Bienvenue à la première.
Air France has unveiled a new suite for its first-class cabin, which the airline calls La Première.
A subtle evolution over the existing La Première, the seats will launch onboard flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and New York’s JFK this spring and will expand in the summer with flights from Paris to Los Angeles, Singapore, and Tokyo Haneda.
The new suite is 3.5 square meters (38 square feet) of space, or five aircraft windows at the front of the aircraft, an expansion from the current four. The existing lie-flat seat with an ottoman is replaced with a seat facing a chaise longue that can be converted to a two-meter (6 feet, six inches) flat-bed 29 inches in width, or just slightly narrower than a standard twin.
Rather than keeping passengers in the same seat the entire journey, they can stretch out on the chaise longue to watch entertainment on one of two 32-inch 4K screens, while charging their devices on 110V/220V USB-A or USB-C outlets. The suites also contain a tablet to control the recline of their seat, the chaise longue or bed, and the lighting and window blinds in addition to the two entertainment screens.
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Rather than overengineered suites with plastic hardware with sliding doors used in some first class cabins, Air France has instead chosen to separate the suite from the cabin with a thick curtain for more space. Overhead bins are also gone, with carry-on bags being fitted into a sliding drawer that comes out of the bedside table. Another sliding drawer under the chaise longue provides a space for shoes.
There’s also a small closet at one end of the suite for a passenger’s street clothes after they slip into the new loungewear set by the French fashion house Jacquemus. Amenity kits include spa products from the French cosmetic brand Sisley.
Air France has leaned heavily on French brands to adorn the cabin. The seat itself was conceived and manufactured in France. Meals are served on Bernardaud porcelain adorned with a stylized hippocampe ailé, Air France’s winged seahorse logo that dates back to the 1930s, accompanied with silverware from Christofle. A cadre of chefs awarded three Michelin stars have been assembled to design onboard meals with Sturia caviar, French champagnes, and premium meats and seafood.
Many La Première benefits will remain the same after the aircraft refit. La Première passengers have access to chauffeur transfers in Paris and other French cities, dedicated check-in, security, and immigration facilities at Paris CDG Airport after which they’re escorted to the exclusive La Première lounge to enjoy meals cooked to order by a chef and spa treatments by Sisley. They’ll also receive a private car transfer direct to their aircraft when it’s time to board.
Air France
La Première is only available on Air France Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in select markets, and the update comes at a time when airlines have broadly reassessed the need for first-class cabins on their long-haul fleets. While airlines have noted an increase in premium cabin demand, the bulk of that demand comes in the business class and premium economy spaces. At the top end of the matrix, luxurious, private first-class accommodations with high price tags are finding themselves squeezed by the greater accessibility of private jets on the market.
No U.S. airline retains a first-class cabin on international long-haul flights (they’ve all transitioned to business class), and many European carriers—including Air France’s corporate sibling KLM—have also long done away with first class.
A handful of European hubs still remain “sweet spots” for first class, with concentrations in industries that still demand first-class travel for executives and talent: largely tech, film, fashion, finance, and energy. Air France’s Paris hub is one such high-demand destination, alongside British Airways in London; Swiss in Zurich, and Lufthansa in Frankfurt and Munich—each airline has maintained a separate first-class cabin, although most of the carriers limit the aircraft and destinations it’s available.
Air France currently has just 19 aircraft equipped with the La Première cabin and offers the premium service to just 10 cities nonstop from Paris, but the airline announced that once the cabins are retrofitted, it plans to grow the number of aircraft and destinations offering La Première, because the airline’s investment in it has largely been profitable, and keeps it a step ahead of competitors that also offer long haul first class.
La Première is noted among frequent fliers for being one of the world’s most exclusive first-class cabins. Award redemptions are only available to Platinum members in the Air France/KLM Flying Blue program, and not to members of SkyTeam partners, like Delta Air Lines. Other passengers can upgrade to La Première on the day of departure using cash or miles if they’re already confirmed in business class.
La Première is available on Boeing 777-300ER flights between Paris and New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Tokyo Haneda, Singapore, Dubai, Abidjan, and São Paulo.