Air France has unveiled its new first class. The cabin will still be 1-2-1, so not a wider seat, but a longer one. The seat extends five cabin windows rather than the current four, offering a “seat and a chaise longue that converts to a true two-meter-long bed.”
Credit: Air France
Credit: Air France
Credit: Air France
There won’t be doors. Instead, like the current seat, there’s a privacy curtain for the seat. What’s nice is that the center seats feature a “full-height, electric sliding partition” for total separation or allow passengers to more fully travel together.
They’ve removed overhead bins from the cabin – something other carriers do in first class, as well, to create a more spacious feel. For storage there’s a sliding drawer that holds carry-ons, a drawer for footwear, and a compartment for personal items and a wardrobe.
Credit: Air France
It looks to be a lovely product, and demonstrates a continued commitment to the first cabin (which was never in doubt with Air France). It’s more evolution than revolution. I will absolutely love flying it, should I get the opportunity. But I’m a little perplexed by the enthusiasm of One Mile at a Time, “over three years in the making…will no doubt lead the industry for the next decade.”
Air France La Premiere is elevating commercial aviation..What’s so special is that this incredible hard product complements an already very impressive soft product, which starts before you even arrive at the airport.
Yet the best part of the Air France first class experience is what isn’t changing – the first class lounge in Paris, the chauffeur service to and from the plane, clearing immigration enroute to the lounge on arrival in France. In fact, the video promoting the new product highlights the first class journey rather than the seat as such.
The product will be offered on a subset of Air France’s Boeing 777-300ERs, though we don’t know how many planes will receive it. It should launch on Paris – New York JFK this spring, followed by Los Angeles, Singapore and Tokyo Haneda over the summer. Other current markets with first class include Abidjan; Dubai; Miami; San Francisco; Sao Paulo; and Washington Dulles. Mileage awards in first class are limited to Flying Blue Platinum members and higher.
My own sense is that I will prefer Emirates’ new first class as well as the new Airbus A350 Japan Airlines first class, and somewhat more controversially the Singapore Airlines A380 Suites. However I consider Air France first class to be a world’s top 5 first class product today, and this should be an improvement.
Has Air France broken out how its first class cabin performs for it financially compared to business and premium economy?
Is this more of a halo effect offering to run up brand value and affiliated premium than a direct financial winner for the airline absent the halo effect?
I think Air France also flies first-class to Mexico City. Or they did.
Of course, the problem with Air France having first-class (and such a stellar first-class) is the business-class product is mixed. Yes, the food and wine are great. Yes, the seat is good to very good. But the business-class bedding isn’t that competitive and the airline also lacks business-class-only lounges, which is somewhat of an issue. Air France’s business-class is marginally better than Delta but hardly industry-leading.
The seats are all relatively the same. The way first class experiences differentiate themselves IMO is on the ground and making travel suck less/be more like private travel.
I fly private 3-5x per year … hardly all the time, but enough to know what it feels like.
AF is by FAR the closest I’ve ever felt to flying private. Not only is the experience in Paris seamless, but they do more than other carriers at outstations as well (admittedly easier when they don’t have nearly the first class footprint of some other airlines). They have dedicated F check in which is roped off, you get walked to the front of TSA line, walked to the lounge, they ask when you want to board (first or last), then there’s a separate jet bridge just for F, etc. Other than in the lounge at the outstation, I don’t think I saw a non-F passenger until I boarded my intra-Europe connecting flight.
Contrast that to something like LH or EK where you show up, the first class check in agent is probably assisting business class pax because nobody was in their line, you check in and then go get in TSA line, walk to the lounge, maybe there’s an F section and maybe there’s not, *if* there’s a boarding call it’s just everyone together, and then you probably board with all premium pax. .
BA kept its A380 and has its First Wing. Otherwise, I really do prefer AF in whatever class, in most all aspects of the flight experience, among all European and UK airlines. Thanks for la Première review!
Seems like the perfect way to fly commercial if money is no object. And a ridiculous indulgence for most people who do have some financial constraints.
I wouldn’t recommend it. When Air France oversells its upgraded cabin, they reach into their passenger list and choose someone to bump, instead of the industry standard of bumping whomever does not yet have a seat assignment. Happened to me last month in Barcelona; when I questioned how I was given a boarding pass an hour before, and then removed to a middle seat in back, the agent I was speaking to started shouting, “it’s legal!”
If I’m ever in that situation again, I’m going to refuse to travel and insist that my suitcase be offloaded before they leave.
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT DEREK!! ?
Looks really nice. Probably can never afford this. It’s like $10K/way minimum. Business lie-flat, new suites with the door are just fine, good enough.
It’s their older 777 that I have nightmares of (2-3-2 configuration, broken seats that should be lie-flat but are not). AF often sticks some of those random ones to Africa and it really ruins the trip, even in Business Class.
One other gripe, no matter the airport, if it’s AF, they always seem to start boarding on-time, but then have you wait on the jet bridge for an hour. Has anyone else experienced this? I think it is indeed ‘a thing’–the champagne does make it all a little better, though.
@Derek McGillicuddy — Oof. The ‘bumping’ is real issue–they’re supposed to compensate handily for this, but often do fight it. And unfortunately, EU261 is not applicable, as it a different matter. Still, usually, EU laws are more consumer friendly. APPR (Canada) is more robust for this. It’s always interesting when the fight technically isn’t oversold, but the cabin is, because an aircraft change or something. Very frustrating when it happens to you.
The curtain is so much classier than a door and the 5 windows are superb. This is a fun product.
@ Justin — So, you already the private seats are crap compared to commercial F.