How Much Is A Paid Air France First Class Upgrade?

I’ve been writing quite a bit about Air France lately, given that I’ve earned Flying Blue Platinum status with Air France-KLM. I’ve covered the ability to redeem miles for Air France first class (which is limited to Flying Blue Platinum members and above), and in this post I wanted to talk about the other best-value way to fly Air France first class, which is through a paid upgrade.

I doubt all that many people are going to be rushing to take advantage of this opportunity, but I still think it’s worth covering.

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Air France first class is amazing & exclusive

Air France first class (branded as La Premiere) is an incredible product. It’s only available on key routes on select Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The cabin features just four seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration, with each seat having a floor-to-ceiling curtain around it. Personally I rank Air France first class as the world’s single most well-rounded first class product:

• I rank the inflight experience as the third best in the world, after Emirates’ new first class and Japan Airlines’ new first class
• I rank the ground experience in Paris as the world’s best, as it’s jaw-droppingly good

Air France will also soon be debuting a new first class, though details about the product remain limited.

The catch is that actually booking Air France first class is costly. Air France probably has the most consistently high cash fares in first class of any airline in the world. That’s not surprising, both due to how Air France is trying to position itself, and also due to how small the cabin is.

When it comes to award redemptions, only Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members are able to redeem miles for first class, and the redemption rates are quite high.

Air France sells first class upgrades at check-in

If you’re looking to fly Air France first class without outright paying for it, there’s one best way to do so. Specifically, Air France will often sell first class upgrades at check-in:

• This is available either during online check-in (typically starting 24 hours before departure), or at the airport
• This is available to those with confirmed business class tickets, whether booking a revenue fare or redeeming miles
• If you upgrade to first class, you receive all the standard first class services, including the amazing ground experience in Paris

Air France is pretty consistent about offering these upgrades, assuming there are seats available. Just keep in mind that with just four first class seats, it’s common for the cabin to be sold out. So if you want to figure out your odds of there being seats available, you can always go to Google Flights and do a “dummy” booking, and see how many first class seats are still being sold on an Air France flight.

The cost to upgrade to first class really does vary considerably, and I’ve seen reports of upgrades costing anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 (that’s one-way pricing, and per person). There are a few general concepts to understand:

• Typically upgrade pricing is the highest to and from the United States; routes to Dubai, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Singapore, and Tokyo (when operated by planes with first class) often have more attractive pricing for upgrades
• Pricing is dynamic, so the cost could differ significantly for a particular flight; the upgrade cost may be different at online check-in vs. at the airport, and different passengers may even be offered different upgrade prices
• While these upgrade offers also often let travelers redeem miles for the upgrade, it’s rarely a good deal, typically offering well under a cent of value per mile

Generally I’d expect an Air France first class upgrade to cost somewhere around $2,000, give or take, as that seems to be the most common pricing. For the United States, I wouldn’t expect to see pricing lower than that, and might even expect to see higher pricing. Meanwhile for other routes, don’t be surprised if pricing is a bit lower.

I’m sure many people are curious about upgrade costs, so I’d love if OMAAT reader could share data points in the comments section, when offered a cash upgrade to first class on Air France.

Let me also mention that Air France sometimes tries to sell first class upgrades prior to online check-in. However, it’s typically going to be more expensive then, and the cost will often be the fare difference between cabins.

Is an Air France first class upgrade worth it?

It goes without saying that Air France’s first class upgrades aren’t cheap. I’m by no means suggesting that this should somehow interest everyone, or that there will be widespread appeal to this. That being said, a few thoughts:

• If you’re an airline product geek and want to experience Air France La Premiere on one segment as economically as possible, a paid upgrade on a one-way award ticket is probably the best way to do this, assuming you don’t have Flying Blue Platinum status or above
• In general there’s more value to this if you’re either originating in Paris, or are flying to Paris and connecting same day, so that you can use the Air France La Premiere Lounge in Paris, which is half of the experience
• Since Air France has flat beds with direct aisle access in business class on 777s, I’d be more interested in this on a daytime flight than an overnight flight, since I’d be more likely to stay up and “party” on the latter
• Since Air France only has four first class seats in a cabin, expect that these upgrade offers often won’t be available, as Air France often sells out first class in advance (especially to Los Angeles and New York)

Bottom line

Air France sometimes offers paid upgrades from business class to first class, including on award tickets. This is most commonly available at check-in, though expect it to be pricey. Upgrade costs will rarely be as low as $1,000, and it’s much more common to see upgrade offers in the range of $2,000-2,500.

While upgrades aren’t cheap, I think it’s at least worth being aware of this option, if you’re a huge airline product geek, or want to spoil yourself for a special occasion and experience one of the world’s best first class products.

At what price would you take advantage of a paid upgrade to Air France first class? And if you’ve been offered a paid upgrade, please report back with what the offer was, as I imagine others will appreciate these data points!