Hello from New York, as I’m just wrapping up the return journey of my quick trip, and flew from Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK). Let me start by disclosing that I’m traveling as a guest of Air France today — it’s the first airline media flight invite that I’ve accepted in about 15 years.
So, what’s the occasion? Air France recently unveiled its new La Premiere first class suite, and I was invited onto the very first flight with the new product, and I couldn’t turn down that opportunity, since the first class cabin wasn’t even for sale to the public. There’s a lot else to be excited about even if not in first class, as 777-300ERs are getting a tip-to-tail makeover.
In this post I want to share some initial thoughts on the experience, and then soon I’ll have a full trip report. Before I do, let me acknowledge a couple of points.
First of all, of course service was amazing on this flight, since I wasn’t reviewing this “undercover,” and I was seated across from Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith (who I will write a separate post about). Second of all, let me quote Ben directly — “I invited you because I want honest feedback, and I know you’ll give that to us.” So that’s exactly what I intend to share…
Air France’s new La Premiere first class is elegant
I had seen renderings of the new La Premiere first class seat, and of course the renderings looked great. However, I don’t really think they did justice to this product. It’s one thing to see a rendering or a mockup of a seat, but actually seeing a product installed on a plane is a completely different story.
When I stepped on the plane, my jaw dropped to the floor. The product almost doesn’t look real. To me, it looked like some sort of an airline cabin CGI prototype. Like, is this a real commercial aircraft, or what’s going on here?
With Air France maintaining the 1-2-1 layout, I was expecting the cabin would feel a bit tight, given that airlines like Emirates and Japan Airlines are moving to a 1-1-1 configuration. But if anything, I actually thought the cabin felt more spacious than the old one (which was already excellent). Basically, the product just makes a heck of a first impression. Fortunately it’s not just style, as there’s also substance.
Air France’s new La Premiere first class is impressively functional
Air France’s new La Premiere first class suite consists of both a seat and a chaise longue (or chaise lounge — take your pick, people yell at me no matter which term I go with). When renderings of the product were unveiled, some people were skeptical.
Are the seat and bed going to be too narrow? Is this all a bit too dense? I wanted to reserve judgment, so I have to say that the seat was every bit as functional as it was stylish. To start, let’s take a look at the cabin.
Each La Premiere suite has a forward facing chair and a rear facing chaise longue. Some people traveling together might like to select the two center seats…
Unlike the old La Premiere product, there are now curtains that can be drawn between the two center seats for privacy, which is an excellent development.
The window seats are even better.
But let’s talk functionality. What impresses me so much about this product is how many different options you have for relaxing, whether you want to dine, sleep, or anything in between.
Want to enjoy a meal? You can just sit upright in the chair, and the tray table extends out (so much more easily than with the old seat). Some people asked whether the curtain immediately next to the seat was bothersome. I didn’t find that to be an issue at all, because the chair feels much wider than it looks. When the curtain wasn’t drawn, I forgot it was there. When it was drawn, it didn’t once rub against my arm.
Want to recline a little bit? No worries, as the seat reclines considerably, and also has a leg rest. Best of all, you can even use the chaise longue as an ottoman of sorts.
Want to get more comfortable? The chaise longue can be reclined in three positions — either upright, slightly reclined for relaxation, or there’s bed mode. This space is really comfortable. Even sitting upright, it’s like being on a cozy couch.
It’s also pretty fun to sit there and gaze out the window, and just come to terms with the fact that your seat is five(!!!) windows long. Like, I’m sorry, is this commercial aviation?!
Want to sleep? The chaise longue can be reclined 180 degrees. For what it’s worth, the bed dimensions are almost identical to the old La Premiere product, and I found it to be every bit as comfortable (Air France has one of my favorite beds in the sky).
There aren’t many first class products out there that offer so many different comfortable seating options. I also continue to love Air France’s use of curtains, and think that’s superior to doors.
In terms of additional functionality, the La Premiere suite has excellent storage options. For one, there are no longer overhead bins, and instead, bags are stored in a private locker next to the seat. I was worried this would be tight, so I intentionally brought an oversized carry-on. Well, I’m happy to report that it (along with my backpack) fit into here perfectly.
The seat has plenty of other storage as well, from an exposed storage area to the side of the seat, to an enclosed compartment underneath the chaise longue.
Lastly, each seat has a private wardrobe.
Air France’s new La Premiere first class tech is spot on
For one, Air France has greatly improved charging facilities in first class. Both the seat and the chaise longue have separate USB-A, USB-C, and wireless charging points, and then there’s also an AC power outlet.
All seat functions can be controlled from a large tablet, which can either be stored next to the seat or chaise longue. This tablet controls everything, from the entertainment, to the seat recline, to the window shades, to the lighting.
The seat then has two TVs, which you can seamlessly switch between, depending on where you’re sitting. It’s similar to Air France’s latest generation entertainment system, and has features like bluetooth audio.
When renderings of the product were released, some people pointed out how the TVs seemed to be awkwardly positioned, and wondered if the TV above the seat would be uncomfortably high from the chaise longue. I shared that skepticism based on the renderings, but in reality, found the position to be perfect.
Air France’s La Premiere first class soft product is phenomenal
Air France’s La Premiere catering out of Paris is consistently great, and this flight was no exception. In this post I’m focusing mostly on the new hard product, but below are some food pictures. As you can tell, I just had a very light meal. 😉
Then you of course have the excellent amenity kit, with Sisley products…
Then you have new Jacquemus pajamas, which are so stylish and comfortable (y’all know how much I love the winged seahorse branding — my poor family, they’re never going to see me wear anything else around the house ever again).
La Premiere regulars will also appreciate the introduction of new cocktails, including non-alcoholic and light alcohol options.
Then of course the very best part of the La Premiere experience is the ground product, but I’ve covered that in detail in the past.
Where do I rank Air France’s new La Premiere first class?
As mentioned above, I want to be objective, and I realize up until now I’ve been raving about this product, since my expectations were exceeded, and I’m sort of coming off a post-flight “high.” I’ll have more details in my full report, so let me just mention a few areas where the product could be a bit better (after all, no product is perfect):
- I wish Air France had individual air nozzles in first class, since that’s something I value (it’s my understanding that retrofitting these is super expensive)
- I wish there were a true ability to comfortably dine face-to-face, or to create a double bed (this was obviously considered, but it would’ve come at an opportunity cost in terms of privacy between center seats)
- The entertainment screens could be a tad bigger (the issue is that because they’re located above the seat and chaise longue, that limits the size)
- Given the amount of space allocated to each seat, it would’ve been nice if the bed were made significantly bigger than the old one, rather than just staying roughly the same size (it’s still one of the most comfortable beds in the sky, in my opinion)
With that in mind, with my first class rankings, where do I put this new product? When it comes to the inflight experience, up until now I’ve ranked Emirates’ 777-300ER first class, Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 first class, and Air France’s 777-300ER first class, as being the top three in the world.
I’m going to take some time to digest the experience, but my general feeling is that I think those continue to be the top three first class products, and I’m not sure I can really rank them in good conscience. It’s like asking me to rank pizza, ice cream, or dogs. I love them all… how am I supposed to choose?!
One thing is for sure — Air France’s new first class is a winning product. Furthermore, if you consider the overall end-to-end experience, no airline offers as seamless of a first class experience as Air France. Of course it’s priced accordingly, and it’s the world’s most expensive first class.
Bottom line
I just had the chance to fly Air France’s new La Premiere first class, as a guest of the airline (like I said, it was my first media flight in roughly 15 years). The renderings of the seat looked nice, but I was curious if the product would deliver in terms of functionality. I’m happy to report that based on my experience, this is a stellar product.
It’s definitely evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but I’d say that’s a good thing, given how loved the old La Premiere product was. I can’t think of another airline that has so elegantly evolved its product, essentially maintaining all the things that people loved about the old experience, while adding new features.
What do you make of Air France’s new La Premiere first class?
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