Air France officially unveiled its new La Première onboard offerings today with the first aircraft expected to enter service in Spring 2025.
Air France New La Première Seat
The French flag carrier has worked on the new La Première product for more than three years. The new suites feature a fully adaptable design, consisting of a seat and a chaise longue that can transform into a full bed. The carrier plans to introduce the product on select Boeing 777-300ER aircraft over the coming months.
Benjamin Smith, President of Air France and CEO of Air France-KLM Group, said this about the new product:
“The launch of our new La Première experience is a major step in our strategic roadmap. We continue to invest in state-of-the-art products for our customers at every step of their journey, with the aim of positioning Air France at the highest level worldwide. With a new private ground experience at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and a completely redesigned, larger-than-ever La Première suite onboard, this new experience truly is the highest expression of travel. It continues to be elevated by our dedicated staff, who strive to make each journey an exceptional moment. Going forward, we will make this new product available on more aircraft to more destinations, a testament to our commitment to excellence.”
According to the carrier, the seat has been designed around multiple phases of flight, with modes for takeoff, landing, dining, or relaxation. While the seat may be new, many aspects of the current La Première experience remain. One of the main features is the chaise lounge situated across from each La Première seat which allows you to dine with a companion. While I’ve yet to fly in La Première, I can’t imagine Mrs. ATX wanting to share her tray table with me.
In addition to the chaise lounge, the seat features a bed measuring 2 meters long and 75 centimeters wide (that’s roughly 6 feet long and 30 inches wide for those of us living on the west side of the Atlantic.
One thing that you won’t find on the new La Première seat is a door. Air France has elected to retain the floor to ceiling curtains in the cabin that separate each seat and provide complete privacy. Honestly, unless you are flying in Emirates’ new “game changer” First Class, the curtains are about as private as you can get when flying.
Air France La Première Routes
Air France will continue to outfit aircraft that feature First Class with four La Première suites located at the front of the cabin. The first aircraft to feature the new La Première cabin, named Épernay, will take off later this spring and fly to New York-JFK. Los Angeles, Singapore, and Tokyo-Haneda, will be added during the summer 2025 season.
Currently, you can find La Première on flights between the carrier’s hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Abidjan, Dubai, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Tokyo-Haneda and Washington DC.
Summary
Air France is rolling out a new La Première First Class experience on select Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. While there aren’t any major changes to the design, this is a great refresh for a product that has been a favorite of luxury travelers for quite some time.
The new product will first appear on the Paris-New York route, similar to the carrier’s new business class rollout before expanding to more destinations later this summer. No timeline has been given for when all La Première service will feature the new product.
(Images courtesy Air France)
