Air France-KLM is in the process of overhauling their long-haul fleet. Recently KLM finished reconfiguring all of their planes, so they now have flat beds on all their longhaul aircraft. Now it’s time for Air France to catch up.
Which Air France planes feature flatbeds?
As it stands in the Air France fleet:
- All 787s have flat beds
- Most 777s have flat beds, and those that don’t are getting them
- A380s feature angled seats, but those should be updated over the coming years
- Over the coming months, A330s will be reconfigured with new business class seats
Air France’s 787 business class
Speaking of the A330s, initially, Air France was supposed to reconfigure these planes with new seats a while back. In April 2016 it was announced that the airline would be installing reverse herringbone seats on all A330 aircraft by the end of 2018.
That didn’t happen — not only is the airline no longer installing reverse herringbone seats on the plane, but not a single plane had been reconfigured by the end of 2018.
The good news is that they’ve finally made progress on this front.
Air France’s new A330 cabins are now flying
Air France’s first A330 featuring new business class seats is now flying, so let’s take a look at the plane.
Air France will reconfigure their 15 Airbus A330-200 aircraft to feature new cabins by 2020. These reconfigured planes feature a total of 227 seats, including 36 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 167 economy seats.
Air France’s new A330 business class
As mentioned above, Air France’s A330s feature a total of 36 business class seats, spread across six rows in a 2-2-2 configuration. These seats are fully flat, and feature beds that are 2m long and 57.1cm wide.
Air France’s new A330 business class
Air France’s new A330 business class
While the 2-2-2 configuration isn’t ideal, I do appreciate that they installed a sliding panel between seats, for those who want more privacy.
Air France’s new A330 business class
Each seat also features an HD touchscreen measuring over 18.5 inches, with over 1,400 hours of entertainment.
Air France’s new A330 business class cabin
There’s also a self service bar in business class.
Air France’s new A330 business class bar
Air France’s new A330 premium economy
Air France’s A330s feature a total of 21 premium economy seats, spread across three rows in a 2-3-2 configuration. Seats feature 130 degrees of recline in a fixed shell.
Air France’s new A330 premium economy
Air France’s new A330 premium economy
Seat pitch measures 102cm, and seat width measures 48.5cm. Each seat also has a 13.3″ HD screen.
Air France’s new A330 premium economy
Air France’s new A330 economy
Air France’s A330s feature a total of 167 economy seats, in a 2-4-2 configuration. The seats feature 118 degrees recline, 79cm of pitch, and an 11.6″ HD touchscreen.
Air France’s new A330 economy
Air France’s new A330 economy
Air France A330 Wi-Fi
Air France’s reconfigured A330s feature Wi-Fi, with the following pricing options:
- A free “message” pass — passengers will be allowed to use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, WeChat, and the Air France website and app from their smartphone or tablet at no cost throughout the flight
- A paid “surf” pass — passengers will be able to pay for a Wi-Fi service that offers internet that’s ideal for sending emails and other stuff that doesn’t require much data, at the cost of 3EUR per short-haul flight, 5EUR per medium-haul flight, and 18EUR per long-haul flight
- A paid “stream” pass — on long-haul flights only, passengers will be able to pay for the fastest Wi-Fi available, ideal for streaming and downloading, at the cost of 30EUR per flight
Which routes feature Air France’s new A330s?
Starting this winter, Air France will fly their new A330s to:
- Accra (Ghana)
- Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
- Houston (USA)
Then starting in the summer of 2019, Air France will additionally fly these planes to:
- Cotonou (Benin)
- Lagos (Nigeria)
- Niamey (Niger)
- Bengaluru and Delhi (India)
- Chicago, Dallas, and Seattle (USA)
The easiest way to tell for sure if your A330 is scheduled to feature the new cabins is to look at the seatmaps. If business class features 36 seats, it should be the new cabins.
Meanwhile if business class features 40 seats, it should be the old cabins.
Of course, I imagine this all remains subject to change.
Bottom line
It’s exciting to see Air France finally begin the process of reconfiguring their A330s. While the new cabins aren’t cutting edge, they represent a huge improvement over the old products that they had on their A330s. I’m also happy to see that the A330s are getting Wi-Fi.
My wife and I flew Air France from Bangalore to Paris, enroute to Seattle, by Delta, this summer. On the return leg, we flew the revamped Business Class, seated in the centre two seats, in the first row. Right away, our experience went up a couple of notches, from our onward journey. The comfort level was superb, the new TV screen was enormous, the amenities kit was attractive. Even the cabin crew were a more...
My wife and I flew Air France from Bangalore to Paris, enroute to Seattle, by Delta, this summer. On the return leg, we flew the revamped Business Class, seated in the centre two seats, in the first row. Right away, our experience went up a couple of notches, from our onward journey. The comfort level was superb, the new TV screen was enormous, the amenities kit was attractive. Even the cabin crew were a more attentive lot. It was indeed a pleasure to fly in this new cabin.
Hi, Planning on using fly blue points for business class on air france for a trip 9-2020. Which is the preferred business class airplane the 320 or the 777. when I checked air france website it doesnt tell you which plane has the new business class. Any helpful feedback would be appreciated.
Kudos for going cloth (breathable) and not plastic-impregnated "leather", which is uncomfortable and sweaty on long flights. Am surprised that you did not point this out (you're a frequent flyer, right?)
@Lucky side subject but one point where you are mistaken is that not all AF B777 are being equipped with full flat
- 772 all have full flat Cirrus (28J or 40J)
- 773 business markets have Cirrus as well (58J)
- 773 leisure are in recliner and will be turned to a Polaris (14J)
- But 773-42J are not planned for any retrofit yet, as they are pretty new. There is a dozen of these I believe.
Pretty much combines all disadvantages of other J seats:
- tight
- no direct aisle access
- no storage
- small foot cubby
- can't communicate with partner because of big privacy divider
I'm also very surprised they are flying this to Africa first...AF is launching their new flight to DFW in late March. You would think they would be well advised to launch with the newest, freshest interior possible instead of a somewhat older plane that won't be better than anything AA has. Looks like Dallas won't get it until June, just when AA launches their second daily (predatory) flight. So that market will go from 1...
I'm also very surprised they are flying this to Africa first...AF is launching their new flight to DFW in late March. You would think they would be well advised to launch with the newest, freshest interior possible instead of a somewhat older plane that won't be better than anything AA has. Looks like Dallas won't get it until June, just when AA launches their second daily (predatory) flight. So that market will go from 1 flight on a 788 today to two flights (a 772 from AA and an "old" 330 from AF) with a second AA 772 coming online in June. Amazing. Any bets on how long AF will last?
I absolutely stan this sassy benjamin hahaha!
anyway, why tf is air france flying this brand new product to multiple places in africa but not places like LAX? surely LAX has more demand? its atrocious there arent flat beds in biz from LAX to CDG on some of AF's planes........
Book yourself on AF PE and 2 out of 3 times you'll get an offer to upgrade to J for very cheap. I have done it dozens of times.
Jesus, I got egg on my face! Sorry, Ben.
Love the comments on the post! #OMAATdrama ;)
Really disappointed they didn't choose 1-2-1. Thankfully they put them on less premium routes competitively.
As a high volume long haul business traveler, I find value in both 1x2x1 and 2x2x2.
In the past business class was just that, many business flying solo. But with the competitive pricing these days on some routes and carriers you see more companions and couples and families up front. That’s fine.
I do about 150,000 up front each year and half of that is with my partner. We actually... you know... like...
As a high volume long haul business traveler, I find value in both 1x2x1 and 2x2x2.
In the past business class was just that, many business flying solo. But with the competitive pricing these days on some routes and carriers you see more companions and couples and families up front. That’s fine.
I do about 150,000 up front each year and half of that is with my partner. We actually... you know... like each other and are both airplane geeks so we love the 2x2 setup — Turkish comes to mind as a favorite for its pricing, sheer volume of space allotted per seat, excellent soft product, and most of all ease of communication with your seat mate. Do I don’t mind the new AF with the 2x2x2.
That said I *ALSO* do a lot of solo travel (LAX-SYD; LAX-AKL; MIA-SCL; BOS-DOH; DOH-WDH —- plus returns, all in just the past few months) and want my single window herringbone every time. Of course.
So I’m not hating on AF for this decision. Next time we go to Europe I’ll probsbly try to seek it out if flying with my partner. If not then look for a 1X seat on another carrier. There’s certainly a place for both of these products in the air as business gets filled with more and more non solo travelers.
This is a missed opportunity for Air France. Those African routes will not see a lot of competition though but North American routes this will be bottom of class seating. Funny to think that UA, DL and AA will kick their butt when it comes to the seats.
This explains why I noticed a new seat plan for business class when booking a seat for this summer CDG-ORD. It looks like a classier, updated version of what Lufhansa offers.
To me, TPG was a gateway drug to OMAAT, and I'm done with it now that I've got the good stuff.
Lucky, why do you think they didn't install reverse herringbone seats on these planes? It would be great if their product were consistent across their fleet, no?
Air France had previously said it was using 1x2x1 for its "new" business-class but now it is using 2x2x2. That's a significant downgrade. It's weird because the new CEO wants to make Air France more premium. You don't make it more premium by having your entire A330 business-class configured in a 2x2x2 arrangement.
Awful! Wouldn’t fly it but even if it was severely discounted which IME AF rarely does.
The 330 cabin looks very classy. 2-2-2 is ideal for the familly.
@ lucky
Same as myself then. Though not being married I don't have a husband to correct me, so I declare myself to be 6' tall.
Sassy Ben is the new @Ben! From now on we should say "Sassy Ben/Lucky himself"
@AR
Ugh, don't start me on the gurning pics they post of him.
What I don't get is that his height is referred to in every review even when it's a staff writer, as in "[W]hile the seat was comfortable for me, I'm not sure how TPG himself would fit with his 6'7 frame." It's like it's in their contracts of employment.
On that note, has Lucky ever revealed his height?
@ JDS -- Lucky himself likes to think he's 6' tall, but Ford often reminds him he's more like 5'11.5".
That's Stelia Equinox 2D?
From the AF press release:
The new Business seat, adapted to the dimensions of the Airbus A330, offers an unparalleled travel experience.
On what planet is 2x2x2 in J unparalleled? Seems like a wasted opportunity to deliver a great product.
Also, @JDS:
Yeah, you can see Brian Kelly is tall because he and his staff never miss an opportunity to put a terrible picture of him in one of their stories, usually when the story...
From the AF press release:
The new Business seat, adapted to the dimensions of the Airbus A330, offers an unparalleled travel experience.
On what planet is 2x2x2 in J unparalleled? Seems like a wasted opportunity to deliver a great product.
Also, @JDS:
Yeah, you can see Brian Kelly is tall because he and his staff never miss an opportunity to put a terrible picture of him in one of their stories, usually when the story doesn't call for a picture at all let alone a picture of him.
I admit it is really not clear from the pics if it is 2-2-2, but regardless of that I'm sure we can now agree the highlight is Lucky's sass towards TPG.
Do you know TPG himself is 6'7? He rarely mentions it...
@ JDS -- I do appreciate that "TPG himself's" staff of 82 writers seem to have in their writing guidelines to consistently use the term "TPG himself."
Okay, maybe I am being a bit sassy today, you guys are right...
@Lucky your always good with me! Even in the rare circumstance you do get something slightly wrong, what you’ve done, and continue to do for aviation/miles and points/airline enthusiasts community is extremely appreciated!
2x2x2 in business-class isn't competitive, but sadly is the same as KLM's configuration on all KLM aircraft except the 787. Flying 2x2x2 to US markets is stupid. Delta's product is a better choice, especially if it's priced cheaper. For $5,000, there's no way I'm flying 2x2x2, unless the person next to me is my wife. This is just dumb.
It's so nice to see @Ben putting his foot down on this matter!
Yea it is definitely 2-2-2, although interesting that AF basically purposely posted angles of these (computer renderings?) to obscure that fact. I actually am excited to try this with my wife, as the old angle flats are so dated, and the reverse herringbone design is so far apart in the center.
Lucky,
My initial post was meant as a genuine question, if you can delete it please do so. After hearing your response, (a cup of coffee) and reviewing the pictures, I completely agree with your conclusion.
@1k tone it down...I’m sorry I’m not as intelligent as you.
@ Ben -- Sorry, wasn't trying to be sassy, but three people in a row told me I was wrong when I knew for a fact I wasn't, so figured I at least needed to make it clear I was right on this one. Hopefully all good. :)
@Lucky - I'll bet you negative 500 dollars ;)
P.s. It's a joke so please don't roast me that you can't have a negative bet.
@ JB -- LOL!
Man, I can’t with you idiots, including TPG. It’s 2-2-2...and the new seatmap is evidence enough if you lack the skills to decipher AF’s (intentionally misleading) images used to showcase the product.
@lucky - how can you tell?
@ JB -- a) It's obvious, the seatmaps HAVE been updated, including for the current flights to Accra, which have it b) There wasn't previously a 36 seat A330 seatmap c) It's obvious based on the pictures, where you see two seats next to one another along the wall of the plane d) Nowhere in the press release does Air France mention direct aisle access from every seat e) I confirmed it with a senior...
@ JB -- a) It's obvious, the seatmaps HAVE been updated, including for the current flights to Accra, which have it b) There wasn't previously a 36 seat A330 seatmap c) It's obvious based on the pictures, where you see two seats next to one another along the wall of the plane d) Nowhere in the press release does Air France mention direct aisle access from every seat e) I confirmed it with a senior Air France official
Amused by how many people are definitively telling me I'm wrong, especially when the only source is TPG, which is a fine source when it comes to credit card information, but not so much on airline products.
If anyone would like to make a bet with me on this, please let me know, I'll take you up on it. ;)
Def 1-2-1. The seat map confuses me but apparently as reported elsewhere they have not loaded the new one so might be where Ben was confused on this.
Adding onto my comment above, they haven't updated the seatmaps yet for the 1-2-1
It's a 1-2-1. If you look closely you can see it. From one glance it does look like 2-2-2 though.
Looks way more luxurious than an American airplane. I would love to ride on a plane like that!
Luck...check your story....TPG is reporting these as 1-2-1 configuration, and the picture seems to confirm that....
I can confirm with 100% certainty this is a 2-2-2 configuration. TPG is wrong, it's not 1-2-1.