Last week, Air France debuted its luxurious new long-haul Business Class cabin with lie-flat seats. Twelve Boeing 777-300s will be outfitted with new Business Class cabins, and the sleek new cabins will be available on flights to New York, Rio de Janeiro, and Dakar, Senegal this winter.
The airline chose Paris to New York JFK as its inaugural route for the new cabin, which flew for the first time on January 20th. While the initial rollout of the new cabins will only take place on 12 planes, the company has stated that all Business Class seats will be fully lie-flat later in 2023.
The Cabin
The new Air France Business Class cabin has been completely redesigned, and amenities have been carefully updated. Each cabin has 48 luxurious seats that have everything passengers need for a comfortable flight. There are four seats in each row, with single seats next to the windows and two seats next to each other in the aisle. The new design has a strong emphasis on comfort, style, and privacy.
Seats
All 48 seats in the new Business Class cabins lie completely flat. When fully flat, the bed stretches a comfortable 6.5 feet long and 28 inches wide, allowing passengers plenty of space to relax. The seat’s cushions have even been made softer for additional comfort and are covered in full-grain French leather. Seats at the front of the cabin have been designed to have extra space in front of them for added comfort and convenience.
Additionally, every seat also has full, direct access to the aisle. This means that passengers don’t have to disturb fellow flyers when exiting or entering their seats. Air France has also incorporated additional privacy into the new cabin design with the inclusion of sliding doors. Each seat has a pocket door that can be completely closed, giving passengers added privacy.
Center aisle seats now contain a central panel that can be raised or lowered, depending on how you feel about your neighbor. Passengers flying together who want to pass the time face to face during the flight can lower the panel, creating a shared central table. With the panel raised, passengers can avoid their neighbors completely. Every seat is also equipped with a new “do not disturb” feature that politely alerts the crew that you’d like to be left alone.
Entertainment And Connectivity
All Business Class seats have a 4K high-definition 17.3-inch screen for onboard entertainment, as well as noise-reducing headphones. Passengers can also make use of their own wireless headphones by connecting to the screen via Bluetooth, a new feature.
The inflight entertainment system boasts 1,000 hours of entertainment. That includes 350 movies in addition to a wide variety of other multimedia available in 12 languages. The entertainment system also offers guided meditation and seated yoga instruction that is intended to bring calm to any nervous or restless passengers.
While the built-in entertainment system is impressive, it is notable that passengers in Business Class only have access to free WiFi for simple messaging. Anyone wanting to surf the web, check emails, or stream shows will need to pay for an upgrade.
Nourishment
Lately, it seems that airlines are putting more effort into dining options, and Air France is no exception. It is not surprising that a country known for superior cuisine has recruited several Michelin-starred French chefs to design its Business Class menu. Featured chefs include the renowned Michel Roth, Régis Macron, and Anne-Sophie Pic.
Environmental Commitment
Finally, Air France has recently made a commitment to providing guests with a more environmentally conscious experience in Business Class. Some of the changes they have made include:
- Reducing plastic packaging and increasing recycled materials in their comfort kits
- Sourcing 100% of meat, dairy, and eggs from French producers
- Children’s meals will be prepared entirely with organic produce
- Efforts to reduce food waste by allowing Business Class passengers to select meals prior to departure
