Air France's new business class product with doors will be available on select Boeing 777-300ERs later this year. The details of the new first class product are limited at the moment.
Air France will introduce an all new first class product in the winter of the next two years. The carrier's commitment to maintaining first class for years to come is confirmed by the fact that the new first class product is currently in the design phase.
This will be the longest cabin on the market, and there will be a seat, a sofa, and a fully flat bed.
The future cabin will be the longest on the market and will offer up to three modular configurations that can be fully privatized for an even more exceptional journey: a seat, a sofa and a fully flat bed. The new cabin will equip a larger number of aircraft than at present.
The demand for first class is currently higher than pre-pandemic, according to Benjamin Smith, the CEO of Air France-KLM.
“La Première represents the highest level of French excellence and is an intrinsic part of Air France’s DNA. Even at the height of the Covid crisis, we could see the attractiveness of such an offer for our customers, particularly on the North Atlantic route, where load factors in the La Première cabin are currently higher than they were back in 2019. We look forward to unveiling this new cabin, which is set to meet the highest global standards.”
Air France continues to move upscale, which includes fleet renewal, lounge renovations, better catering, and new premium cabins.
Air France's first class is currently available on some Boeing aircraft. The current first class product has curtains that offer full privacy. Air France has the second best first class experience in the air and the best first class experience on the ground.
We are still a year away from Air France's new first class cabin being revealed, so we can only speculate.
Air France is rumored to expand its first class footprint. In September 2020 there was talk of Air France introducing first class on some of its upcoming A350 deliveries. Air France's first class footprint was greatly reduced due to the retirement of the A380.
With this announcement, I think it's safe to assume that this is what's happening, and that we should expect existing Boeing 777s to be reconfigured with the new first class as well. There are a couple of clues that we can expect, but they leave more questions than answers.
I'm happy to see that Air France will continue to offer the option of full privacy in first class, just as they are right now. There will not be a privacy door that goes up five feet or so.
Air France will want to be efficient with this new configuration, since the A350 and 777 aren't huge planes, and the airline is looking to make a profit. I would guess that the cabin will be in a 1-1-1 configuration. I am curious if there would be one or two rows. Air France has one row of first class with four seats, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the cabin expanded a bit.
Qantas recently revealed a new first class for its upcoming A350-1000s that will be used for Project Sunrise flights, and my guess is that this is the closest we have seen to what Air France may introduce. I think Air France will win in terms of finishes and privacy.
Air France is committed to expanding the product and maintaining first class. Air France plans to introduce a new first class in the early to mid-20th century. I think it will be an improvement over the existing product and will be installed on select A350s. I can't wait to learn more.
What do you think about Air France's plans to improve first class?
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