It's something that's been confirmed to me by friends at AF. Medium-haul crews fly to all medium-haul destinations (Europe, Near East, North Africa, etc.) on the A318/319/320/321, which
AFAIK is considered 1 a/c type. Long-haul crews belong to a given division so are geographically segregated.
AF has a "niche" policy to use precisely the right a/c (in terms of range, capacity, ETOPS, season, etc.) for each long-haul route - the A340-300, A330-200, 747-400, 777-200 or 777-300ER. Not too sure if the A330/340 is considered
one aircraft type for Cabin Crew (
Personnel Navigant Commercial, as they are known in France, although they prefer to be called
Hotesses de l'Air or
Stewards) - as it is for Flight Crew (with differences training). AF no longer have A300s or 767s; 747-400s are being replaced by 777s (and soon, A380s).
As for the rationale behind it, it would make sense if it was for language specialisation. Yet a friend of mine, who speaks fluent Japanese, was assigned to... the North America division (OK, she was also fluent in English)!
Cheers
