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.
Continue reading: New Air France A330 Cabins Now Flying (New Business Class + Wifi)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Luck...check your story....TPG is reporting these as 1-2-1 configuration, and the picture seems to confirm that....
Looks way more luxurious than an American airplane. I would love to ride on a plane like that!
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.
Adding onto my comment above, they haven't updated the seatmaps yet for the 1-2-1
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.
I can confirm with 100% certainty this is a 2-2-2 configuration. TPG is wrong, it's not 1-2-1.
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.
@ 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. 😉
@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.
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. 🙂
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.
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.
@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!
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...
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.
@ 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...
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?
Sassy Ben is the new @Ben! From now on we should say "Sassy Ben/Lucky himself"
@ JDS -- Lucky himself likes to think he's 6' tall, but Ford often reminds him he's more like 5'11.5".
@ 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.
Awful! Wouldn’t fly it but even if it was severely discounted which IME AF rarely does.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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........
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?
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
@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.
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?)
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.
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.