- Introduction: Zipping To Tokyo Via Mongolia
- Review: American First Class Boeing 737 (MIA-LGA)
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: VIP ONE Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Primeclass Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Lufthansa Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Air France Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Air France Business Class Airbus A350 (JFK-CDG)
- Review: Air France HOP Business Class Embraer E190 (CDG-FRA)
- Review: Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Primeclass Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: MIAT Mongolian Airlines Business Class Boeing 787 (FRA-UBN)
- Review: MIAT Mongolian Airlines Lounge Ulaanbaatar Airport (UBN)
- Review: MIAT Mongolian Airlines Business Class Boeing 737 (UBN-ICN)
- Review: Seoul Incheon Airport Transit Hotel (ICN)
- Review: Oneworld Lounge Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN)
- Review: ZIPAIR Full Flat Business Class Boeing 787 (ICN-NRT)
- Review: Hotel Villa Fontaine Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: TIAT Lounge Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: Japan Airlines First Lounge Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: Japan Airlines First Class Airbus A350-1000 (HND-JFK)
For the first long haul segment of my trip to Japan via Mongolia, I flew Air France’s Airbus A350-900 business class on the short six hour overnight flight from New York to Paris. I was excited about this flight, as it was operated by one of Air France’s newest A350s, featuring an all-new passenger experience.
Air France’s new A350 business class is spectacularly good, and will probably soon make my list of the world’s best business class products. The seats are fantastic, the tech couldn’t be better, the A350 is generally a joy to fly, and Air France also has among the best soft products of any European airline. This is a pretty great way to cross the Atlantic.
In this post:
How I booked my Air France business class ticket
I booked my Air France business class ticket using Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles. Specifically, I booked the following award in business class for 50,000 Flying Blue miles plus $226.70 in taxes and fees:
1/25 AF9 New York to Paris departing 11:30PM arriving 12:40PM (+1 day)
1/26 AF1318 Paris to Frankfurt departing 3:25PM arriving 4:45PM
Flying Blue miles are are easy to come by, as the program is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou. On top of that, Flying Blue often sells miles at a discount.
Air France business class lounge & boarding
In the previous installment, I reviewed the Air France Lounge JFK Terminal 1, which is quite good. It’s spacious, has a solid selection of food and drinks, and even has a spa with complimentary treatments.
I was on the last flight of the evening from New York to Paris, which was departing from gate seven, on the opposite end of the terminal of the lounge. I saw the gorgeous A350-900 parked at the gate — I really do love the Air France livery, and find it to be simple yet elegant, especially on the A350, with its cool-looking “raccoon mask.”
Boarding was scheduled for 10:45PM, 45 minutes before departure. Sure enough, that’s exactly when boarding started, with business class passengers being invited to board first.
Air France A350 business class cabin & seats
I was flying one of Air France’s new Airbus A350-900s, in a very premium configuration, with 48 business class seats. Before I talk about this product, let me point out a couple of things:
- Air France has 20 Airbus A350-900s with a staggered configuration in business class, which is different than this product; there are no plans to reconfigure those jets with this product
- Air France has a new Boeing 777-300ER business class product, which is also exceptional; this looks very similar to the new A350-900 product, but it’s actually a different seat from a different manufacturer
Anyway, back to this product. Air France’s new A350s have 48 business class seats, spread across 12 rows, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Air France has reverse herringbone seats on these planes, and it’s the launch customer for this specific product. Air France selected the STELIA Opera seat — interestingly this is primarily intended for narrow body jets, but Air France partnered on a customized version of the seat for its wide body aircraft, which you won’t find on any other airlines.
The forward cabin (between doors one and two) has a total of 32 seats, spread across eight rows.
Meanwhile the rear cabin (behind the second set of doors) has a total of 16 seats, spread across four rows. I love how Air France is evolving its cabin finishes, between the blue carpet with a pattern, and the prominence of the carrier’s winged seahorse logo.
To take a closer look at the seat options, those who are traveling with a companion may prefer to choose one of the sets of center seats, so that you can fairly easily communicate with the person you’re traveling with.
That being said, if you’re traveling alone and end up in one of these center seats, don’t worry. There’s a privacy partition that can be raised to basically give you full privacy, so you won’t even have to interact with the person seated across from you.
My preference, whether traveling alone or with someone, is to select one of the window seats, as I’m a sucker for a good wing view.
The standard seats in this configuration are about as good as any reverse herringbone seats out there. Each seat has a door, a reasonably sized footwell, and a good amount of storage, which is about all you can ask for.
However, the best seats in this configuration are the bulkhead seats, and they’re arguably the best business class seats in the world. The rules for assigning these seats are the same as the rules for assigning the special bulkhead seats on the 777s. They’re saved for Flying Blue Platinum and Gold members up until 72 hours before departure, and at that point they can be assigned by anyone.
I checked exactly 72 hours before departure, and was able to assign seat 10A, the window seat on the left side in the first row of the second cabin. What makes these seats so awesome is that they have an endless amount of space for your feet.
The seat itself is the same as every other business class seat…
…while the ottoman is massive. This is the opposite extreme of having to squeeze your feet into a small footwell!
Air France’s A350 business class seats are very thoughtfully designed, with exceptional tech. To the side of the seat, you’ll find a storage compartment where you can hang headphones, which also has a mirror. I love how when this is closed, there’s Air France’s beautiful logo prominently displayed (though don’t worry, you can turn it off as well).
Another new feature of this product is the huge tablet to the side of the seat.
Think of this as being “mission control” for your seat, as you can use it to control just about everything, from the seating position, to the lighting, to the entertainment. You can either just click on the screen directly where it’s stored, or you can remove it so that you can have it in a more convenient position.
If you just want to make basic adjustments to your seat positions, there’s a small panel underneath the seat’s armrest, where you can control seat functions.
The counter to the side of the seat is quite large, and also contains a wireless charging setup.
You’ll find both USB-A and USB-C charging ports immediately next to this, and they’re 60W, so they charge your devices very quickly.
The seat also has an AC power outlet, but that’s located a little bit lower in the seat.
The tray table folds out from underneath the counter to the side of the seat, and the tray table is substantial, and can’t be folded over in half.
Each seat has a high definition entertainment monitor. This screen is the same size in the bulkhead row as in other rows, so it appears quite a bit smaller, given that it’s further away from you.
Another popular feature of the seat is that it contains a door. This is locked during takeoff and landing, but you can otherwise either slide it open or closed.
The seat also has an impressive amount of storage. Not only can you store stuff underneath the ottoman, but there’s also a drawer next to that where you can place things.
Air France’s new A350-900s are the “new production standard” models of these aircraft. In addition to the cabin being slightly wider than on previous A350s, these planes also have dimmable windows, and I shared my thoughts on those in a separate post.
Lastly, the overhead console contains reading lights and the seatbelt sign, but unfortunately Air France doesn’t have individual air nozzles on these aircraft.
This is honestly an exceptional business class hard product. You have an industry leading reverse herringbone seat with a door (and even better bulkhead seats), with unbeatable tech, combined with the generally awesome attributes of the A350. Air France has a winner here.
Air France business class amenities
Waiting at each seat upon boarding was a pillow and blanket. The bedding is solid, as the pillow is substantial and the blanket is quite thick. It’s not the best bedding in the industry, though, but it does the trick. I do think it would be nice if there were a different color pattern for the bedding, to add a bit more personality to the cabin.
There was also a pair of noise canceling headphones waiting at each seat, as well as a bottle of Evian water.
Toward the end of the boarding process, the crew distributed amenity kits. These contain eyeshades, earplugs, a dental kit, a pen, two creams from Clarins, and hand sanitizer.
A few minutes later, menus were distributed for the flight.
Lastly, pre-departure drinks were served, with the choice of champagne, water, or apple mint juice. I of course selected the champagne, which I enjoyed, though I was intrigued by the apple mint juice as well.
Air France A350 business class entertainment & Wi-Fi
Air France’s A350 business class entertainment system is phenomenal — the screen is high definition, the interface is easy to use, and there are all kinds of cool features.
Air France has a huge selection of movies, TV shows, audio, and games. I wasn’t able to count just how many options there were, but you really shouldn’t get bored, both in terms of the quality and quantity of options.
For those who are aviation geeks, there’s an excellent map interface that’s highly customizable. There’s also a tail camera, which is something that never fails to make me giddy.
Last but not least, Air France has bluetooth audio on its A350s, so that you can connect your personal headphones to the entertainment system. I’m happy to see this becoming an increasingly common feature.
Air France’s A350s also feature Wi-Fi. There were three different pricing options for the Wi-Fi:
- You can purchase a one hour “Surf” pass for €8
- You could purchase a full flight “Surf” pass for €18
- You could purchase a full flight “Stream” pass for €30
For those wondering, the “Surf” pass is advertised as being good for sending and receiving messages, while the “Stream” pass is advertised as being ideal for streaming music, audio, and video. However, I haven’t found the difference in speeds between the two plans to be that great, and the “Stream” pass doesn’t consistently allow streaming, so that’s something to be aware of.
On balance, I’d say Air France’s A350 tech setup is very good, between the great entertainment interface, the map feature and tail camera, the bluetooth audio, the Wi-Fi, and more.
Air France A350 departure from New York
This was quite a full flight, and every seat in business class was taken, so boarding took quite some time. One thing I noticed during the boarding process was the awesome boarding music, which was some sort of French pop. I absolutely loved it, as Air France is best when it leans into its French-ness.
At 11:20PM the main cabin door closed. However, we didn’t move for some time. At 11:30PM, the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of six hours. He apologized for the slight delay for pushing back, and explained that we had to wait a moment to push, as there was an aircraft in our way.
At 11:35PM we began our pushback, at which point the safety video was screened.
Then at 11:40PM we started our takeoff. One of the benefits of departing so late at night is that there’s not much traffic at that hour. So within 10 minutes we made it to runway 4L, and were immediately cleared for takeoff.
I’m sorry, but these tail cameras never, ever, ever, ever get old.
We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off about 10 minutes after takeoff.
Air France business class dinner service
There was a dinner service on this flight after takeoff, and you can find the menu and drink list below.
On a short overnight transatlantic flight, it’s important for a crew to be deliberate with how they perform the service. It’s not about having the most extravagant meal service possible, but rather it’s about having the most functional and efficient service, while still offering something good. I’d say Air France nailed it with this flight, in terms of quality and pace.
Just 10 minutes after takeoff, the crew was through the cabin with warm towels.
Then just 20 minutes after takeoff, the crew passed through the cabin with a tray of champagne, along with some packaged cheese crackers. It’s always smart to get people their first drink as quickly as possible, since it keeps them happy. For what it’s worth, Air France is currently pouring Telmont Réserve Brut in business class.
35 minutes after takeoff, the meal tray was served. This was beautifully presented, and pretty packed. This included two appetizers (a lobster, herb cream, and fennel salad, plus a grapefruit and cucumber salad), then a garden salad, then a cheese selection, and then a cheesecake. Everything was very good, though talk about a lot of salads and a lot of cheese. 😉
Drinks were also offered off the cart at the same time, and I ordered a chablis and sparkling water.
20 minutes later, the crew passed through the cabin to clear any empty plates, and also served main courses. I ordered the sautéed shrimp with rice, mushrooms, and baby spinach. The dish was tasty, and was served with a side of lobster sauce.
This was a very good meal for a late night flight, and most importantly, the entire service was completed within an hour. Talk about great quality and efficiency!
Air France A350 business class lavatories
Air France has three lavatories in its A350 business class, with one being at the front of the cabin, and two being next to the center galley. The lavatories were unremarkable — they weren’t very large, but were modern.
The only notable amenities in the lavatories were a couple of products from Clarins.
Air France A350 business class bed
When I got back to my seat, I immediately reclined into bed mode, and tried to get some rest. The bulkhead seats are of course extremely comfortable, given just how much room you have for your feet. It also stood out to me how quietly the seat reclined, as there are some seats that make as much noise as a 777 engine during takeoff when being placed into bed mode.
I ended up falling asleep just over an hour after takeoff, with around 4hr50min remaining to Paris.
Then I woke up with around 1hr20min remaining to Paris. 3.5 hours of sleep on a flight of this length while still enjoying both the dinner and breakfast service is really hard to beat!
Air France business class breakfast service
Before I went to sleep, I was asked if I wanted to be woken up for breakfast. While I don’t usually have breakfast just a few hours after going to sleep, I was reviewing the flight, so I of course woke up for that. You can find the breakfast menu below.
As you’ll notice, Air France even offers a hot breakfast on such a short overnight flight, which not many airlines do. However, I couldn’t quite bring myself to eat that much.
Instead, I selected the lighter option, and opted for fresh fruit, yogurt, and some bread. I had a cup of coffee to go along with this.
Once breakfast was cleared, I also ordered an espresso, as I needed another caffeine hit.
Air France business class service
The crew on this flight was great. Not only were they friendly, but they were extremely efficient. On a six hour overnight flight, you don’t want the chattiest or most engaging crew, but rather you want a crew that’s focused on performing service in a friendly and efficient manner. The crew’s record here speaks for itself, as they completed the entire meal service within an hour after takeoff, and did it with a smile.
Air France A350 arrival in Paris
At 11:25AM Paris time, the captain was on the PA to inform us that we’d start our descent in about five minutes, and would be landing at 12PM, 30 minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival time.
Now let me tell you about the most frustrating aspect of this flight, given that it was light out. How the heck was I supposed to decide whether to watch the tail camera…
…or just look out the window at this gorgeous wing view?! Decisions, decisions!
The seatbelt sign ended up being turned on around 11:50AM.
We then had a perfectly smooth touchdown on runway 26L at 12:05PM.
From there it was a lengthy 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 12:15PM, 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
I cleared security, and then changed terminals, prior to my Air France HOP flight to Frankfurt.
Bottom line
Air France’s new A350 business class is a delight, and sets the standard for business class among European airlines. Air France’s A350s have comfortable reverse herringbone seats with excellent technology, combined with the general benefits of the A350 (great cabin pressurization, a tail camera, etc.). If you can snag a bulkhead seat, you’re in for even more of a treat.
When you add in Air France’s tasty meals, friendly and efficient service, and good amenities, this is one of the best ways to cross the Atlantic. Air France has come a long way over the past several years, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the airline.
What’s your take on Air France’s A350 business class?
Many many thanks for the newsletter I like your post very much greatful to share my thoughts feelings with Air France. Also thankful to the People of France provides an opportunity to share valuable insights about Air France Business Class Air Bus A350 (JFK -CDG). France is a well known country for their Hospitality cuisine cuture traditions etc. It is well equipped beautifully designed passenger plane with modern amenities salient features which is necessary for...
Many many thanks for the newsletter I like your post very much greatful to share my thoughts feelings with Air France. Also thankful to the People of France provides an opportunity to share valuable insights about Air France Business Class Air Bus A350 (JFK -CDG). France is a well known country for their Hospitality cuisine cuture traditions etc. It is well equipped beautifully designed passenger plane with modern amenities salient features which is necessary for a Business Class. I believe every individual give their level best behind the success of Air France Business Class. Every space is beautifully designed for the comfort of passengers they enjoy from one destination to another destination with friendly service. I am very happy to get to know closer of gorgeous Air France business class.
Best Regards
Khurram
I can’t find flights under 300K one way SFO-CDG, JFK-CDG from May through December.
Is that correct, am I missing something, or is it too far out to book for 50K right now.
Thanks in advance!
Is the 777 with the new cabin flying out of JFK?
It hasn't been, over the past year. It WAS operating CDG-BOS for a while, but not currently. Still haven't flown it. I did just return CDG-BOS on the A350 and concur with Ben's review.
Beware, however, that while both daily flights between CDG-BOS are operated by the A350-900, only is currently the version with the new cabin. And not necessarily every day, at that!
Great review
Sadly I am booked in Air France business later this year in the old A350 layout. This one sounds excellent.
I flew from Paris to Santiago non stop and was very impressed with the set up. The cabin crew were very efficient. My only disappointment was the food, the main course, it was very dry and tasteless.
I used the wheel chair assistance, it was ok, but lacked organization.
Overall I give it 9/10
I flew this config 2x recently, once EWR > CDG then CDG > JFK.
It was a little over 2 hours on the nose from lift off to them cleaning dinner plates on the outbound flight. I found the service to be very slow. My wife and I were traveling together and her aisle was a bit quicker than mine, but still very long. And I was never offered beverage refills during dinner. And champagne...
I flew this config 2x recently, once EWR > CDG then CDG > JFK.
It was a little over 2 hours on the nose from lift off to them cleaning dinner plates on the outbound flight. I found the service to be very slow. My wife and I were traveling together and her aisle was a bit quicker than mine, but still very long. And I was never offered beverage refills during dinner. And champagne was not offered until being airborne but they had water at your seat in a bottle when we boarded.
On the return flight, there was no bottled water at the seat which was odd, but the service was quicker and there was an extra appetizer on the return flight, go figure.
A few notes -
1) not sure why they put shellfish on the appetizers without an option to sub just the app, but there was shrimp on the app one way and crab the other way, so my wife had to pass because she has allergies. I could have booked her a vegetarian meal but she'll eat chicken, other types of fish and other items. If you can book ahead, why not offer a non shellfish option? Or even an option to leave it off the plate just for cross contamination potential issues?
2) the hard product wasn't bad, and you got the "throne" seats but I am 6'3'' and the beds do not go fully flat - I thought my outbound seat may have been broken, but on the way home the same thing, it wasn't full flat, and the foot wells are tight.
3) on the outbound flight I tried the wireless charging and syncing my phone with the screen to use my phone as a remote - both failed. To be fair, I didn't try either feature on the return trip home.
4) on the return trip, one business class seat was out of service because it was broken, and we were delayed ~25 minutes while they fixed another out of service business class seat. that is not in control of the airline of course, just odd for a "new" plane to already have these service issues (see my point 3 above)
I am not looking to complain, nor do I have the vast travel experience that you do - for the price of 50k points (I paid less during a points sale this fall) and ~$220 or whatever in taxes it is more than adequate to hop across the pond and likely better than the domestic offerings, but to me it was just "fine", not jaw dropping. If I were to go back to France, or find a good connection through CDG, I'd certainly book this again. But if this "the best" business class from NAM to Europe, I am afraid of what I may find in other cabins on other airlines.
Thanks for the review! Looks great.
The row of window seats look much more appealing than Lufthansa”s Allergis seats. On Lufthansa’s new product, every other seat just has a tiny window slot.
Great review! You make me want to book a flight to CDG immediately to test out their fabulous new product. The champagne and wines that are shown in the menu are very good, I love that AF does not cut cost in that department like some other airlines that will serve $9.99 wines in J.
When I flew the new 777 from JFK-CDG last summer, I was lucky to snag the bulkhead in Business Class too with that similarly gigantic ottoman - thanks to you I knew to check right beforehand! Can't wait to try this similar yet slightly updated seat (especially the new tablet) next time we fly AF to CDG. Appreciate all the insight as always!
Awesome... another seafood dish reviewed.
@ Nate Dyer -- That's really the most you can contribute to this conversation?
I appreciate the review; the menu looks great and I may get the dish if the menu is the same on my May flight!
Uhh... well... yes??
No! Wait!!
Ahem,
In words terse, my earnest intent.
With sarcasm, a subtle hint sent.
I regret any dismay,
from my verbal ballet.
My conviction, thru comment, was sent.
And yeah, it's pretty much the same format as @Abidjan comment, who didn't get called out.
All goof though - have a good day! :)
AF stepping up their game
youre doing an article and right off the bat got it wrong,...AF has 27 A350's NOT 20
@ kevin -- Please read what I wrote more carefully:
"Air France has 20 Airbus A350-900s with a staggered configuration in business class, which is different than this product."
You're correct that Air France has 27 A350s, and that doesn't contradict what I said. 20 Air France A350s have the old product, while the most recent seven have the new product.
As a Delta Diamond, I fly several times per year from ZRH to the US on business. Often, I am able to book the AF flights, given the destination and the late departure from ZRH by Delta. Flying AF business muliple time over the past few years, has been very enjoyable. So much so, I purposely look for a possible AF itinerary when booking. Sharing the experience with others I often hear "oh the French...
As a Delta Diamond, I fly several times per year from ZRH to the US on business. Often, I am able to book the AF flights, given the destination and the late departure from ZRH by Delta. Flying AF business muliple time over the past few years, has been very enjoyable. So much so, I purposely look for a possible AF itinerary when booking. Sharing the experience with others I often hear "oh the French are so rude." But as you wrote, I have not had a single bad experience, in fact, they have been very pleasant to outright enjoyable.
I also highly recommend AF business.
Thank you for the review and looking foward to more!!
Thank you for sharing. Do you fly several times per year because you're a Delta D, or you're a Delta D because you fly several times per year? Zing!
Because I am lucky that I am able to fly a few times per year.
Used miles to fly with AF and KLM to South Africa with the family years ago. Between business and speaking some French, the flight attendants were very nice to my daughters, allowed to stay on board after arrival for a quick tour of the A380 cockpit. On the return KLM, have a pic of both in the co-pilot seat, both wearing pilot hats. They still remember the trip 9 years ago.
Are you sure about the 72 hour rule? I just booked a flight on AF which includes the new 777 and A350 and I was able to select 1A for both flights for free despite not having status. I did book it with Delta as a DL codeshare however.
Same here- I booked directly via AF website- in November, I was able to select 1D&H on the new A350 for a May flight. No status.
Same here, I'm not sure if it had to do w/ the fact I selected while booking?
I don’t think that matters. I originally booked the flight in July and was able to change to the bulkhead seats in November when someone looped me in.
Very nice flight/product. Impressed.
Did you happen to notice if the bulkhead center row, 10DH also have the extra ottoman space? Hard to tell from a seat map and have only seen photos of 10AL or 1AL. Thanks!
@ GG -- Yep, the center seats have exactly the same setup. :-)
Are you sure the middle seats are the bigger ottoman footwell on A350 in Row 10? I see you say they are but Flyertalk and Aerolopa say row 10 mid is just a regular seat and it’s just the windows in row 10. Did you happen to take a pic of the row 10 Mid by any chance?
The D and H seats in the rear cabin (row 10) are NOT as wide and spacious as the aisle seats. Footwell is quite a bit less, but still roughly double the size of the footwells in every other row of the Business cabin(s). Can't provide photos, but I noted this very clearly upon boarding.
Be careful booking AF and expecting these seats - they still have some of the horribly outdated planes in their fleet with 2-3-2 seating and no wifi. I was flying CDG-BOS in December and we were aircraft swapped at the last minute - I had to spend 8 hours in a middle seat next to a complete stranger with no wifi and IFE from about 2005 . And of course AF denies all compensation because it’s technically the same class of service…
There are 2 airplanes left in the AF fleet with this configuration and they are used as replacement aircraft... so although it's a bummer if it happens, it is quite unlikely to happen on a 100+ aircraft fleet.
This happened to me too on an overnight flight. The old AirFrance plane had the 2-3–2 business class with seats that don’t go flat so you slide down them all night. The plane was so old that only one of the business class lavs worked and all 50 Business Class passengers had to share it.
In my 25+ years of travel this is the first time I wrote a complaint letter and AirFrance will...
This happened to me too on an overnight flight. The old AirFrance plane had the 2-3–2 business class with seats that don’t go flat so you slide down them all night. The plane was so old that only one of the business class lavs worked and all 50 Business Class passengers had to share it.
In my 25+ years of travel this is the first time I wrote a complaint letter and AirFrance will do nothing about it. I cannot spend money on AirFrance again because of this. They see no difference between selling you the product described here and substituting it with the one that I received.
This happened to me as well, out of BOS earlier last year. I booked the flight when a 777-300 equipped with the new Business Class cabin was scheduled to operate it. I had reserved a bulkhead window seat as well, based on Flying Blue status.
On day of departure there was an equipment change. I was initially reassigned one of the middle seats in the 2-3-2 cabin. When I complained to the senior gate...
This happened to me as well, out of BOS earlier last year. I booked the flight when a 777-300 equipped with the new Business Class cabin was scheduled to operate it. I had reserved a bulkhead window seat as well, based on Flying Blue status.
On day of departure there was an equipment change. I was initially reassigned one of the middle seats in the 2-3-2 cabin. When I complained to the senior gate agent, however, she put me back into 1A, at least.
I was furious at first, but I also recognize that the gate agents and even the station chief have no choice but to accept the aircraft and deal with the inevitable upsets.
I'm also sure that Operations at CDG would resort to one of these eight across aircraft ONLY as a LAST RESORT, with no other plane available with sufficient capacity. Their only other "option" would be to cancel the (two) flight(s) entirely, a far worse "solution" for all.
In my experience, AirFrance personnel do the best they can when an aircraft goes mechanical and needs to be substituted.
They're in a classic "rock and a hard place" situation... Never fun for anyone.
FFups , you made the rookie mistake by picking middle seats instead of window and adjacent seat . It’s a breeze flying with a young kid in J/F. Mine is 6 now and has more about 30 long hauls in J.
Does your rating of the product include the non-bulk-head seats, or just the bulk head seat? Kind of how you tend to rate the APEX seat so highly, but only the window seat (whereas it seems your rather meh on the non-window APEX seats).
@ Julia -- This rating is based on all the seats in the cabin, and not just the bulkheads. I think this is the single best business class offered by a European airline, so I think it's worthy of five stars.
That cheesecake looks almost exactly like the cheesecake they were serving on Delta domestic F meals last year, just without the fruit compote.
Nonetheless I hope to fly Air France J again (took them in 2022 in their older A350 product), they really have come a long way.
Looking forward to a review once Miles is over 2 years old and is traveling with you. That experience is quite different ;) Flew AF Business SEA-CDG with my 2.5 old daughter and let's just say it's way easier when they are lap infants. To say it was stressful is understatement in business class and I was longing for an economy/premium economy seat with easier/direct access
Yep! Totally agree! I always tell new parents to travel as much as possible in that first year of life! That’s what I call the last hurrah as they are soooo easy to travel with them. They just eat, sleep, poo, and pee. No opinions. Once they hit that toddler stage and require entertainment and learn to say “No” it’s definitely harder and this is from someone who’s traveled extensively with our kids since they...
Yep! Totally agree! I always tell new parents to travel as much as possible in that first year of life! That’s what I call the last hurrah as they are soooo easy to travel with them. They just eat, sleep, poo, and pee. No opinions. Once they hit that toddler stage and require entertainment and learn to say “No” it’s definitely harder and this is from someone who’s traveled extensively with our kids since they are just born. Much easier to deal with toddlers if they are right next to you than deal with barricades and dividers, or then constantly getting up from their seat to cuz they need something. Biz is still way more enjoyable with small kids than coach, just clearly NOT as enjoyable as when they are infants or a little older and can do things like feed themselves.
Ben, a word of thanks for your prior article on this new AF business class suite. This is now our default choice for JFK to Europe (in the absence of F).
You probably did not eat the butter because you would have noticed it's also a very high end and expensive butter :)
I flew with this product last year from JFK, but my flight was around 7:30 pm (I think). Great product; I enjoyed the food and drinks and the great ambiance. No complaints for a short haul to CDG.
I wish Air France would introduce an arrival lounge at CDG! It'd be so nice to freshen up and then get out.
This is such a long way from the days when Air France had an angled flat seat on their A380.
That being said, product consistency is questionable - if you count the new 777 and A350 as different seats, Air France now has four longhaul configurations flying, all of which have been introduced relatively recently.
It is a particular bug bear with me that Airlines charge business class passangers extra for Wi-Fi . It happened to me on Emirates recently and as my cards needed two step verification . I was goosed . Luckily the passenger next to me helped out .
The word Business is there for a reason folks
I agree!
Most companies allow for wifi to be expensed. Why turn down the extra revenue?
Not everyone is flying on the company dime though. We got free wi-fi on Air New Zealand PE in 2019 (LHR-LAX) and it was decent for almost the whole journey as indeed was their whole hard and soft PE product but alas they no longer fly that route.
Great report. Strictly speaking the new production standard A350 has a wider cabin, not a wider fuselage! Presumably so it’s more acceptable to go to 3-4-3 in Y :( further down the line.
@ Alastair Mackie -- Whoops, good point, thank you. Updated the post to correct that.