Goodbye YTHK, hello The Alviator! This is my first post back on this blog since we rebranded. While we’ve got a different name, my involvement in the blog is still going to be the same (i.e., popping in and out every now and then with some unhinged posts on the aviation industry). With that out of the way…
In January 2025, I flew with Air France on their Airbus A220 aircraft from Lisbon to Paris. While intra-European travel is usually nothing to write home about, I was very pleasantly surprised by Air France’s short-haul Economy product and wanted to quickly share my experience.
Booking my flights + the ground experience
I booked this flight as part of a longer trip between Lisbon and Toronto via Paris, with a connection in Paris.
The ground experience at Lisbon Airport was, unfortunately (but unsurprisingly), a total disaster.
- Lines for both the SkyPriority counters (which I had access to on account of my SkyTeam Elite Plus status) and the Economy counters were jam-packed and moving at a glacial pace.
- Boarding was an absolute disaster. Even though the aircraft arrived 20 minutes later, no delay was ‘officially’ posted. By the time I got to the gate, it was jam-packed to the point where I couldn’t see the front of the line. Furthermore, we had to wait almost half an hour after getting ‘scanned’ to board the flight before actually being let on the plane.
The wait did mean that I could admire our Airbus A220-200 for a little longer. What a fun looking narrowbody plane!
Air France’s A220 seats are functional and comfortable.
Air France selected the Collins Aerospace Meredian seat for its cabins which you’ll also find on American Airlines, British Airways, jetBlue, Starlux, Singapore Airlines, United… (okay, I’ll stop). These are probably some of my favourite narrow-body seats in the industry. In contrast with some other seats on the industry (Iberia, I’m looking at you), this product strikes a good balance between being well-padded and ‘slimline’ enough to improve legroom.
Air France A220 Seat
Air France has 30 inches of seat pitch across the Economy cabin. While that’s a little on the tighter side, it’s pretty standard for intra-Europe short haul Economy.
Here’s a picture of the legroom (for reference, I’m 175cm/5 feet 8 inches tall).
Air France A220 Economy Legroom
On a (slightly) separate note, Air France books Premium Economy passengers in Economy on short-haul connecting segments. While this is standard for the industry, I was a little disappointed that I would have had to pay extra to select a preferred or extra legroom seat.
Each seat comes with a USB-A and 60w USB-C port, which should be enough to keep most laptops fully charged. Unfortunately, no AC power was available.
Air France A220 Economy Outlets
The seat also came with a tablet/phone holder and an (unused) literature pocket, which is unfortunately all-too-rare on short-haul aircraft in Europe.
Air France A220 Economy Tablet Holder
Was this the best Economy seat I’ve ever sat in? Absolutely not. That being said, the seat was perfectly comfortable for the two-hour hop to Paris. I appreciated the padding, and the 60w USB-C charger was a welcome surprise.
Air France’s A220 entertainment is okay.
While I didn’t take a screenshot, Air France offers free messaging for all passengers on WiFi-equipped aircraft. No games, no need to watch a 30-second ad, no need to sign up for Air France’s frequent flyer program – just click and you’re online. While the connection was spotty at times, it certainly helped pass the time.
Air France A220 Cabin
Air France doesn’t otherwise offer any entertainment on its short-haul fleet. While this is – unfortunately – standard on intra-Europe flights, I wonder how much extra it would cost Air France to offer some kind of streaming entertainment, especially considering that these aircraft are already WiFi-enabled.
Air France’s offers free food and drinks on short-haul routes… for now…
Shortly after take-off, the cabin crew came through the cabin with a complimentary snack service (!!) , on a short-haul European flight! I was given the choice of a vegetarian or chicken sandwich. The snack came with a choice of non-alcoholic beverages and wine. I went with the chicken sandwich and a cup of orange juice.
Air France Short-haul Economy Sandwich
While the sandwich was definitely on the smaller side and quite dry, it was tasty enough. The Air France-KLM group are – as of May 2025 – the last of the big three European airline behemoths to offer free food and drinks in short-haul Economy. Unfortunately, this is changing soon, as Air France is trialling a buy-onboard service on short-haul Economy flights. Under this new arrangement:
- Passengers will receive a sweet or savoury pastry, as well as a complimentary choice of coffee, tea, orange juice, or coke.
- Crew will then offer a wider variety of food and drinks for sale.
Honestly, I’m not really complaining.
- While I was happy to get anything for free on a short-haul European flight, the sandwich was quite limited. I would have appreciated the option to buy something more substantial (like a larger sandwich or salad).
- Unlike some other airlines (ahem, British Airways and Lufthansa) who charge for everything except for water, I’m glad that Air France will still be offering a limited selection of complimentary non-alcoholic drinks.
- I love an inflight drink as much as the next
recovering college studentperson, but no one needs alcohol to get through a sub-3 hour flight.
Service on the flight was okay. The crew were friendly enough, efficient, and helpful, which is all that you can ask for in Economy. While there’s a bit of a stereotype that Air France crews (in Economy, in particular) are surly and rude, that wasn’t the case on this flight.
The A220 is such a pleasure to fly
As echoed by many other bloggers, the A220 is a wonderful aircraft from a passenger experience perspective. Bombardier (the original designers of the aircraft) did a phenomenal job with the cabin design:
- The 2-3 Economy configuration of the aircraft means that each seat is over 18-inches wide, which made for a very comfortable ride.
- The entire cabin feels so airy and spacious for a narrowbody aircraft. I’m a little disappointed that Airbus recently re-designed the aircraft to fit larger overhead bins at the expense of the open cabin design.
- The aircraft has all the comforts of a new-generation widebody aircraft, including quieter engines and extra-large windows.
Air France A220 Cabin
The bathroom was also extremely spacious, especially in comparison to new-generation Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.
Air France A220 Rear Lavatory
Bottom Line
Air France’s A220 Economy shows that short-haul flying in Europe doesn’t have to suck. The experience wasn’t the best short-haul flight I’ve had ever. Far from it. That being said, intra-European Economy flying is, in general, awful. Whether you’re flying a low-cost carrier or splurging for a ‘full-service’ carrier, the one common denominator is that you can expect the seat to be uncomfortable, and for there to be little-to-no free food or drinks.
Quite frankly, Air France’s objectively mediocre inflight product is refreshingly different from its competition.
- Even with planned cutbacks, Air France will still offer a more comprehensive inflight service offering than any of its European peers.
- Air France’s seat on the A220 isn’t anything special, but comfortable enough for a short flight. The onboard tech, in particular, is very good.
Of course, the fact that this flight was operated by an A220 certainly helped. However, it’s evident that Air France has also put in some effort to make this experience suck less.
The real question that remains, however, if these small investments in the passenger experience actually helps Air France command a revenue premium – especially in a market where airlines compete so heavily on price.
Stay tuned for an upcoming review of Air France’s Premium Economy product!