DC-ATE wrote:
Many pilots are "afraid" to carry extra fuel to avoid weather along their planned route because of fuel monitoring programs in place at some airlines. Others are 'management' pilots who think they're doing their company right by saving the fuel. Deviation fuel is cheap insurance.
The reasons that pilots might or might not request extra fuel are speculative, so let's put that part aside for now.
If the crew had taken on extra fuel, it would be to AF's advantage to reveal that fact to illustrate that safety was paramount from the start of the flight. Yet unless all of us here missed it, AF has not said whether the crew requested and got deviation fuel. Therefore it appears to me more likely than not that the crew did not have extra fuel for deviation.
I really want to be proven wrong on this: I have several AF flights booked for this summer.