Hello from New York! On my current review trip, I had the chance to fly Air France’s new Boeing 777-300ER business class. In a previous installment I wrote specifically about how the bulkhead seats in this configuration are the world’s best business class seats, in my opinion.
In this post I wanted to take a look at the seats overall, and my experience on this flight. Between Air France’s new seats and the usual soft product offered, this was a pretty unbeatable way to cross the Atlantic.
In this post:
Air France’s new business class seats are top notch
Air France’s new business class product consists of Safran Versa reverse herringbone seats with doors. The differences between this and Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats (which you’ll find on many airlines) are minimal, but I really do like this product.
I’ve seen some people say that Air France’s new cabins look sterile. I can see how one would think that, though personally I think they look much better in person — while some people don’t like the amount of white used, it was a nice contrast to the dark blue seats, carpet, and doors. I also loved the consistent use of the mythical winged seahorse, which has become a signature element of Air France’s design.
Purely in terms of comfort, this is comparable to other reverse herringbone seats out there that feature doors (like British Airways Club Suites).
What I particularly loved was how good the tech was — in fairness, I’d expect no less for a product introduced in 2023. From bluetooth audio (so you can use your own headphones with the inflight entertainment), to wireless charging, to USB-C outlets, to high speed Wi-Fi, to a responsive entertainment system, the tech here is among the best I’ve seen.
Air France’s solid business class soft product
Air France does a good job with its soft product as well. As far as amenities go, each passenger was given a comfortable pillow and blanket. There’s definitely better bedding out there, but I found this to be more comfortable than first meets they eye (the pillow is thick, and the blanket is cozy and not scratchy).
The amenity kit contained a couple of products from Clarins, but was otherwise quite basic.
My flight from Paris to New York was departing shortly after 8AM, so brunch was served after takeoff. Typically I dread breakfast on planes, though Air France served what’s probably the best business class brunch I’ve ever had in the sky.
The meal began with a muffin slice topped with salmon, along with some cheese and vegetables. Then there was plain yogurt with granola, a sweet strawberry puree with white chocolate shavings, and all kinds of excellent bread and pastry options (unlike when catered out of the United States, the croissants are actually delicious).
Then for the main I selected the omelet with cheese, celery, spinach, and tomato sauce. I don’t make this statement lightly — this is the best omelet I’ve ever had on a plane. Typically airplane omelets are borderline vile, but this one was so good that I would have been happy receiving this in a restaurant on the ground (which is saying a lot, given the cooking limitations, and that airplane food is reheated).
The crew on the flight was lovely and attentive. Like with all airlines, service on Air France isn’t always consistent, but more often than not I find crews to be friendly, charming, and oh-so-French. That was the case on this flight as well. My appreciation for French culture, including the service, has grown quite a bit over the years.
Bottom line
Air France really has come a long way with the quality of its business class product. The new business class seats usher in a new era when it comes to privacy and seat technology. Furthermore, Air France has done a great job installing Wi-Fi throughout most of its long haul fleet, which was previously a weak point. When you combine that with excellent French food and wine, it’s a lovely experience.
Transatlantic business class on an American or European airline doesn’t get much better than this, as Air France offers an industry leading product on this plane. If you have the chance to fly Air France’s new 777 business class, I’d highly recommend it.
My wife and I just booked business class return for ourselves and our 3 daughters, 2 of them 2-11 and 1 a teen. We chose the light package so it cost us 155€ to book a seat which I felt was stiff, but then further disappointed to learn that the 2 younger ones must sit in a window seat, by themselves. It is not mentioned anywhere on their website and the only explanation I got...
My wife and I just booked business class return for ourselves and our 3 daughters, 2 of them 2-11 and 1 a teen. We chose the light package so it cost us 155€ to book a seat which I felt was stiff, but then further disappointed to learn that the 2 younger ones must sit in a window seat, by themselves. It is not mentioned anywhere on their website and the only explanation I got from the helpdesk was that it was so they could be accessed quicklly in an emergency - which makes no sense at all seing alll seats have aisle access. We wanted the younger ones to sit next to us in the center aislle so we could sit with them, watch their screens, feed, supervise them and be there for them in take off and landing. I know that across the aisle is stilll close but not like sitting next to them. I see no sense in this policy that they would not budge on, but maybe some sense will come to light when we take the flight.
Hello! Do you know where I can get accurate info on how many 777's have been upgraded to this new seat?
I have a planned flight (AF 274) to Tokyo. It is operated by a 777-300 but I understand only 777-300ER's are getting this? thanks!
You can see the status of the retrofits here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-france-frequence-plus/1860333-updated-information-about-new-j-seats-deployments-other-information-56.html
I don’t know if Tokyo is if the list of destinations to get the new business class. I’m gonna fly it in August to ICN and I’m excited I was able to book 9A :)
I agree the seats are nice but they are hard and desperately need a mattress pad
I fly on the JFK-PAR at least 7 x per year in AF business class. Always a pleasure indeed it’s well done Aside from the Kosher meal served Onboard. It can’t be more disgusting than this and it’s been the case for the past 10 years.
It usually arrives frozen and saggy.
There is no wine served while Swiss, Lufthansa and others all serve kosher wine. Just wondering how they just can’t get their act together on that important part of the experience…
I flew the first flight really wonderful experience, Paris to new york. Very nice cabin crew.
None of your discussions of business class seating discuss what it’s like for the disabled. The entrance to a business pod is so narrow that it’s impossible for a flight attendant or caregiver to lift you from the airline’s wheelchair into your business class seat. And doing this is so awkward that you won’t ask to use the bathroom during the flight.
Just last week, I was offered a $475 upgrade from economy to business on an award ticket flight from PAR to BOS. As I knew my luggage was overweight for the economy ticket, I had already factored in $100 in baggage fees, so the upgrade felt less expensive. So all in, I flew business for the original 12,500 miles, $150 in taxes on that and then the upgrade of $475 at check in.
Service...
Just last week, I was offered a $475 upgrade from economy to business on an award ticket flight from PAR to BOS. As I knew my luggage was overweight for the economy ticket, I had already factored in $100 in baggage fees, so the upgrade felt less expensive. So all in, I flew business for the original 12,500 miles, $150 in taxes on that and then the upgrade of $475 at check in.
Service was great, the catering was terrific and the flight was a really pleasant experience. Well done Air France.
Fortunate to fly their premium products 5-10 times / year or more and always a great experience. Every once and a while the cabin will be too warm or wifi down, but the food, service, and hard product (even the old hard product) are all really great. Their award availability is also consistently good.
Like with ALL airlines, service……isn’t always consistent
ANA and JAL must be exceptions.
I'm afraid JAL has gone terribly downhill. I did a CDG-HND in Business a few months ago. Service was haphazard and inattentive, food really not good (but still beautifully presented) and the drinks selection disgraceful it was so low grade!
I mentioned this to my Japanese colleagues who all said it was well known that JAL has yet to recover from its bankruptcy and they are still cutting costs everywhere.
I then flew ANA...
I'm afraid JAL has gone terribly downhill. I did a CDG-HND in Business a few months ago. Service was haphazard and inattentive, food really not good (but still beautifully presented) and the drinks selection disgraceful it was so low grade!
I mentioned this to my Japanese colleagues who all said it was well known that JAL has yet to recover from its bankruptcy and they are still cutting costs everywhere.
I then flew ANA business again and am happy to say it is still excellent.
Well intentioned, incredibly inconsistent, and they rarely can speak a word of English.
Flew ANA in First from ORD to NRT - amazing experience with only two other passengers.
Then did HND to Frankfurt, that was on the older 787 equipment due to the long (15 hour) flight time to avoid Russian airspace. Service on the overnight flight was subdued, but also due to the 10pm departure time with a 5am arrival, the full 15 hours were in darkness. Only breakfast served.
Loved the Michelin starred veg main course on AF LAX to CDG last July. Don't even remember what it was, but it was one of the best ever.
Fun fact: It’s not a mythical winged seahorse, it’s a chemin de fer. French for Iron Horse, which is what they call a railroad (or railway) is called. See SNCF - Société Nationale des Chemin de Fer. Air France adopted the winged Chemin de Fer as an homage to the railroads.
Chemin de Fer isn't French for "iron horse", it's French for "iron path" or "iron road". You're perhaps thinking of "cheval de fer"?
@ Alex - as a French person, I can confirm that "chemin de fer" does not mean "iron horse" whatsoever, it means "railroad". And we do not call railroads "iron horses". Ben is correct, this is a seahorse. The logo was inherited from Air Orient and was a metaphor to represent the seaplanes Air Orient was operating back then. In France the logo is sometimes called "la crevette" (meaning the shrimp).
The story directly...
@ Alex - as a French person, I can confirm that "chemin de fer" does not mean "iron horse" whatsoever, it means "railroad". And we do not call railroads "iron horses". Ben is correct, this is a seahorse. The logo was inherited from Air Orient and was a metaphor to represent the seaplanes Air Orient was operating back then. In France the logo is sometimes called "la crevette" (meaning the shrimp).
The story directly from Air France (in French but you can use Google translate):
https://corporate.airfrance.com/fr/actualite/dans-le-sillage-de-lhippocampe
Hippocampe (HIPPO on manifests etc) is also Air France's invite-only tier (viz. like Concierge Key/Global Services/360), with reputed benefits including La Premiere ground service at CDG; this shouldn't be confused with Ultimate which has published qualifications (so more like EXP/1K/Diamond).
For premium cabins Air France is the best airline in Europe. (For economy Turkish Airlines is the best.)
I love the look of the seats and the cabin generally. Personally, however, I don't think that I would travel on Air France with their current safety record (maybe I'm a little over-sensitive).
Looking forward to the full review.
Why is AF's safety record a concern? It's still better than the Americans almost killing hundreds every day in air crashes?
Also curious what the issue is with safety records? I don't think there has been a single fatal accident since 2009, and before that it was 2000.
2 recent incidents :
pilots brawl : https://onemileatatime.com/news/air-france-pilots-cockpit-brawl/
Near 777 crash: https://www.air-journal.fr/2022-04-28-incident-du-777-dair-france-mesentente-entre-pilotes-selon-le-bea-5235443.html
How many entree options were there? I took this same flight maybe 4 years ago and there were only 2 options. They seemed to use it being a breakfast flight to offer fewer choices. Once they got to my seat they had run out of one of the options so I had no choice. I was pretty disappointed that in business class on what many consider to be a premium airline I had one take it or leave it option for the main meal.
Welcome to New York.
Massive improvement!
Nice! Might be an acceptable fall back (from ANA 1st) use of my VA miles Want to visit Champagne houses. Tasty
For premium cabins Air France is the best airline in Europe. (For economy Turkish Airlines is the best.)
Worth calling out that the USB outlet is also labeled as 60W, which is very impressive and enough to charge an iPad or small laptop at full speed just plugged into USB, which is far better than most older airplane USB ports (some of which are as low as <1W and struggle to even charge an iPhone in any reasonable amount of time).
but you would need to make sure the right USB-C cable is in your bag to charge a laptop!