Remember XL Airways? They're the strange but apparently responsible and well-established French airline -- a carrier specializing in long-distance routes, like Paris to Phuket, Thailand -- that tantalized the American traveler last summer with trans-Atlantic airfares between New York (or Las Vegas) and Paris at prices several hundreds of dollars below the normal range.
 
But it was devillishly hard to obtain those fares (although a fair number of Americans did). Though XL did maintain a website, it was not for booking flights (you were asked to contact your GDS -- meaning a travel agent -- for that purpose), and most of the time you were directed to the airline's French-language site for further information, which again emphasized Paris-originating flights. And you received ambiguous instructions from XL's office in New Jersey.
 
It was obvious (at least to me) that XL was mainly interested in filling its trans-Atlantic service with passengers from France. They even seemed to feel that it was possible to fill all its seats with itineraries originating in France. And yet, several of my friends, on varying occasions, succeeded in obtaining a flight and did, successfully, fly round-trip at great rates between New York and Paris on XL. (I no of no one who booked it from Las Vegas).
 
Well, XL Airways is back to its old tricks for summer of 2012. It has just circulated a notice that it will begin flying trans-Atlantic in May ("Our low airfares to Paris are back!"). And this year, it has added San Francisco to its list of U.S. cities, that are otherwise limited to New York and Las Vegas. It has even listed a phone number (tel. 877/496-9889) and an English-language website (www.xlairways.com). But when you call that number, you are told that fares and flights will be disclosed "shortly" (whenever that is), and you get no greater information from the English-language website, which hasn't yet gone live. (When you access the French-language website, which is simply www.xl.com, you are advised of a couple of round-trip flights between Paris and San Francisco, with the extremely good airfares for a flight of that distance).
 
In everything that XL advises online, you are told to contact a travel agent to actually book your flight. One alternative tactic you might use is to access "Customer Service" when you call the XL phone number, and thus speak with a friendly gentleman who will offer to look up prices on the French-language site for you.
 
I'll keep after XL to get more hard-and-fast news, although I know from previous experience that this will be an arduous (if not awesome) task.