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THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
Air France's Premium cabin is more 'Economy' than 'Premium'. While I appreciated the excellent SkyPriority ground services and comfortable seat, the inflight food and service left a lot to be desired – especially when compared to its competitors. |
3.5
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Air France has recently been in a push to improve its Premium Economy product – starting by dropping the word ‘Economy’ in its branding and marketing. Earlier this year, I had the chance to fly in Air France’s Premium cabin on the Boeing 777 from Paris to Toronto, and was curious to see two things:
- If Air France’s Premium product genuinely felt more ‘Premium’ than ‘Economy’, and
- How Air France’s Premium product stacks up against its competitors.
With that in mind, here’s my full review of Air France’s premium economy (or Premium) product, where I’ll share my full experience of the flight from the ground experience to landing.
Air France Boeing 777 Premium Seat
Booking Air France’s Premium Cabin
Air France’s Premium cabin is generally only available on long-haul flights. Air France generally offers very reasonably priced last-minute cash upgrades from Economy to Premium on its flights. In my case, I paid around 400 Canadian Dollars (~300 USD) to upgrade my Paris to Toronto leg to Premium shortly before departure, which is – in my view – exceptional value, especially considering how tight Air France’s long-haul Economy seats are.
Air France Premium Ground Experience
While I didn’t start my journey in Paris, I was very impressed by Air France’s Premium ground experience. All Premium passengers receive SkyPriority ground services, which includes:
- Priority Check-in
- Priority Security Access, where available
- Zone 2 Priority Boarding, with SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers
- Priority Immigration, where available. This includes at Air France’s Paris Charles de Gaulle hub
Overall, that’s an industry-leading list of perks for Premium Economy. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of priority security and immigration, which you won’t find with virtually every other Premium Economy product on the market. Lounge access is not included with Premium tickets – although passengers can pay for a lounge pass at hub airports.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER at Paris Airport
I arrived at the boarding gate slightly before the scheduled boarding time. Unfortunately, the gate area was stuffed by the time I arrived. The Priority queue was particularly messy. Air France has two priority boarding groups:
- Group 1: Business Class, Flying Blue Ultimate, Club 2000, and Hippocampe status members.
- Group 2: Premium, Flying Blue Platinum/Gold, and SkyTeam Elite Plus
As you’d imagine, on some routes, that’s basically half the plane. While I appreciate the intent behind wanting to offer more passengers priority services, this was definitely an instance where “if everyone’s a priority passenger, no one’s a priority passenger”.
Eventually, I was let onto the plane – but only after half the cabin had already boarded. To make things worse, the ground crew ‘pre-boarded’ all passengers – priority or not – into one queue on the jet-bridge. I ended up boarding around the middle of the boarding process; apologies in advance for the terrible cabin pictures…
Air France Premium Seat Types…
Air France has at least 4 different Premium seats across its fleet – due to a combination of messy fleet planning and failed low-cost start-ups (remember Joon?)
| Find these seats on… | Seat Details |
|---|---|
| Older, un-refurbished Boeing 777s | Air France’s oldest Premium seats – in the process of being phased out. These seats are based on the same platform as Cathay Pacific’s much-maligned Economy shell seats. While you’ll find more comfort amenities (e.g., legrest, reading light) and more legroom/seat width, these seats have just as little padding as Cathay’s shell seats, and just as much recline (i.e., absolutely none). Avoid, if you can. |
| Refurbished Airbus A330s and Boeing 787s | Air France’s second-generation Premium Economy shell seats. These seats are based on the AirGO FX platform, which is also used by China Airlines and Japan Airlines. These are also shell seats, but with much better padding and recline. |
| Some (ex-Joon) Airbus A350 and refurbished Boeing 777s | Air France has since moved away from shell seats towards traditional recliners. These seats are based on the Recaro PL3530 platform, which is also used by Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Starlux, British Airways, Iberia (okay, you get the point)… These are the seats I flew on my flight. |
| Newer Airbus A350s | Air France also has an even more updated Premium product, which are based on the Collins Aerospace MiQ seats, which you’ll also find on Virgin Atlantic, Delta/American/United, and SAS. These are virtually identical to what KLM has in its Premium Comfort cabin. |
So yeah. Not confusing at all. If you’re flying in Air France Premium, I recommend going to AeroLOPA to check out which Premium seat you’re going to be getting.
Air France 777 Premium Cabin and Seat
I boarded our Boeing 777-200ER and was very pleasantly surprised to find that our aircraft had Air France’s updated Recaro seats. Some Boeing 777-200ER aircraft in the fleet (including the one I flew on my outbound to Paris) still have Air France’s first-generation seats.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER Premium Seat
Each seat has 38 inches of seat pitch and is 19 inches wide. This is within, but on the lower end of the industry standard for Premium Economy. Air France customised the ‘base’ version of the seat to also include a “gooseneck” light and a headphone holder.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER Premium Seat
I found the legroom to be okay for Premium Economy. Definitely a step up from standard Economy, but tighter than what you’ll find on most competitors.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER Premium Legroom
There were two nifty storage compartments built into the seat: one directly under the television screen and one under the aisle-side armrest. The former of which was a good place to store phones, passports, while the latter could (maybe) fit an iPad Mini. The in-seat USB-A port was located under the aisle-side armrest, and worked perfectly throughout the flight.
Notably – unlike on some newer Airbus A350 aircraft – the aisle-side armrests on these seats cannot be lowered to allow for easier movement into the aisle and/or improve seat width.
Air France Boeing 777-200 Premium Storage
Air France Boeing 777-200ER Premium Storage and USB-A Outlet
Each seat also has a water bottle holder at shin-level, as you’ll see in the photo below. I appreciated too that there was a fold-up leg-rest and foot-rest combo at the seat, which should accommodate both shorter and taller passengers. The leg-rest went up particularly high, which made it easy for me to sit in the fetal-position during the flight.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER Premium Legrest and Footrest
The biggest problem…
Here’s another angle of the footrest (and pillow) taken later in the flight, which shows how high up the leg-rest goes.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER Premium Legrest and Footrest
My biggest gripe with the seat, however, is that the recline is way too generous. For reference, here’s a photo of the seat in front of me fully reclined later on in the flight.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER Premium Seat Reclined
On one hand, the generous recline made the seat very comfortable for resting. I managed to get myself in a ‘cradle’ position and took a very (very) long nap throughout the flight. However, the seat also felt extremely restrictive when the passenger in front of me was fully reclined. Throughout the flight, my (rather small) seat-mate found it virtually impossible to get out into the aisle without basically having to do gymnastics. I also wouldn’t have been able to comfortably open a laptop with the seat in front of me reclined.
Air France Premium Boarding and Take-Off
There was a bit of commotion in the cabin during boarding.
- One passenger in Economy had stuffed his (oversized) cabin bag in the overhead bin right above my seat, and went back to his seat. Unfortunately, when a crew member came by, the bin would not close.
- The flight attendant then asked me (in English) if the bag was mine. When I said no (and referred her to the passenger who had stuffed the bag in the bin), she immediately turned away and started muttering/ranting in frustrated French.
- She then went up to the passenger, and (rather aggressively and loudly) asked him to move his bag away to somewhere closer to his seat.
In principle, I 100% agree with the flight attendant that the passenger should not have stuffed his bag so far away from his seat. That being said, there’s surely a better way to resolve the situation than borderline-yelling at the passenger…
There was no pre-departure service in the Premium cabin. After boarding was completed, we were welcomed aboard by the Captain and the Senior Purser (or the lead flight attendant). Next, Air France’s fabulously French safety video was played throughout the cabin.
For a fun fact that no one asked for, it turns out that both the ‘cabin crew’ in the film are actually actors…
Quality entertainment aboard Air France!
Air France Entertainment System
I don’t really watch TVs and movies on planes (I prefer my entertainment in moving map form). However, I’ve been sternly told by Alvin that many people do. So. I took some time to go through Air France’s entertainment system.
Overall, I found the quality of content to be perfectly fine – but nothing spectacular. There’s a decent amount of shows in a variety of languages (although the focus certainly seems to be on French and English entertainment). I appreciated that there were a number of new releases on the system.
Air France Entertainment System
There’s a particular emphasis on showcasing French content. I always appreciate when airlines try to show off their own culture via their entertainment systems.
Air France Entertainment System TV Shows
I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of content on wellness and well-being – including guided meditations onboard.
Air France Entertainment System TV Shows
I just stuck to my preferred form of entertainment throughout the flight…
Air France Entertainment System Moving Map
I’m also a fan of the user interface of Air France’s entertainment system, which is stylish but functional. I particularly appreciate that Air France has a “journey mapper” on its entertainment system throughout the flight.
We took off from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport without much incident.
Air France Premium Amenities
Air France offers Premium passengers a larger-than-average pillow and a light duvet. The pillow was comfortable enough, and I liked that the duvet was warm enough without being overly heavy. Premium passengers also get an upgraded noise-cancelling headphone from Business Class, which were comfortable enough and worked decently well.
Air France Premium Headphones
Waiting at my seat during boarding was a bottle of Evian water. While I don’t “get” the hype behind Evian, it felt like a bit of a premium touch.
Air France Water Bottle
After take-off, the crew also came through the cabin with an amenity kit.
Air France Premium Amenity Kit
The amenity kit was pretty basic, and had an eye-mask, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, and earplugs. I am, however, not a fan of how Air France doesn’t wrap up its toothbrushes (or offer any sort of packaging/container) in its amenity kit. Maybe I’m just overly germaphobic, but I honestly wouldn’t put that un-wrapped toothbrush anywhere near my mouth…
Air France Premium Post-Takeoff Meal Service
Shortly after takeoff, the crew came through the Premium cabin with glasses of champagne. I had a glass, which I believe was a bottle of Heidsieck & Co “Monopole” Silver Top. No other drinks were offered.
Air France Premium Champagne
Air France serves champagne in all four of its cabins (yes, even Economy!), which I really appreciate. The champagne itself was yummy and a very welcome treat (pun not intended). owever, while I love champagne as much as the next broke entry-level employee vacationer, I would have also appreciated a non-alcoholic option as a welcome drink.
The crew then came through the cabin distributing scented cold packaged towels.
Air France Premium Cold Towels
Approximately an hour after take-off, the crew came through the cabin again with the full meal service. The menu – which displayed on the entertainment screen, was as follows:
Air France Premium Menu on Entertainment Screen
I selected the beef option, and was offered a drink. I had a red wine, which came in a small plastic bottle.
Air France Premium Meal
The meal was, overall, delicious. I loved the main dish – the beef was tender and well-seasoned, and the spaghetti was well cooked. The potato salad starter was a bit dry, but generally still very flavourful. The cheese, crackers, and warm bread roll were also a nice accompaniment to the meal. However, the stand out dish of the meal was the chocolate cake, which was sinfully rich and delicious.
There was a small card with the meal options listed on the tray.
Air France Premium Menu
While the food itself was different from the options provided in ‘standard’ Economy, Air France’s Premium meal service lags behind much of the competition. Presentation is everything in Premium Economy. However, everything on the tray – with the exception of the wineglass – was served in disposable, single-use paper containers, which feels cheap. Heck, even competitors that typically serve the same exact food items in Premium Economy and Economy (ahem, Lufthansa…), usually try to stick the food into reusable plastic or porcelain dishes for more of a premium feel.
Based on the presentation alone – the average passenger would likely assume that this meal was identical to what was being served in ‘standard’ Economy.
Trays were cleared around an hour after the meal was served, and a choice of coffee or tea was offered.
Air France Premium Mid-flight
I spent most of the rest of the flight sleeping. To my understanding, Air France crews will put out a snack box of little treats for any peckish passengers. For the time that I was awake, I didn’t notice the crew coming around with any drinks or snacks.
Air France Premium Pre-Arrival Meal
I woke up to the cabin lights being turned on. The crew came by shortly after with a cart for the pre-arrival meal service, the menu for which is as follows:
Air France Premium Pre-Arrival Meal Menu
I was handed the pre-arrival meal – served in a paper baggy – and offered a choice between coffee, tea, water, or hot chocolate (yum!). I ordered a cup of tea and water.
Air France Premium Pre-Arrival Meal Menu
The food itself was… fine. The cheese sandwich was a little sad but tasted pretty nice, and the yogurt drink was refreshing. Unfortunately, the soft square cake dessert was a pre-packaged, processed, oily monstrosity. Notably, the snack bag was identical to the one on offer in the standard Economy cabin.
This is, in my opinion, where the Air France Premium product really lags behind its competitors:
- Most other airlines offer Premium Economy passengers a much more substantial second meal on transatlantic flights. Sister airline KLM, for example, offers a full-sized (cold) salad, a protein side, and a warmed dessert. Partner airline Virgin Atlantic offers passengers a full ‘afternoon tea’ service with multiple sandwiches and scones. Heck, even industry straggler American Airlines offers a substantial cold salad as a pre-arrival meal in Premium Economy.
- While some competitors serve the same thing in Economy and Premium Economy for a pre-arrival meal on transatlantic flights, they also typically offer something much more substantial. British Airways, for example, serves a warmed pastry/wrap on similar flights.
This pre-arrival service is honestly, pretty lousy even for Economy. If I hadn’t scored as good of a deal on an upgrade as I had, I’d be pretty disappointed with this offering.
Air France Premium Service
Overall, I found service in Air France Premium to be perfectly passable. Before my flight, I had heard everything from rave reviews of Air France’s service to some less-than-complementary takes. I found reality to be somwhere in-between. On this flight, the crew were efficient enough, but not overly friendly. Apart from the incident during the boarding, the flight attendants were friendly enough and responsive to requests, but were very obviously “going through the motions”. Like most airlines, there are no dedicated crew members for the Premium cabin – and the service flow is the same as in Economy.
Basically, don’t expect anything more than you would for your average European Economy product, and you’ll be happy.
Air France Premium Descent and Arrival
The crew cleared meal bags with around 45 minutes until landing, at which point the Captain and Senior Purser provided us with an update on our arrival.
Air France Inflight Map
We arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport Terminal 3 on-schedule. Disembarkation was quick, and I was on my way back to my apartment in around 30 minutes (which must be some sort of record for Toronto Pearson…)
Bottom Line
Earlier in this post, I posed my two “key questions” for the product.
- Does Air France’s Premium product feel more ‘Premium’ than ‘Economy’?
- How does Air France’s Premium product stack up against its competitors?
Based on my flight, Air France’s Premium product feels more like a (substantially) upgraded Economy experience rather than a ‘Premium’ experience.
Let’s start with the positives: Air France’s Premium seat was spacious and comfortable (especially when compared to the Economy seats on the same aircraft), and I appreciated the inclusion of SkyPriority perks.
However, I feel like a key differentiator between different Premium Economy products is in the inflight service – both with the food, drinks, and amenities, and the crew service flow. In both of these regards, Air France’s Premium product was only marginally better than what you’d get in Economy.
If I had to rate Air France’s Premium product – I’d say that it’s firmly in the middle of the pack of its competitors. On one hand, Air France offers one of the best Premium Economy ground experiences in the industry, and the hard product (on newer aircraft, at least) is pretty good. However, the onboard food and drink offering definitely lags behind most of its major transatlantic competitors.
For the price that I paid – this flight was a heck of a deal. However, I probably wouldn’t pay an excessive price premium for this product over a standard Economy seat.
Have you flown Air France’s premium economy class before? How was your experience?