Review: Air France First Class Ground Experience Paris

Are you sure you liked the jags - they are British you know....

Why did you have to go through immigration arriving from Milan? Isn't that an intra-Schengen flight?

@ Evan - Some of them are made it India though.

@Ben:

You've reviewed the AF First Class experience itself several times and always note that you think it's the best. Can you do an article that side-by-side compares, say, the total AF/LH/TG/SQ/CX/etc. First Class experiences on the ground?

I ask because there are multiple airlines that offer chauffer service to the plane or dine-on-demand or spa services or private rooms/cabanas, etc. None of them seems to hit *all* the wickets, though. So what truly sets AF apart? Chauffeur service and the spa? Is the food better?

AF F isn't necessarily aspirational for me because it's hard to get and, ultimately, I don't find their onboard product to be that great so why waste my time, but I'm still curious to see the overall ranking, by category, that leads you to prefer one carrier's ground-handling over another's.

Any idea what the ground experience is like when arriving in Paris and not connecting? Do you still clear immigration in the lounge? Do you still get driven to the terminal?

@Jeff R He went to the US, so he needed to go through immigration(leaving the schengen area) for this

@ Jess -- They still drive you separately to immigration and escort you through, though you don't use the lounge.

@ Jeff R -- As noted by Ric, it was departure immigration based on going to the US, and not arrival immigration, because as you note, that was a flight within the Schengen zone.

@ Evan -- Just because I think BA is terrible doesn't mean I hate British things! You're insulting the UK by suggesting that BA=British.

@ AdamR -- It's a great question, and once I publish my La Premiere review I plan on doing a post ranking my the world's top first class ground experiences, and also the world's top first class onboard experiences. Stay tuned. 🙂

Forget British, they are owned by an Indian company. They have improved significantly since then.

When you reviewed garuda first class didn't you say they had the best first class ground experience?

I may have it wrong and maybe you said best overall first class....

How many rolling delays could you possibly have during a scheduled 1010a departure that was ultimately changed to. 1045a? Am I missing something?

@ Justin -- Sorry, maybe "rolling" wasn't the right term, but rather there was never an actual estimated departure time. Rather it was just that "hopefully they'll be done shortly," and that continued for about 75 minutes.

@ Drav -- The way in which they escorted people may have been the best, but the lounge itself wasn't amazing, so I think this is an overall better ground experience.

Does it compare to the Residence experience?

I enjoyed the review, but I'm curious about choosing not to review a full cabin. I'm guessing most of us wind up flying in cabins that are closer to full than not full, so wouldn't a review of a full cabin be more helpful? And if we got an empty cabin that would be a nicer surprise!

Is it proper protocol to tip the drivers for those short rides?

@ Brian -- I don't think there's any expectation of that. I've never done that on Air France and Lufthansa, and people usually accuse me of over-tipping.

@Lucky

I'll level with you. As a Brit in the UK and a regular reader I find your tone generally anti-British (not just anti-BA) hence my comment. But I'll cut you some slack on this occasion. If you say I'm wrong I'm prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt...

@ RSB31 -- Fair enough, but to expand on that further, the other issue was that the other flights were all shorter east coast flights, to JFK, IAD, etc., so this was also the longest flight. The bigger issue is that the cabin is just one row, and if I arrived and the other people were already seated, there's no way I'd be able to get any cabin pictures. This isn't an issue on other airlines with bigger cabins or where I have more discretion of when I board, but when I'm driven to the plane I'm at their mercy.

As a UK reader I have to disagree with Evan.
Britidh Airways is an embarassing institution and Lucky is right to highlight its shocking shortcomings

It only continues to exist because of its control over heathrow and sheer jingoism from other brits

@Lucky

Considering flying RT in La Premiere SFO-GVA for $6,425 later this year. In your opinion is the price tag worth it to experience the product considering I don't have any Flying Blue Status?

What is better onboard Air France La Premiere experience...777 or A380?

@volarry

The 77W is the plane you'd want to fly. F on the A380 is outdated and not very private.

Am thinking of flying, paid ticket, AF La Premiere in December from SFO to CDG on the 777-300ER and connecting to Cairo on AF 787 which only offers Business Class. Would I be met at the aircraft and allowed to use La Premiere Lounge, then escorted to my connecting flight? Am positioning to fly EY Residence via AUH to JFK, then AA back to SFO
Thanks, Mark

I am sorry to say but why would anyone want to travel with AF.

They are are one of only a few Airlines who transport Primates to Laboratories around the World for Animal Testing.

Stop it AF, this is not Good !!

I am sorry to say but why would anyone want to travel with AF.

They are are one of only a Major Airlines who transport Primates to Laboratories around the World for Animal Testing.

Stop it AF, this is not Good !!

Could you do a post with the best lounges in the world? First and business?

" La Premiere agent walked me to the very front of the line. As we got there she said “technically we aren’t supposed to cut the line, but usually they allow it. "

And that is why I won't go to Europe and pay more to go as far as I can from it. Periodically I get the same first class treatment as @lucky received. I try not to be an "ahole" getting in front of handicaps, parents with small children, pregnant women etc. Once a while I'm forced to do it and my face burns hot red as I find it shameful. There is one thing to have a line for first class, pre-tsA, etc that is clearly visible and people expect and can see an order of priority among people. Most (I said most E.g Italian, Hungarian Etc not all) European countries have absolutely no order, logic and pushing shoving is fine to get to be first in line ( or on the roads). "We not suppose to do this but I do it anyway because I can"
So while some of us feel funny to be in a jaguar next to a bus, I'm more ashamed to pushed in front of the line. Just my two cents.

Hello Ben,
Regarding the french immigration officers (or French Border Police officers to be exact), i've met some checking passports (and immigration/entry status) mid-way between the jet bridge AND the french border police booth, which makes 2 immigration checks, on a return flight from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines in CDG Terminal 1. The first ones do not stamp entry but seem to just check immigration/entry status, and thus return the people on the plane if necessary.

That may explain the "reaffection" of French Border Police Officers.

Is this lounge open 24 hours a day?

@ Lukas -- No, it closes after the last departure.

Typical France:
"......technically we aren’t supposed to cut the line, but usually they allow it. Stand here, and I will signal to you when you should come over. "
Technically we aren't supposed ISIS in the country, but usually we (turn our heads and) allow"

Hi Ben,

I'm at the La Premiere lounge as I'm writing this. The experience is exactly how you described it...so far. I'm dining right now and will have a spa appt in about 1.5 hrs. I've been using your reviews to guide me with this place so thanks.

Long time reader,
John

Just passed thru CDG Security and it was uber-stressful and unorganized. Security line was held up for 30+ mins so that airline crew (in groups of 20+) and military could jump ahead. Pax were upset as they had reason to be concerned about missing their flights. Many crew had bag content issues (items that needed examination) which paralyzed the line further. (Good case for making a separate crew queue). Throw in the Air France (& Lufthansa) STRIKES, set for random days in April & May: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43709807 (as wells as FR rail strike: https://www.thelocal.fr/20180409/french-rail-strike-hits-monday-services-and-leaves-sncf-with-100-million-bill) and you have a recipe for bad travel. // I missed the AF strike days by 1 in both directions, thank goodness.

Note, I was in CDG (Premium) Fast Track, Reserve no-1, business class Security line too.

Air France on strike this month: http://fortune.com/2018/04/10/lufthansa-air-france-strike-cancel-flights/