Air France – Review

The flag carrier of France, Air France (stylized as AIRFRANCE), is based in Tremblay-en-France. It is a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance and a part of the Air France–KLM Group. Air France serves 36 destinations in France and operates scheduled passenger and cargo routes to 175 destinations in 78 countries as of 2013. In 2019, Air France carried 46,803,000 passengers. Charles de Gaulle Airport serves as the airline’s worldwide hub, with Orly Airport serving as the principal domestic hub. Air France’s corporate offices, which were once located in Montparnasse, Paris, are now housed on the grounds of Charles de Gaulle Airport, which is located north of the city.

Air France arose from the amalgamation of Air Orient, Air Union, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne, and Société Générale de Transport Aérien on October 7, 1933. It was one of the three main Allied scheduled airlines operating in Germany during the Cold War, from 1950 to 1990, at West Berlin’s Tempelhof and Tegel airports. It bought French domestic carrier Air Inter and international rival UTA – Union de Transports Aériens – in 1990. Prior to its 2003 merger with KLM, it operated as France’s major national flag carrier for seven decades.

Air France and its regional subsidiary Hop transported 51.4 million people in 2018. On long-haul flights, Air France uses a combination of Airbus and Boeing widebody jets, while short-haul routes are served by Airbus A320 family aircraft. On November 20, 2009, Air France began flying the A380 from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport to JFK Airport in New York City. A fleet of regional jet aircraft serves the majority of Air France Hop’s regional domestic and European scheduled services.

Let’s take a closer look at Air France’s offerings, But first:

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First Class or La Premiere

La Premiere is a refreshing antidote to some of the overbuilt “suite” seats on other carriers, harkening back to the clean simplicity of an earlier era of luxury travel. Available on the Boeing 777-300 in only a few nonstop markets, La Premiere is a refreshing antidote to some of the overbuilt “suite” seats on other carriers, harkening back to the clean simplicity of an earlier era of luxury travel. La Première is one of the industry’s top-tier first-class cabins, immaculate and meticulously considered.

Air France uses a splash of vivid red to identify La Première, but the ultra-private cabin of only four seats is adorned in soothing neutral colors. From turning up comfy seats into luxurious hotel-class beds to providing meals devised by France’s top (sometimes Michelin-starred) chefs, specially-trained flight staff provides delightful, discreet service. La Première is distinguished by small details such as handcrafted Limoges porcelain and a crystal glass of still water placed at the bedside at turndown.

The exclusivity of La Première is also well-known. Mileage redemption is only available to elite Flying Blue members of Air France/KLM, and award space is not made available to partner carrier programs.

Lounge

The La Première Lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is exclusively for La Première passengers. Passengers who are hungry can choose table service from an Alain Ducasse-designed menu. There’s also a new spa by Sisley, a French luxury brand, that offers facial and body treatments (30 minutes are free for La Première passengers; longer treatments are available for a fee). Plush chairs, a range of newspapers and magazines, and a high-end bar are all available.

Outside of Paris, La Première customers usually have access to an exclusive section of the Air France lounge, which includes better services. The La Première lounge at New York JFK is a private lounge within the Air France Business Class lounge, offering full table service as well as high-end liquor and refreshments.

Check-in

Air France La Première travelers in specified cities can schedule complimentary airport transfers to New York JFK, Paris, and five additional French airports by phoning the specific La Première number provided at the time of booking.

La Première travelers have designated check-in areas at CDG Airport and are led to a specific area for check-in. They’re then rushed through security and immigration procedures before being led to the lounge or their plane. Transfers in luxury cars across the airport ramp are available for longer distances.

Baggage

Passengers on La Première are allowed to check three bags weighing up to 70 pounds / 32 kilograms apiece. Members of the Flying Blue Gold, Silver, or Platinum programs, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members, are allowed to check an additional bag. Passengers in the La Première class can take two bags plus a personal item with a combined weight of fewer than 40 pounds / 18 kilograms.+

Seats

On every aircraft that offers it, the La Première product is the same. It’s only available on the 777-300 series of planes, and there are only four suites in the cabin. The suite was created exclusively for Air France and is not available on any other airline. While many carriers have chosen to fully enclose their suites with permanent walls or half walls, Air France has chosen to keep their suites open, with passengers desiring privacy by being able to raise electronically-operated solid partitions or completely enclose their suite with a floor-to-ceiling curtain reminiscent of long-distance overnight air travel. The seat includes an integrated coat closet right behind it, as well as an ottoman across the aisle that converts to a flatbed or is comfortable enough for another passenger to dine in the suite. The window blinds are electronic, and the illumination options range from full light to simply the glow of the seat-side lamp at turndown, all controlled by a seat-side switch. On their ottoman, passengers will also discover a soft cashmere blanket. A 24-inch HD touch screen entertainment system with a separate touch screen tablet control is also included in the suite. When it’s time to sleep, the seat transforms into a fully flat bed, complete with a mattress pad, pillow, and duvet from Sofitel, a French luxury hotel brand.

Business Class

Air France has long been known for its delightful, utterly French premium cabin offering, which isn’t surprising given that most “flag carriers” use the chance to promote their home country’s cultural customs and products. It doesn’t hurt that France’s cuisine, wine, and fashion have long been admired in Western civilization, and all of these components can be found onboard the company’s international flights.

Passengers traveling in Air France’s business class can anticipate lie-flat seats, friendly service, cuisine created by France’s greatest chefs, and well-stocked airport lounges.

On almost all flights, Air France offers Business Class. Domestic flights in France that do not arrive or depart from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport are an exception.

Business Class is a “Euro Business” class with seats similar to Economy Class on domestic flights departing from CDG, as well as intra-Europe and flights between the United States and the Caribbean operated by single-aisle aircraft.

Business Class is an industry-competitive lie-flat seat on intercontinental flights operated by widebody or dual-aisle aircraft.

A peculiarity: Air France cabins are notoriously heated, and most Air France planes lack individual air vents.

Lounge

During their flight, Air France Business Class customers have access to a lounge. Comfortable seating, hot and/or cold buffet or a la carte food service, a bar pouring complimentary alcoholic beverages (local restrictions allow self-service alcohol in some locations), and free WiFi are all standard features of lounges.

Business Class travelers on scheduled late evening departures from New York JFK and Montreal airports can take advantage of “Night Service,” where they will be served their meal (from the same menu as onboard the flight) in the lounge prior to departure if they choose to sleep the entire journey. If passengers who choose to dine in the lounge are still hungry, they can order a conventional meal onboard.

Clarins treatments are available in the Air France lounges at Paris CDG, as well as separate shower rooms. After clearing Customs, passengers arriving at CDG can shower and find a selection of breakfast products in the Arrivals lounge in Hall 2C.

In several North American cities, Air France has its own lounges, while in others, Air France and KLM have a joint lounge. Business Class passengers can use a Delta SkyClub, a SkyTeam-operated lounge, or a designated airport or third-party lounge in places where AF/KLM does not operate a lounge.

Passengers flying Air France Business Class on a SkyTeam flight connecting to or from their Air France gateway have access to SkyTeam-operated and SkyTeam member lounges (such as Delta SkyClubs) during their journey.

 Check-in

Air France has standardized premium passenger services around SkyPriority, as have its SkyTeam partners. SkyPriority lanes for check-in, security, boarding gates, and some customs inspection lines are available to elite members of member carrier frequent flier programs, as well as Air France Business and Premium Economy customers (mostly in Paris).

At SkyPriority check-in places, an agent is usually stationed to verify qualifications.

Baggage

In comparison to the Economy and Premium Economy cabins, Business Class travelers have more checked baggage allowance. Passengers in Business Class are allowed to check two bags for free, each weighing up to 70 pounds (32 kilograms). Members with Silver or above rank in the Flying Blue program can check an additional piece of the same weight.

All classes above economy have a carryon allowance of 40 pounds (18 kilos) combined weight for a bag and personal item.

Seats

Depending on the type of aircraft and the itinerary, Air France Business Class seating varies slightly. On dual-aisle aircraft, all intercontinental flights have lie-flat seats.

Boeing 777-200

Onboard the 777-200, Business Class seats are all lie-flat in a 1-2-1 arrangement. The number of seats in the Business Class cabin is the sole difference.

Boeing 777-300

In Business Class, the 777-300 has the most seating options. On a considerable number of this class of aircraft, newer lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement are available. In Business Class, a smaller sub-fleet, primarily assigned to leisure markets in the Caribbean Sea and the Indian Ocean, has an older 2-3-2 configuration. Only 14 Business Class seats are available on the 777-300ER, and they are in a newer lie-flat type in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, comparable to the seats on the new Airbus A350.

Premium Economy

Premium Economy was originally introduced on Air France’s long-haul flights in 2009, and it has since become a key element of the airline’s product offering.

The Premium Economy seats on Air France are unique, as they were inspired by an older Air France Business Class product that has since been phased out in favor of a more modern business class cabin. The “fixed-shell” has its supporters and detractors, but it is still one of the few luxury economy seats available.

On Air France’s new Airbus A350, a typical reclining seat has been introduced, and customer input may ultimately determine the destiny of the fixed-shell seat on future models.

The Premium Economy product has been tweaked by Air France over the years, but the adjustments have been minor, and the product isn’t very competitive with the comfort and service offered by US-based carriers in their premium economy cabins (many of which are significantly newer).

Many travelers like Air France because of their delightful, authentically French product and service, and Air France Premium Economy offers a better level of comfort and service than the Economy cabin, which is already pretty nice.

Lounge

Passengers in Air France Premium Economy are not entitled to lounge access with their ticket, as is the case with most carriers unless they meet other criteria (such as having FlyingBlue or SkyTeam status that affords lounge access).

Premium Economy customers on Air France can purchase lounge access at check-in, subject to availability. The fees aren’t announced ahead of time and may differ by the airport.

Check-in

Premium Economy customers on Air France have access to SkyPriority, a premium check-in lane also available to business class passengers and SkyTeam elite travelers. SkyPriority lanes can also be found at security checkpoints, customer service counters, transfer desks, and customs inspection lines at various airports. 

Baggage

Priority baggage delivery (priority bags are recognizable by the yellow Air France/SkyTeam priority flag attached to the printed bag tag at check-in) was another SkyPriority feature.

All Premium Economy passengers are allowed to check two bags, each weighing up to 50 pounds (23 kilograms). Air France agents, like most European airlines, check carry-on bag weight at check-in or while boarding, and Premium Economy passengers are given an extra allowance of two items in the cabin, with a total weight of up to 40 pounds (18 kilos).

Economy travelers, on the other hand, are allowed one checked bag weighing up to 50 pounds (23 kilograms) if they have booked a rate that includes one. Carryon bags are also restricted, with a total weight limit of 26 pounds (12 kilos) for one bag and one personal item.

Seats

When Air France introduced the Premium Economy (then called Premium Voyageur) product in 2009, it was hailed as the first fixed shell seat in a Premium Economy cabin, and it’s still in use on most Air France intercontinental flights today, with some adjustments.

Instead of reclining back into the space behind the seat, the fixed shell seat reclines forward and down within the fixed space of the seat. A foot pedestal extends from the under-seat area (somewhat reducing under-seat stowage), and the leg rest can be extended or retracted using a button next to the recline button.

The fixed shell seat on the new Airbus A350 has been replaced by a typical reclining seat with a leg rest and foot rest.

The seats include built-in noise-canceling headphones, an adjustable reading light, a huge entertainment screen, and a large tray table that extends from the front seat (at bulkheads, it’s in the armrest).

Economy

If you can afford it, business class is fantastic, but when it comes to international travel, the economy class has the finest quality-to-price ratio, with inexpensive tickets, decent meal options, and often complementary entertainment.

Air France is a wonderful carrier option for anyone wishing to fly to Europe and beyond. Nonstop flights to Paris are accessible from several U.S. cities, and you may search for neighboring airports on the Air France website to locate the best options for you. Domestic links on SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines can also transport you to Europe from most US states.

Baggage

On Air France intercontinental flights, economy class passengers (excluding Light price passengers) can check one bag weighing up to 50.7 pounds (23 kilograms) for free. Keep in mind that the baggage allowance is not included in the original purchase of a Light fare, but can be purchased as an add-on up to 30 hours before departure. Onboard, you can also bring one carry-on bag and one personal item.

Food

Prior to the meal service, economy travelers can order a drink or a glass of Champagne. Then you have two lunch or dinner options to choose from. During the flight, you may be served a hot dinner and then a snack, depending on the distance.

Seats

Air France economy class seats normally have a 31-inch pitch, which means that a point on a seat will be 31 inches apart from a point on a seat in front of it or behind it. This measurement may differ from one aircraft to the next. Starting 30 hours before your departure, you’ll be able to select your seat online or using the app.

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