is delayed. This takes the worry out of the travel process because if you book transportation to the airport separately and get delayed, the airline would not be responsible to rebook you free of charge.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
Flight # | Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Duration | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
745 | Fort-de-France (FDF) | Nantes (NTE) | 8h 5m | • | ||||||
744 | Nantes (NTE) | Fort-de-France (FDF) | 8h 50m | • | ||||||
632 | Saint-Denis (RUN) | Port Louis (MRU) | 1h 0m | • | • | |||||
632 | Lyon (LYS) | Marseille (MRS) | 1h 5m | • | • | |||||
632 | Marseille (MRS) | Saint-Denis (RUN) | 10h 55m | • | • | |||||
633 | Saint-Denis (RUN) | Marseille (MRS) | 11h 30m | • | • | |||||
633 | Port Louis (MRU) | Saint-Denis (RUN) | 1h 0m | • | • | |||||
925 | Fort-de-France (FDF) | Paris (ORY) | 8h 35m | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
943 | Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) | Paris (ORY) | 8h 25m | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
942 | Paris (ORY) | Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) | 9h 5m | • | • | • | • | • | • | |
959 | Port Louis (MRU) | Paris (ORY) | 12h 10m | • | • | • | ||||
924 | Paris (ORY) | Fort-de-France (FDF) | 9h 10m | • | • | • | • | • | ||
958 | Paris (ORY) | Port Louis (MRU) | 11h 40m | • | • | • | ||||
911 | Saint-Denis (RUN) | Paris (ORY) | 12h 5m | • | • | |||||
985 | Abidjan (ABJ) | Paris (ORY) | 6h 35m | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
870 | Paris (ORY) | Cotonou (COO) | 6h 25m | • | • | |||||
984 | Paris (ORY) | Abidjan (ABJ) | 6h 30m | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
870 | Cotonou (COO) | Bamako (BKO) | 2h 20m | • | • | |||||
870 | Bamako (BKO) | Paris (ORY) | 6h 0m | • | • | |||||
910 | Paris (ORY) | Saint-Denis (RUN) | 11h 30m | • | • | |||||
773 | Dzaoudzi (DZA) | Saint-Denis (RUN) | 2h 15m | • |
IATA Code | SS |
---|---|
Routes | 31 |
Top route | Saint-Denis to Paris Orly Airport |
Airports served | 14 |
Top airport | Paris Orly |