Air France’s La Premiere first class is known for being among the best in the world. In terms of exclusivity and ground experience, it’s simply in a different league than anything else, and is more along the lines of what you’d expect in private aviation than commercial aviation.
Continue reading: Super Impressive: New Air France La Premiere LAX Ground Experience
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Recently flew DXB-ZRH-LAX and LAX-ZRH-DXB. Paid cash around $11,000 US. Air France was pricing out more than double….
Sometimes it makes me wonder... Yes the ground experience sounds awesome by description. However, I am sure the rank and file have some possibility of reaching the departure gate too. Daily several thousands of passengers walk the distance to the lounge or gates nearby. And really, especially with a long haul ahead, I sometimes like walking around the airport for a bit and look around and mingle with "normal" people, knowing that when I've had enough of the real world, I can retreat to the lounge whenever I am ready.
It's a pity that it doesn't work upon arrival, because that's where I'd see the most benefit to get out as quickly as possible. During departures, however, I appreciate any shortcut I can get through security, but afterwards I am happy to be left to my own devices for a while...
Am I understanding this correctly that, if you fly AF you have to use a different Terminal depending on if you fly First vs you fly another cabin.
Probably not an issue as they'd tell you which Terminal you have to go to, but I imagine some First passengers would still show at the other Terminal no?
@ GRkennedy -- Air France really goes to the next level with its service. It's standard for the airline to call first class passengers before they go to the airport to coordinate the experience, and make it as easy on them as possible. If you show up at TBIT, there's still a first class check-in area, and they'll no doubt still give you great service.
On Air France, Ben, your review from earlier this year on the new La Premier First Class Suite was excellent. With an average cash price of +$10,000 one way, you'd better be pampered, both on the ground and in the air. Would love to try someday. Gotta build up to that one.
On Emirates, my goodness, at DXB, it's a marathon to get to C gates in Terminal 3... like, can't they arrange buggies for those in First at least? The chauffer service to/from the airport is nice, BUT not for Classic Rewards tickets, even in First, which is pretty cheap of them.
On Starlux, that's a cute row of 'First' but certainly not worth 3x price of Business. That said, I hope they add a NYC route; I'd like to try them, but they're only on the West Coast, and to have take a domestic flight to LAX or SFO, when EVA and CI are already outta JFK... eh.
lol bread. We recently flew AF business from IAD to Tokyo via Paris, and can concur, the food was the worst and that bread roll can break a window.
Thank you for writing about Air France’s amazing ground services! I wish you compare all first class ground services among leading airlines. In today’s world of chaotic and exhausting airports/international travel, it’s the ground experience that truly defines a first class experience. Very few (if any) airlines in the world can match the spectacular service level of AF La Premiere.
When I flew JX J a couple months back there was one passenger in F on TPE-SEA. All J passengers were asked nicely to only use the rear J bathrooms. They reserved the one up front for the sole F passenger and from what I saw, everyone complied.
@San77wsea
Similar experience... On my flight ORDNRT a few weeks ago on JAL in first class, a pax from J attempted to make his way to the bathroom at front of the aircraft that was reserved for us in first class. The FA sent him back and totally closed off the first cabin. Marvellous!
Well at $18K+ a pop for AF first tickets, everything about it should be exquisite.
You would expect this at CDG, but having this level of service outside of France is impressive.
This comment is a perfect example of you just can't please everyone. You can offer this unbelievable experience and yet you still have someone like Mike going, yeah but I like the long walk through the crowds. Just can't win sometimes...
It's worth noting that it will also only continue to improve, especially with their JFK plans.
It's clear they're targeting the private jet crowd. Smart. Even the most expensive F fare is leagues cheaper than a jet from LAX to CDG. I do wonder what percentage of their F pax, esp. LA-based celebs and executives, already use PS.
“(which, fun fact, is located three counties over and in a different time zone from the rest of LAX)”
I am assuming this is a joke.
Correct, I was emailed the day before my flight with a personal email from the LP team at LAX with the subject line "New La Première procedure at LAX," and with requests for my ETA at the airport, the number of bags I'd be checking and my Known Traveler Number, and was given a direct phone number to call with any questions. I was told that if customers didn't reply to the email, the team would follow up with a phone call.
I believe you still have the option of checking in at TBIT and having a LP staff member escort you all the way to the lounge! But why?
My LP handler on arrival told me she averages 40,000 steps a day while on the job just on the back-and-forths from the Bradley West gate to curbside.
It’s a silly comment as most big airports have long walkways be it overground or underground. The distance from the MSC to main building and vice versa is no greater than the walk to the concourse at terminal 2 Heathrow, and much shorter than the walk at Hong Kong although they have a train.
It’s probably because many Americans don’t like the concept of walking more that 10 metres.
This is a hill I will always die on: a Tahoe is not a premium vehicle. Awful ride quality, loud road noise, and cheap materials does not a Black car make.
Thanks Icarus - really glad you broke that down. Us Americans were really struggling without you to Eurosplain it to us.
You misunderstood my comment. I just said "it makes me wonder". And I certainly didn't say, I like a "long walk through the crowds"
It's an awesome experience and yes, maybe they're going after the private jet crowd. If that's how you move through airports, it's probably similar to how you move through the rest of your life, with your chauffeur waiting at your your doorstep or at least your luxury car in the basement. You can completely lose touch with the real world. I take public transport and occasionally wish I hadn't. But some people never really meet "ordinary" people any more. And that makes me wonder...
This is it, it's specific to that outstation because they're chasing the private flyers. There's no general policy along the lines of 'we're going to be the best in the world everywhere in the world'.
There's a recent trip report on Upgraded Points where the guy flew in P from GRU and was escorted to a Priority Pass lounge (which admittedly looks better than the Skyteam-branded excuse for a lounge that's operated by someone else and also available to every premium credit card holder in Brazil and beyond).
You can't just paint a bullock wagon black, stick in a couple of heated seats, and try to pass it off as a Cullinan or a Bentayga. It's not even a Cayenne.
If you're already willing and able to spend upwards of $250K for a return trip from Los Angeles to Paris in a large cabin business jet, what would be the attraction of downgrading to a scheduled commercial service?
AF is targeting pax who would usually be stuck in business class on this route, but have sufficient means to pay at least double the business fare for something special at the front of the 777. That's a real market, and the fares are obviously lucrative, but I'm not sure that private flyers will be looking to exchange the convenience; and yes, privacy; of the Gulfstream or Global.
Yes, the one time I was walked from check-in to lounge I didn't really regard it as an upside, other than if I wanted to boast about it.
(BA at GRU - I was the only passenger in First, on a redemption)
Impressive, but La Premiere is probably something I can only dream about experiencing. To those who are fortunate enough to fly it, enjoy.
For anyone who doesn't own such a jet, it's got to be easier to turn up and jump on the next flight (they've got 3 per day) than trying to make long-haul charter arrangements at the last minute.
(This blog is once again munching my comments)
Thank goodness. If an unwashed mass from J sullied the F latreen, the experience would be ruined.
You might be surprised how quickly a charter broker can find an aircraft that's ready to go. A particular European outfit I know of claims they can have their customers in the air within 90 minutes in most cases. It's a cutthroat industry, and they'll trample each-other in the stampede to get your business.
Curious what to expect on a F Dep in SFO on LH....AF seems to be the best airline in regards of F flights to/from US
One of the things that first class passengers pay for is not sharing toilets with the riff raff from behind the curtain.