Flying long haul in commercial elegance lives or dies on two pillars. The tough product, that means the physical seat, cabin, and structure. And the soft product, which means the folk, service fashion, nutrition, beverages, facilities, and the quiet artistry of timing. Air France sits in an intriguing vicinity on equally counts. Parts of the fleet now convey probably the most top-quality seats in the sky, at the same time other aircraft nonetheless labor with a layout that feels caught in 2015. Meanwhile, the airline’s mushy product is mostly the reason standard flyers glance lower back on a flight with genuine fondness.
After a number of trips across the Atlantic and to the Middle East on Air France, inclusive of time in the Boeing 777 with the airline’s new enterprise cabin and a few segments in the older design, plus sufficient hours inside the Air France lounge community in Paris and outstations, a pattern emerges. Air France loves polish, ecosystem, and culinary craft. When you get the current seat, you’ll remember that the flight for the complete suitable causes. When you draw an older configuration, service and eating do tons of heavy lifting. Here is how the 2 facets compete, where they align, and how that stacks up in opposition t peers, along with carriers like Oman Air whose enterprise elegance has cultivated a attractiveness for just about first type recognition to element.
What counts as the “laborious product” on Air France
The airline has quite a few generations of commercial type seats circulating at the related time, which creates variability in sleep pleasant, privacy, and storage. The banner product is the recent Safran Unity seat delivered on prefer Boeing 777-300ERs and slated for the A350-900s. These are factual flagships with sliding doors, tremendous 17 to twenty inch 4K monitors relying on airplane, wi-fi charging, a private cloth cabinet corner, and a complete period mattress that clears six ft. I measured 78 to 79 inches on two flights, and my 6 foot 2 body stretched out without a shin grazing the footwell. This is the configuration that lands Air France within the dialog with the world’s choicest, inside the equal breath as ANA’s The Room, Qatar’s Qsuite, and, convinced, the non-public, cocooned think that Oman Air industry classification provides in its Apex Suite outfitted jets.
The subsequent tier consists of outward going through herringbone seats and reverse herringbone layouts from an past generation. You nonetheless get a lie-flat mattress, direct aisle get admission to, and a 16 to 18 inch screen, however the sense of area tightens. The footwell narrows where the seat overlaps the console in the front of you, a normal factor that turns into considerable on an overnight flight if you happen to try to roll your ankles or sleep in your facet. Storage has a tendency to depend on a number of shallow booths plus a bottle holder. On the plus part, those cabins consider ethereal, specially within the A350 wherein the ceiling height and lights do loads of work.
Then there may be the legacy 2-2-2 structure that lives on as a rule in a few older 777s. Seats recline fully flat, but window passengers have got to step over their neighbor to succeed in the aisle. For couples it truly is high quality, even sociable. Solo visitors will pick a center pair to hinder getting climbed over even as dozing. The seat itself is mushy with a broad sleeping floor, and while you like to sleep for your stomach or change positions customarily, a extensive bench with no a constricting footwell can honestly be a more suitable nighttime’s leisure. It is straightforward to reduction this cabin subsequent to the latest new release, yet I even have had two of my excellent sleeps on these older 777s with no trouble given that there's room to splay knees and elbows. The industry-off is privateness, which is minimal, and dated enjoyment platforms that seem dim and washed out compared with the recent 4K displays.
The “comfortable product” Air France brings onboard
Air France has long anchored its logo in provider ritual and food. That subjects on account that one could optimize airflow and foam density in a seat all you're keen on, but a flatbread passed to you chilly or a group that disappears after the initial drink circular will define your memory of the flight.
Cabin team on my ultimate four lengthy haul flights had been consistently proactive with no being performative. They supplied prime ups before glasses have been empty and appeared inside seconds of a name button while retaining the aisle calm. The tone is skilled, even a dash formal, but it warms up right away as soon as the provider is underway. I get pleasure from that they ask about leisure choices early. If you say you need to sleep, they propose a shortened meal series, pre-plate cheese, and provide to continue dessert for later. That small act of planning avoids clattering dishes mid-cabin at some stage in the second hour and demonstrates an awareness to your time table as opposed to the cart’s agenda.
Dining has stepped up in the last few years. On ex-Paris departures, the menu mainly characteristics a named chef collaboration. You would possibly see a roasted guinea rooster with morels and a genuine jus, or a seared cod with saffron sauce that tastes like a dish from an truly brasserie, now not a reheated afterthought. The airline leans on sauces, reductions, and a texture duo of crisp and creamy that survives altitude improved than a dry roast. Starters are primarily elementary and French, like a salmon gravlax with dill crème or a beet carpaccio with goat cheese. Cheese service is a spotlight whilst it appears to be like, and it generally does from Paris, with two or 3 French cheeses served at room temperature. On eastbound in a single day flights from North America, the menu simplifies reasonably, however the high quality holds.
Wines are curated with a frame of mind that tannins and acidity swap at altitude. Expect a Sancerre or a white Burgundy with satisfactory spine to arise to rich sauces, and reds that stay clear of overly grippy tannins. Champagne is more commonly a sturdy non-antique from a respected dwelling, served cold in a good flute. The airline’s circulation towards considerate, smaller manufacturers displays up periodically, which I cost more than a trophy label poured too warm.
Amenity kits had been some of the more dependent inside the sky, with Sisley products in fresh rotations, a first rate eye mask, and comfy socks it's possible you'll absolutely retain. Bedding on the more moderen cabins pairs a medium weight quilt with a super pillow that doesn’t compress into nothing by the 3rd hour. On the older seats, the pillow is smaller and flatter, and you would possibly prefer to ask for a moment.
Ground knowledge: lounges and movement simply by Paris
Charles de Gaulle may well be a tangle, however Air France has made fabric enhancements in wayfinding and wait instances. The Air France front room network is huge, and at the same time as not every situation dazzles, the flagship lounges in Terminal 2E halls L and M are actually cushy puts to spend multiple hours. The areas are vivid with beneficiant runway views. Food veers French bistro, not a buffet line of grey steam trays. I have found out a rotating sizzling item like beef daube or a seasonal vegetable gratin, a legit salad range, and above basic truffles. The espresso is right and the Champagne chilly, which shouldn't be a thing every European hub lounge can claim.
Showers are effectively run with a desirable queue process. On a fresh connection I changed into inside and outside in 15 minutes, wrapped in a towel that felt prefer it have been changed this year instead of final decade. Staff handle peaks with grace, and the living room never descended into the chaos that normally defines titanic hubs. Outstation lounges range. In New York and Los Angeles, partner lounges do the task but lack the signature Air France aesthetic. That is a spot. The airline’s company resonates so much strongly in its possess areas.
A brief apart, because it presents important distinction. Oman Air’s lounges in Muscat are a master magnificence in calm, with a spa-like quiet and carrier that comes to your seat. Air France does not target for that level of hush. The vibe is Parisian cafe, spirited however controlled. If you like to listen a clink of cutlery and a murmur of verbal exchange rather then spa tune, you will just like the Air France front room sense.
The 777 story: perfect of instances, worst of times
Air France runs numerous flavors of Boeing 777 business elegance. The refurbished 777-300ER with the new suites is the only you wish. These cabins have been designed with a experience of personal area that extends beyond the door. Surfaces sense matte and top rate, the coloration palette is darkish navy and cream, and the lights nails the distinction among fabulous and theatrical. I clocked 20 minutes from seat to sleep after takeoff on a Paris to New York sunlight hours departure, which says whatever thing about the ergonomics. Storage contains a deep pocket for a computing device, a small lockable compartment for a passport and watch, and a gap subsequent to the console where a mobilephone can fee wirelessly without sliding away right through turbulence.
In the older 777 2-2-2, the product presentations its age. The leisure reveal is smaller and lessen decision. Seat controls use a dated panel. Power stores would possibly require a wiggle to have interaction. That mentioned, if you Oman Air business class features are travelling with a accomplice, the open feeling and large sleeping platform may be a deal with, and the softer portions of the flight shine. On a Mexico City to Paris run during this cabin, the group equipped a cute carrier arc: Champagne and hot nuts, a starter that arrived fast so I may perhaps sleep faster, then a cheese plate past due inside the flight with a warm baguette piece that tasted shockingly clean. I hit the pillow after the mains and slept 5 and a 0.5 hours, which is about as amazing because it gets eastbound.
If you significance privateness primarily and are flying solo, the new 777 suite is really worth a agenda replace. If you significance width whereas snoozing on your abdominal and are traveling with an individual, the older 777 can nonetheless bring, equipped you put your expectancies around display screen exceptional and storage.
Seat relief and ergonomics: the main points that make or spoil a redeye
Lie-flat seats can appear identical in pics yet believe very one of a kind at 34,000 feet. The new Air France industry classification seats get a lot properly. The footwell is squared off satisfactory that your ft do no longer conflict whilst you shift, and the area armrest drops to widen the sleeping side. The head arena has a mild recess that affords shoulder area, effective if you happen to sleep to your part. The tray table is reliable adequate to fashion on with no start. USB-A, USB-C, and AC retailers are all in smooth succeed in. The display screen pivots just satisfactory to keep glare in the event you need to watch although reclined.
In the reverse herringbone and older 2-2-2 layouts, the footwell should be the limiting aspect. If you may have measurement 12 sneakers or greater, you may opt to put off sneakers in the past going wholly flat to stay away from pinching at the ankle. The bed pad varies with the aid of path and plane. On the most modern cabins, it's thicker and makes a authentic change. On older jets, carry a pale layer like a merino sweater to situation below a hip or shoulder for those who run bony. It sounds fussy, yet small transformations separate a good nap from a authentic sleep.
Noise insulation is first rate across the board. The 777 cabins don't seem to be whisper quiet, but engine noise is a regular hum in preference to a whine, that's less demanding to sleep by way of. Window seats feel a hint cooler than aisle seats, one thing to stay in mind whilst opting for bedding layers.
Entertainment, connectivity, and cabin tech
Air France’s current 4K screens are crisp, responsive, and cling comparison regardless of cabin lights up. The motion picture range leans French and world, with sufficient new releases to retailer up on mainstream titles. The interface is greater fluent than many European competitors. The older techniques seem dated, lag while scrolling, and feature fewer collection possibilities. If you intend to binge a tutor, down load in advance except you recognize you are becoming a refurbished aircraft.
Wi-Fi reliability has stronger. On my last three flights, messaging labored invariably and the total access plan supported five to eight Mbps speeds early inside the flight, drifting to one to 3 Mbps as greater passengers signed on. Good sufficient for e mail and pale searching, not terrifi for video uploads. Pricing sits inside the mid-market for transatlantic, with a free messaging tier and paid packages that suppose truthful in place of generous.
Cabin lighting fixtures on the hot 777 and A350 fleets earns one-of-a-kind point out. The airline makes use of heat-to-cool transitions that tempo the service and help cue your frame closer to leisure or waking. It is refined and, if you realize it, a welcome section of the comfortable product story.
Service pacing and the art of sleep
A commercial enterprise type service may also be too lengthy. Air France seems to be to comprehend this. On overnight flights under 8 hours, crews offer an show possibility and truly execute it. I have had trays cleared within 35 minutes of takeoff when I requested for speed, lighting fixtures dimmed quickly after, then a quiet cabin that stayed quiet. Breakfast service seems almost peak of descent except you ask for an in the past wake up. Tea comes sizzling, no longer lukewarm, and croissants arrive with bite, now not rubber.
On daytime flights, the group is around yet not hovering, completely satisfied to deliver a espresso or a snack mid-flight without the tune and dance of rolling a cart down the aisle. The galley pantry is stocked with fruit, packaged goodies, and every now and then small sandwiches. It isn't really the free-for-all of some Gulf carriers, yet it retains starvation at bay.
How it compares: a quickly seem to be sideways at peers
If you have flown Oman Air business category seats on airplane with the Apex Suite, you recognize the sensation of getting a exclusive alleyway to the aisle from a window seat and a mattress that turns out further extensive wherein it concerns. Air France’s latest suites deliver similar privateness by way of doorways and shrouding, no longer with the aid of the Apex architecture. Some vacationers will opt for the right open width of an Apex bed. Others will commerce a few inches for the door and the aesthetic coherence of the Air France layout. In carrier, Oman Air leans warmer and greater customized with location settings and exceptional plating even if rushed. Air France aims for effectivity wrapped in French hospitality. Neither is incorrect. On a night flight, Air France’s quick provider can win. On a leisurely daytime flight, Oman Air’s rite feels highly-priced.
Against European friends, the brand new Air France suite is inside the true tier with Virgin Atlantic’s A350 suites and Swiss’s new Allegris-adjacent product arriving on Lufthansa Group carriers. Against the older Air France cabins, you would to find comparable dated layouts on KLM and some British Airways aircraft, even though the two are modernizing. The element is, you need to be aware of which plane and configuration you are reserving.
Choosing flights and seats to get the foremost experience
In a great international, you may decide your schedule and get the state-of-the-art seat robotically. In reality, you desire to guide in the direction of extraordinary airplane. Air France 777 trade elegance with the brand new suites tends to show up on high-call for routes consisting of New York JFK, Los Angeles, commonly Miami, and particular Asia companies. The A350 is also a safe bet for a revolutionary cabin, though the precise seat version can also range a bit from the 777. Check the seat map at some point of reserving. If you see a 1-2-1 with small enclosed suites, you have got the products. If the company cabin indicates 2-2-2, recollect the timing of your flight. A daytime crossing at the older seat is less of a compromise, as you usually are not relying on deep sleep.
As for actual seats, within the new 777 suites, windows are the go for solo passengers. The privateness blended with the view feels exact. In the midsection pair, peculiar-numbered rows at times situation you closer to your neighbor than even rows, based on the precise sub-variation, so look at the seat map annotations. On the older 2-2-2, decide on the core while you are solo to ward off the aisle hop. If you're a edge sleeper and tall, target for bulkhead rows whilst possible, which in general have a bigger footwell or none in any respect, though these may well be toddler bassinet rows.
Where the smooth product pulls ahead
There are flights the place the seat is just tremendous and the tender product lifts the whole revel in. A spring flight from Paris to Montreal involves mind. The seat became the heart-iteration opposite herringbone, functionally true however unremarkable. The team, nevertheless it, ran a continuing provider with nutrients that tasted like it came from a kitchen as opposed to a warmer. The mushroom velouté had depth. The red meat became appropriately medium infrequent, not grey. Cheese arrived on the right temperature. Every small interplay felt thought about. The consequence was once a flight that stuck with me, although the hardware did no longer.
Air France leans into sensory substances. Good bread. Real butter. A cup of coffee that tastes like coffee. Wine poured with an offer, no longer a shrug. Bedding chosen with texture in mind. Lighting that flatters the cabin and your eyes. That mix of selections will never be costly in isolation. It calls for care, that's the essence of a mushy product.
Where the complicated product steals the show
On the newest 777 suites, the seat wins on its own. You slide the door, stow your mobilephone at the wireless charger, location a laptop inside the tall pocket devoid of a twist, and stretch in a bed that doesn't container your ft. The display pops, the sound simply by the awarded headphones is blank, and the small dresser slot keeps a blazer unwrinkled. Privacy is precise. You sense cocooned without feeling cramped. If you're working, the desk is larger ample to continue a 14 inch personal computer and a plate. If you might be sleeping, nothing jabs, pinches, or rattles. A solid group makes it sizable. An common crew nevertheless leaves you impressed.
The verdict: smooth vs rough, who wins lately?
Soft and demanding do special jobs. On Air France in the present day, the not easy product tiers from superb to dated based at the aircraft. The most modern Air France company type seats, certainly at the refurbished 777 and the A350, belong inside the verbal exchange for best suited in elegance. When you get that hardware, the seat wins on the deserves, then the soft product provides flourish.
On older layouts, the smooth product carries the headline. Service is measured and responsive, the foodstuff has a element of view, and the lounges set a relaxed tone. If your agenda or fare pushes you onto a 2-2-2 777, that you can nonetheless have a elegant travel that beats so much of the competitors, specially if you happen to cost a wide sound asleep floor over a individual shell.
If you're choosing depending purely on convenience and privacy for an overnight, hunt for the newest Air France 777 company class or the A350. If you care so much approximately atmosphere, nutrients, and the way a crew anticipates your rhythm, Air France’s soft product will satisfy throughout the fleet. Between the two, the threshold in these days goes to the hard product in the event you preserve the recent suite. The second you do no longer, the mushy product takes the lead and, on many flights, wins the reminiscence.
Practical notes for reserving and having fun with the ride
- Verify the plane and seat map in the past you purchase. Look for 1-2-1 with doors to recognize the most recent suites on the 777 or a brand new 1-2-1 at the A350. If you notice 2-2-2, bear in mind a daytime flight. Departing Paris improves eating odds. Ex-CDG catering and wine curation run a notch bigger on overall than outstations. Ask for the show service on overnight flights. Crews honor it, and sleep turns into the major course. In older cabins, prefer center seats if traveling solo to stay clear of stepping over or being stepped over. Plan your lounge time at CDG. The Air France front room community gives solid delicacies, showers, and calm spaces in 2E halls L and M.
Air France sits at an enjoyable juncture. The company’s feel of hospitality is unbroken, and the most recent hardware lives up to it. As the fleet refresh keeps, the space between promise and shipping will slender. For now, understanding which airplane you might be booking means that you can tilt the steadiness for your desire. And while you get the older seat, chill. The bread will nonetheless be hot, the Champagne chilly, and the service added with that easy precision that makes hours aloft suppose like a properly paced meal in place of a chore.