Blog, Mauritius, Travel | 17 April 2025 | 10 MIN READ
Getting to Mauritius on Air France (SkyTeam)
1 day ago
If you type “how to fly to Mauritius,” you will get a mix of options with pricing ranging from “decent” to very expensive—I’m talking $8,000+ USD roundtrip.
It begs the question: just how expensive is it to get to this East African island in the middle of the Indian Ocean? Luckily, there are a few options.
When looking at pricing, you want to make sure your flights are around the $1,100 to $1,500 range round-trip (€1,000 to €1,370) per person.
The range of airlines might look like the following:
- Condor (However, see this latest report here)
- Delta / Air France
- Delta / Air Mauritius
- Air France
- British Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- Emirates
My first thought when looking at a flight pattern like this is how I can maximize my Delta Platinum status on a partner airline that includes Air France or KLM. See more reasons why I prefer Delta here.
The main reason is that status transfers to the partner airlines in the form of seat upgrades, bypassing long TSA lines (or equivalent), priority luggage tagging, and taking advantage of a partner airline’s lounge—which is what I did with Air France Lounge in Paris. And sometimes you might be given a gift—in my case, it was Business Class from Paris CDG to Seattle.
The other benefit? With Air France, you’ll likely have an 8-hour layover in Paris (outbound) on your way to Mauritius, and a 16-hour layover in Paris (inbound) on your return—between your flights from Mauritius (MRU) to Paris (CDG), and then from Paris (CDG) to Seattle (SEA).
So while the trip to Mauritius isn’t convenient (4 long-distance flights with a total estimated flight time of about 24 hours)—it’s nice to sneak in another destination, in this case Paris, into your itinerary. If anything, you will get acclimated to the French language, which is used across both countries.
Why Air France? Does Another Airline Matter? If Not, Why Not Choose Delta?
Looking at the options above, I wanted a pure Air France flight. You might be thinking, “Why not Delta?”
Well, for one, I’ve grown up flying Air France from traveling to France as a child when I went to middle school for a bit. As a result, I have pretty fond memories, and I get to have a layover in Paris—so hello—yes!!
And quite frankly, after being a Delta member since 2007, I’m tired of Delta giving out calzones on every single international flight, no matter the destination. I’m just calzoned out. Sorry, Delta!
The other airline options aren’t as enticing since I don’t have status with them. Status allows you to easily get lounge access at airports and fast-track immigration and security lines.
I intentionally chose Air France primarily to leverage my Delta Platinum status through SkyTeam, which offers significant travel perks:
- Priority boarding and luggage handling (like SkyPriority passport control & security).
- Airport lounge access (such as the Air France Lounge in Paris)
- Occasional complimentary upgrades to Business Class (like my return flight Paris to Seattle)
Additionally, I refuse to select Turkish Airlines (see here), and I don’t have an interest in staying at the Istanbul airport again. Emirates is too expensive.
The closest alternative is KLM (a SkyTeam partner like Air France). However, I’m not interested in going through Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport—despite getting good service whenever I’ve flown with them.
Note: If you’re trying to go to Reunion Island (France) over Mauritius—especially if you want to take the current longest domestic flight in the world—you might want to check out going to Mauritius first, since the cost will be a lot cheaper.
So long story short—I ended up with Air France.
Gear Used
The Flight Experience
Flying Air France Economy from Paris (CDG) to Mauritius (MRU) is approximately an 11-hour journey. While the check-in process in Paris was somewhat disorganized, status perks like Zone 2 boarding, a SkyPriority perk, meant that I didn’t have to fight other passengers for overhead bin space.
However, for this flight, Air France poorly managed the check-in process, letting other zones and those in SkyPriority to board at the same time. The result? A bottlenecked boarding process and quite a few frustrated passengers.
- Seat Recommendations: Opt for Economy seats near Row 40 (exit rows) for added legroom (small additional fee).
Nevertheless, it was easy to get to the seat without fuss and with ample time to unpack items for the 11-hour flight. Yes, you heard that right! 11 hours of flying (after completing a 10-hour flight from Seattle and an 8-hour layover)!
If you see the image below, you’re basically flying over the Red Sea, but closer to the Saudi Arabian side (avoiding Sudanese and Yemeni airspace) before crossing Eritrea and Ethiopia and crossing over the Indian Ocean.
Travel Tips: If you’re in Economy, make sure your devices are fully charged before you arrive in Mauritius. Economy on Air France does not come with underseat “wall charging.” Instead, you have 1-USB-A and 1-USB-C connector in the headunit. And the rate of charge is poor.
That meant that I ended up with my devices on super low battery and barely had enough juice in my power bank. You will need to possibly use your phone to show your Health Questionnaire form at customs or hop on WiFi.
Entertainment Onboard
The best thing about trying different airlines is that you can preview or view movies from that respective air carrier’s country. This gives you a glimpse into the culture, language, and customs that you would otherwise miss.
I happen to love French films, but on the way to Mauritius, I was rather tired and kept trying to make more headway in my Jack Reacher novel.
However, I did make an effort to watch “Bernadette”—a film about Bernadette Chirac, the wife of Jacques Chirac—which also highlights her book “Conversations.” I found the film incredibly interesting, mostly since Jacques Chirac was the president during my time in France. And I was more than curious to see the wife behind the president. I’d have to say if you have questions about your relationship either at home or work, then definitely watch the film.
Even though I only watched one film on the flight there, that all changed when I got a business class upgrade going from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to Seattle (SEA) and indulged like crazy in several French films.
Service & In-Flight Meals
Throughout the flight—even in Economy—you’re well-fed.
For dinner—you are served several options from chicken to pasta. Unfortunately, for this flight, my Economy seat was more toward the rear of the plane. That meant by the time the food cart arrived to my aisle, they had just run out of chicken and only had pasta. So reminder: If possible, select seats a few rows ahead of row 30 so you have a meal choice.
Of course, the pasta was perfectly fine and came with dessert, fancy water, and cheese.
Prior to landing, you’re given a “Bon Appetit” box or what I call a “breakfast” box, which has juice, bread, yogurt, jam, butter, and other sweets.
Again, better than what Delta gives—no matter the international destination—which are just calzones.
Simply put, Delta international flights will leave you hungry.
Getting to Mauritius & Arrival
Tips, Tricks, and Logistics
- Visa: No visa required for U.S. citizens (stays under 60 days).
- Health Form: Complete the Mauritius Health Form online before arrival to expedite immigration.
- SIM Cards: Buy a local SIM card at arrivals from providers like Emtel or Orange (approximately €15-€20).
- Currency: Avoid high airport ATM fees by using debit cards from Fidelity or Schwab that waive international withdrawal fees.
- Maximizing SkyMiles & Status: Flights on Air France contribute significantly to Delta SkyMiles and Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs), typically netting between 5,000-7,000 miles per direction in economy class.
Touchdown & Baggage Claim
Now you just have to wait for your baggage to arrive—leave the airport, get your car rental, and you’re on your way to explore Mauritius.
Do note: Even though you might have Delta Gold or Platinum Medallion Status, SkyPriority luggage tags are useless. Your luggage will arrive when it arrives. It could be the first one on the luggage ramp or dead last. But hey, at least your luggage arrives! Just make sure to put an AirTag in there.