Yesterday I flew Air France’s A220 economy class from Paris to London Heathrow. I knew that Jason has lauded the Air France shorthaul economy product in the past, and knew that there were parts that gave the experience a competitive advantage. However, after flying Air France’s regional economy class for the first time last night, I’m convinced that it’s the best economy class experience you can find intra-Europe.
Don’t get me wrong – Europe has a very low standard of shorthaul flying, and I’d much rather fly basically any full-service carrier intra-Asia. However, after paying £62 for this one-way economy class flight, this left me wondering why I want to fly a low-cost carrier within Europe at all, given that full-service carriers can be so much better (and also similarly priced, especially if you’re bringing a bag – Air France offered the cheapest option in economy between Paris and London).
I’ll have a full review soon, though figured I’d share my first impressions. Do note that I know KLM has a similar economy class product (I’ve actually flown it before, albeit on a much older aircraft). I’ve not flown the best of KLM’s shorthaul fleet, though have flown the 737 before, and think I’d marginally prefer Air France’s A220.
A Not-Bad Ground Experience at Paris CDG – why does everyone hate it?
Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport has long been known as one of the worst airports in Europe. However, perhaps I was flying out at the wrong times (surely end of July counts as peak season, and I was leaving at 7 PM), though I had no issues getting through CDG at all? The only thing I noticed was that check-in lines seemed long and disorganised, though still nothing that arriving at the airport a little early (1.5-2 h before your flight departure time, not three hours) for couldn’t fix.
There’s not an amazing range of food options, though not worse than you’d get at many major European airports. Additionally, all seats have USB-C, USB-A, and 110V power ports (not universal, though), which came in especially handy for me. Sure, it’s not one of the world’s best airports, though it certainly wasn’t worth the dread that I had coming in?
I don’t know why people hate Paris CDG that much – have I just been really lucky?
Additionally, Air France offered a calm and orderly boarding process (perhaps I fly Ryanair and easyJet too much, and am just easily impressed). Groups were boarded in an orderly way, and passengers in Groups 3-5 had their boarding passes checked while Groups 1-2 were boarding, so they could get on the plane once priority boarding was finished.
A very well kitted-out seat with headrests and good charging
The A220 is my favourite narrowbody plane, and this was no exception. The 2-3 configuration is great, and each seat is pretty much 18.5″ wide – marginally wider than the A220, and a lot wider than the 737. There are also adjustable headrests at every seat, which is great.
Air France A220 Economy Class
Despite travelling with one other person, I’d actually assigned a seat on the right side of the aircraft, and assigned myself a middle seat – I’ll explain why in a later post. Despite this, I enjoyed the 60W USB-A and USB-C charging ports at every seat, and I’m sure many will appreciate the presence of tablet holders as well.
Air France A220 Charging Ports and Tablet Holder
Additionally, we noticed the nice faux leather upholstery and the Air France red stripe stitched onto the headrests.
Free messaging for all passengers and available WiFi
Air France offers three bundles of WiFi for all passengers aboard their A220:
- All passengers get free inflight messaging (you’re explicitly told you can’t send photos)
- Surf WiFi costs €8 (you can browse, but can’t watch videos)
- Stream WiFi costs €15 (you can watch videos, etc.)
To be fair, €8 is on the steep side for Surf WiFi (and €15 for streaming WiFi) on this one-hour flight, though Air France does offer free messaging for all passengers, which worked quite well on my flight.
Snacks and alcohol (?!) are included
Air France/KLM is the only major European player that still serves (admittedly rudimentary) substantial catering onboard their flights. On my flight we had a Mediterranean vegetable cheese sandwich of sorts – while not measuring up to the pastries you’d get in Paris, it was very nice to receive this onboard a one-hour flight in economy. I know that Air France briefly trialled a buy-on-board service, though there are no further conversations I’ve heard about implementing it.
I was also impressed by the fact that beer was on offer. I didn’t manage to have a beer in Paris during my trip, so this scratched the itch for a French biére blonde! Air France no longer offers complimentary red and white wine to economy class passengers, so beer is the only alcoholic option on offer (juice and soft drinks are available, as well as water). I believe the airline tries to keep things vegetarian to minimise the special meals that they need to cater.
Air France A220 Sandwich with Beer
I don’t think there are any other airlines that offer included alcoholic beverages in intra-Europe shorthaul economy – even KLM didn’t serve Heineken when I flew them (please correct me if they serve beer in shorthaul economy later in the evening).
The crew were super friendly on this flight
While this was an hourlong flight in economy, the crew were really friendly, and even encouraged me not to rush my drink when collecting rubbish and preparing the cabin for landing. The inflight service was also really efficient, and two trolleys simultaneously served from the front and from the back, meeting in the middle.
The Air France/KLM group is so much more competitive than most of their full-service competitors
I’ve not really described the most impressive or luxurious flight in the world, though Air France really shines amongst its intra-European competitors in economy:
- Lufthansa and Swiss have no power ports and adjustable headrests, many of their planes don’t have WiFi (especially Swiss), and all that’s offered onboard is water and a chocolate
- British Airways is quite good, with consistent power ports, headrests and WiFi (some aircraft even have 110V power ports), though only a packaged snack and water are offered onboard
- Iberia offers nothing, just food for purchase
I was so impressed by my flight on Air France
Conclusion
My £62 one-way flight between Paris and London ended up being my favourite ever intra-Europe economy flight, mainly thanks to the smooth ground experience and free hand baggage, the sleek and comfortable seat with good power options, WiFi, and a substantial snack with free beer. Perhaps I’m just easily impressed, though I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to fly them again.
What’s your favourite airline to fly intra-Europe?