Olivier Babin

Olivier worked seventeen years at Air France, almost all of it as a long-haul purser on the 777 and A380 fleet, retiring in 2024 at fifty-one. He took the package, moved closer to the canal Saint-Martin, and started writing during what he calls a recovery from too many time-zones.

He writes for airport.flights as a paid freelance contributor, one to two pieces a month focused on Paris hubs, the small choreographies of long-haul service, and the gap between how a flagship European carrier presents itself and how it actually runs. His beat is the cabin perspective applied to the airports where the long-haul day begins and ends.

He lives in the 11th arrondissement, flies CDG out of geographic necessity, and remains convinced that ORY is, against received wisdom, the more pleasant airport when your destination is anywhere within France.