New Air France La Premiere First Class: What A Beauty!

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 — stay tuned). 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.