Air France’s first class is branded as La Premiere, and it’s one of the best experiences in commercial aviation. That’s especially true when you consider the totality of the experience, from the ground service to the inflight service.
Continue reading: Air France First Class Network Expands To Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Tel Aviv
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Is this the first “true” First Class service to & from Tel Aviv? BA operates A350-1000, right? So no First there. So did Cathay. Emirates operated 777-200LR
So based on their refurbishment schedule 14 destinations is the final number, or there maybe additional routes added later?
@ Nikojas -- Only time will tell, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some more destinations.
C’mon Air France, how about Montreal too? You have two flights a day right now so the demand is certainly there.
Most of these destinations make sense. TLV and ATL do not. TLV is a short sector, at about 4+ hours and ATL is principally about connections, and a lot less about O&D and even Air France's older cabins are head and shoulders above their US partner, DL in both comfort, style, and service.
The Air France cabins across all products on the refreshed 77Ws are really nice. Very stylish. Lots of flair.
You assume too much, based on generalizations.
Based on the most recent Cirium numbers, Atlanta has some of the highest revenue per seat and per departure in Air France's US system. Higher than Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco, for example. Why then would they not want to take the next and most logical evolution, to drive that station's premium higher?
What will the P lounge situation be in BOS and other outstations? Will AF use a corner of the DL One Lounge in Boston? Surely they won’t have P pax go to the AF basement lounge.
@ Ben -- It's a good question. I don't think Air France sends La Premiere passengers to a non-Air France lounge with any airport that has one, so maybe they'll create a more exclusive area of the existing lounge with elevated food and drinks. At least that's my best guess.
I hope they thoroughly clean the cabin from the stench of ethnonationalist hatred and genocide when using this aircraft to/from Tel Aviv in illegally occupied Palestine.
I'm guessing they're doing TLV in order to target connecting passengers from/to the USA who may be reluctant to pay for first class and find themselves in business for 30+% of the journey.
Montreal traffic is unfortunately not that premium, I mean cmon Canada is not doing well and Canadians are pretty cheap generally.
I guess Houston will the be the best route to enjoy this product the most based on flight length.
I believe BA has downgrade TLV to short haul and is sadly using A321 on the route. It use to run First on its 777 back in the say but that was quite a while ago. El Al used to have first class on a number of routes but I think they completely discontinued the product.
And to think that not too long ago TLV on premium was getting only blocked middle seat economy.
Home for Hanukkah or something gefilty is going on?
Ben, can you please do one of your which AF planes have the new business class? Maybe I could add it all up from the linked articles but it's kinda confusing. All the 350s have it? Some of the 777s? All of the 777-300ERs will have the new first by end of 2026, so does that mean they'll all have the new business as well? Seems like it makes sense to take a plane out of service once, but I dunno. I do JFK-CDG a lot, either on DL or AF, but never quite sure which seat I'm getting on AF and then T1 at JFK is so much worse than T4 and the D1 lounge...but I digress.
Would really appreciate it - the way you just did it for Cathay. THANKS.
You have to be filthy rich or on quite the corporate contract to pay for first-class between Boston and Paris. With good winds, that's maybe 5 1/2 hours maximum. If you're lucky you might get 4 1/2 hours sleep given they turn the lights on an hour before landing.
As for Houston and Atlanta, what is Air France going to use for a lounge? The Air France lounge in Houston is AWFUL. It's a broom closet. It doesn't even have its own bathroom. In Atlanta, there's no Delta One lounge. The Delta Sky Clubs are overcrowded.
Air France's Houston lounge is the size of a broom closet and doesn't have have a bathroom. There's a larger KLM lounge down the concourse but the food at both is worse than prison food. Don't ask me why there are separate Air France and KLM lounges at Houston. I'm really curious what lounge AF will use in Atlanta. There's no Delta One lounge. The Sky Club lounges are overcrowded and very mediocre.
You vile racist creature BZ …. and Ben tolerates this hate crime while others look on without comment. Disgusting!
They may just splurge and partner with P/S Suite in Atlanta and create a dedicated space at their IAH lounge?
Every time anything which appertains to Isreal or the Jewish community, the antisemites flood the comments with their hateful rhetoric. Ben why are you not responding to these events in an appropriate manner? I know why, because it is easier to threaten me!
BZ, not everyone in Israel agrees with current events, just as not everyone in the USA supports a certain racist political figure.
Doubtful in Atlanta. Most likely Delta will reserve the upstairs of the F Sky Club. They did that previously for Virgin Atlantic back around 2015. In Houston, there's virtually no space in the Air France lounge to reserve. They can't even accommodate every business-class passenger. And there's no toilet.
Perhaps ATL has very high revenue per seat because of DL and Skyteam’s dominant position in the market, not because there’s such high demand for F?
“I dislike that the state of Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians” is not an antisemitic statement.
There has been major construction and renovations at IAH ahead of the World Cup. Actual new terminals with updated facilities. Unlike that scam project at LAX that yielded more retail space nothing more.
The answer is more speech, not censorship.
Dan and Icarus below actually did a decent job of responding BZ.
You did not, though. You took the bait. Sad.
It's interesting that AF will place this product on the short Paris Tel Aviv 4 hours route.
I do know it flies a B777 of its own metal so perhaps this is occurring because it's planning to upgrade all B777s. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, given its major competitors all operate this route with European Business as the most premium cabin offered.
Thank you, Dan and Icarus, for appropriately responding. It is far more nuanced than what BZ or Aero suggest. And, AeroB13a, no, censorship of opposing views is not the answer; clearly, you disagree with BZ, and that's fine, you can and should express your disagreement, ideally, respectfully, but, if not, that's fine, too, unless the owner of the site disagrees.
It's likely a business decision; perhaps, they feel they will earn those fares there. That route has a mix of wide and narrow body aircraft already. If you can afford it, most would much prefer La Premiere on a 777 than a recliner or blocked-middle on 737 or a320.
I may be misremembering but I recall Swiss offering F to/from TLV at one point.
Montreal traffic just doesn't generate the premium demand that would result in La Premiere being added. Huge cultural ties, yes. High volume premium traffic? Non.
JFK-LHR/BOS-LHR are also very short routes, and BA has no problem selling F on those routes. Granted, AF is far more expensive than BA, but I think the demand is there from BOS.
I find the timing of the TLV flight odd. It isn’t built for TLV-CDG-US connections because it lands so late it requires an overnight connection. It seems more designed for connections to Asia, though TLV-CDG-Asia would be an odd routing.
They'd have to find a lounge remotely up to LP standards at MEX. AF operates out of Terminal 1 which is a dump, honestly surprised they don't operate out of T2 with the rest of SkyTeam-- don't get me wrong, T2 is also a dump, just a newer dump with a passable lounge.
Chicago is a city on the decline and it's not a particularly wealthy one to begin with.
ATL and IAH are both on the up in terms of growth. BOS is a little more stagnant, but still growing and it's a very wealthy city. Consider that BOS and ATL are both Delta hubs too
Meh routes, except TLV. This would be far more useful on long Asian routes (although I understand that the plane utilisation is far less efficient there, which is the likely reason). Not that there's not a lot of good options in that direction, but still La Première is in league of its own.
No, they're definitely not upgrading all 777s. TLV is a very high yield route with tons of premium demand, that's why they're adding La Première on it. Keep in mind that not everyone travels to/from Paris, a lot of demand to TLV is connecting from other LP destinations such as Sao Paolo or the US.
@JK - Swiss has first class on all of its aircraft so it's not like they specifically decided to deploy it to Montreal.
True but Mexico City doesn't even have a lounge that's up to international business-class standards.
ATL makes sense because there’s also onward connectivity with Delta, particularly to the Caribbean and Latin America—destinations Air France doesn’t necessarily serve from CDG, at least not on a daily basis. Houston has oil and money. Plus, it will almost certainly be the third-largest city in the USA by the next census. AF and KLM already have enough business in Houston that they maintain their own lounges there.
BA first is the best business-class you can buy. It's not even close to AF first. That said, if your expense account allows you to buy first on a 5 or 5 1/2 flight, more power to you.
Interestingly, they're planning to launch their new La Première on such a short (yet medium-haul) flight with 4 hours. Reasoning is likely clear
Interestingly, they're planning to launch their new La Première on such a short (yet medium-haul) flight with 4 hours. Reasoning is likely clear
Interestingly, they're planning to launch their new La Première on such a short (yet medium-haul) flight with 4 hours. Reasoning is likely clear
@FNT
Something worth looking into with Houston Airports. Maybe changes are coming for International Departures out of Terminal D in 2026.
It is noted 1990, that your response reads less like a ‘Joe Soap’ reader/commenter, than a ‘Ben’ response to various questions asked of him. Why would that be now? Is it Ben using the 1990 login, or, a staff member quoting the party line perhaps? A valid question to ask, yes?
With regard to my mode of addressing the pointed antisemitism which emanates on a regular basis from the likes of BZ, one either approves of such rhetoric, alternatively, one is opposed to it.
As a consequence of no condemnation or remedial action on the part of the website administrators; it would appear that the website administrators either approve of the vile posts or they are fearful of taking the appropriate action to curb it. Therefore, as you 1990, are apparently representing the website administrators as their spokesperson, perhaps you would like to answer that simple and valid question too?
Actually, one feels that it would be more appropriate for Ben to meditate in this matter as I am being reminded that “It is Ben’s website”, yes?
Finally, I think it is a great move, so far the only airline would be able to offer a more consistent F product is EK, AF has a great F, hopes that expand for long!
Oh great ! I hate flying business to TLV. Our company sends me there monthly to scout their incredible tech start ups. We can afford the airfare… will be getting a lot of Flying Blue miles.
1) yeah but that's not what BZ said
2) the ceasefire went into effect how long ago?
3) calling the war a "genocide" minimizes actual genocides. shame on you.
I had my fingers crossed that ICN was going to get LP. Probably not as much demand but I guess wishful thinking.
"Perhaps ATL has very high revenue per seat because of DL and Skyteam’s dominant position in the market, not because there’s such high demand for F?"
No one said anything about "such high" demand, versus the demand evolving to its next likely step. Hence the airline adding the product.
"And you assume too much as well. Quite snarkily one might add."
Calm down; I'm not the reason your life sucks. But that aside, feel free to point out whatever assumption you believe is inherent here, and it can be addressed.
ATL has plenty of F potential as well of O&D traffic. It’s a huge metropolitan area with tons of wealthy people. I used to fly to other cities to fly La P because we didn’t hav it. Now I don’t have to.
Nice to see AF bring back F to BOS and to other destinations! I haven't seen F here in a while! Though one has to wonder how the lounge situation will be...
LH used to offer full F on a 747. I remember eating a remarkable falafel-crusted lambchop up there. (Don't knock it till you try it, was delicious).
And yes, Swiss had full F.
TLV has a lot of high yield traffic.
Turns out calling anyone that doesn't support the slaughter of children antisemitic dilutes the meaning of the term!
Yeah, and maybe that's done purposely, as calling the mayor-elect a 'communist'... however, sometimes these words do live up to their meanings... for instance, purposely causing a famine... definitely a crime against humanity... anyway.
the expansion of the Tom Bradley terminal at Lax yielded 23 additional gates and significantly more space. If course it includes retail as well as more dining options. It also includes a vast amount of space for new lounges as well as significantly expanded immigration customs abd bag claim.
ATL will move up to 6th by 2030. Climbing into the Top 5, 4, and maybe finally 3 will take MUCH longer, like 10, 20, and 30 more years.
The vast majority of business and wealthy/premium leisure travel from Canada is in Toronto.
Watching Fox News too much? Chicago has the 2nd highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the US.
And it's still wrong because Dallas will still be bigger than Houston. Next census, NYC, LA will still be larger.
Going by MSA or CSA, Dallas has a healthy 1M lead and its own growth matches the base of Houston, if not higher. Houston will only be 4th largest at best, I'm not sure if it'll overtake Chicago or not though. 5th is likely where it sits
Eliyahu.
Below are just some of the organisations that call what “Israel” is doing to the Palestinians a genocide. Are they all wrong?
- Amnesty International
- Human Rights Watch
- Médecins Sans Frontières
- United Nations
- International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS)
- Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention
- Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)
- B’Tselem
- Physicians for Human Rights
Not to mention the governments of Spain, South Africa, Scotland, Ireland and Indonesia just to name a few.
AF will be the first , and currently the exclusive , with F cabin service to TLV.
High demand guarantee’s success & might convince SR , BA, LH to follow.
"Due to capacity constraints at our lounge in Boston, lounge access for customers traveling in Business Class on Air France or KLM is limited to the Air France lounge located in Terminal E or to the Delta Sky Clubs in Terminals A & E." La premiere does qualify for DL1 lounge access and is not excluded from BOS.
Could they use the same plane for the BOS and TLV flights? Getting an extra turn would make this pair make a lot more sense
I mean Ben has been very clear in past posts that he is an antisemite so it’s not surprising.
How many times have individuals who are eligible to vote in illegally occupied Palestine, who call themselves Israelis, voted in the war criminal Netanyahu?
He’s been the longest serving leader of “Israel” - says plenty about a society when they keep voting a war criminal
WE were not fortunate to have the New LP from SFO recently..bummer as plane swapped out...