It is an upgrade that offers Transavia France at Orly with the resumption of the former Air France shuttle – flights from Paris to Marseille, Nice and Toulouse which are added to the routes previously taken over from Air France to Biarritz, Montpellier, Perpignan and Toulon.
With this significant domestic offer, the low-cost airline must have played the seduction card with the business travellers on these routes, many of whom must have felt that the product offered was a downgrade compared to Air France's offering. This is what the management of Transavia France has been working on.
" The resumption of Air France's former "shuttles" is a major step in our transformation. Since the start of the summer 2026 season, Air France has transferred all of its slots at Orly to us. In concrete terms, this means that we now operate more than half of the movements departing from the airport. This is therefore a strong strategic turning point, with rapid and structuring growth for Transavia. From now on, we must meet increasingly varied customer needs. This implies not only an adapted flight schedule, but also an evolution of our product, particularly for frequent flyers and those travelling for short, day trips.explains Julien Mallard, Deputy General Manager of Commercial Operations for Transavia France.
For business travellers, Transavia has introduced a Max fare, which guarantees both flexibility and a more premium offering. This translates physically at Orly to priority access, priority boarding in the departure lounge, and lounge access.
" Flexibility is a key element. With our Max fare, passengers can now change their flight free of charge on the day of departure. This is particularly useful for travellers on one- or two-day trips, whose schedules might change. In fact, this option is already widely used, both on domestic routes and on certain European routes such as Porto or Barcelona, where we operate several flights a day., describes Julien Mallard.
A unique lounge in the Transavia universe
Transavia's lounge, the first of its kind for the airline, is the symbol of this charm offensive towards business customers. Located just above the boarding gates for flights to Marseille, Nice and Toulouse in Terminal 2C, the lounge actually took over the space reserved for the former Air France lounge. This may be surprising, but it’s a strong demand from some customers, particularly frequent flyers. This lounge is thus in keeping with our move upmarket and our ambition to cater to all types of travellers., specifies Julien Mallard further.
In a sober, relatively uncluttered setting with soothing colours – apart from a small touch of 'Transavia green', the space covers 335m² with a capacity for 114 people. We are open every day until 10pm, and we offer workspaces, relaxation areas, and continuous catering with fresh, local produce, hot and cold drinks.', adds the Deputy General Manager for Sales.
Access is free for passengers with the Max fare, as well as for Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members. Nevertheless, all passengers can purchase lounge access, sold at €40 or €20 for Flying Blue Gold members. In regional areas, these same categories of passengers can use lounges managed by the airports.
Will this lounge inspire imitators? Especially as it's currently only open to domestic passengers. We are considering all of this, as well as accepting premium passengers from other airlines. However, there are physical constraints related to the organisation of the airport terminal. Our international flights do not have direct access to the lounge in the domestic zone. The Orly lounge allows us to test customer demand and adjust our strategy for the future., indicates the direction of Transavia.
