Review: New Air France Business Class Suite on the Boeing 777

The SkyTeam member Air France is currently in the process of equipping some Boeing 777 aircraft with new business class seats. It’s about time, as the previous configuration featured old business class seats with angled seating and a 2-3-2 layout.

After booking a suitable “error fare” in December, I had the opportunity to try out the new onboard product on a flight from Paris to Seoul Incheon. I was lucky in two ways: first, the corresponding ticket (unlike many others) was not cancelled. Second, this route had the new “Suite” seat with doors.

First, let’s take a brief look at the flight details:

• Flight: AF264 Paris CDG – Seoul ICN
• Seat: 10D (Aisle)
• Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER F-GZNK (Delivered in May 2011)
• Scheduled Departure: 13:20
• Scheduled Arrival: 9:10
• Block Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
• Travel Date: March 2024

By the way, the F-GZNK was the first aircraft to get the new seat. It was installed in September 2022.

Where to Find the New Business Seat?

Air France’s fleet features a variety of different business cabins. The majority of Air France’s Boeing 777s do not have the seats shown here. It is exclusively found on a small number of Boeing 777-300ERs. These are all aircraft that previously had the ancient business class with a 2-3-2 configuration and have since been retrofitted.

Specifically, according to Flyertalk, these are the following aircraft:

• F-GZNK
• F-GZNP
• F-GZNQ
• F-GZNS
• F-GZNT
• F-GZNI
• F-GZNR
• F-GZNU
• F-GZNJ
• F-GZNH

Two more aircraft with registrations F-GSQD and F-GSQE will be added soon. So, there will be a total of 12 aircraft with a brand new cabin.

Currently (as of March 2024), the new business class is primarily available on the following routes:

• Bangkok
• Boston (1x daily)
• Dakar
• Houston
• Johannesburg (partially still angled-flat)
• Rio de Janeiro
• Seoul
• Shanghai

Occasionally, passengers on other routes may also be lucky, but this cannot be planned. Likewise, one might also be unlucky and end up on the last aircraft with the ancient business class. The risk seems to be especially high on the Paris – Johannesburg route.

Booking

In December 2023, Air France and KLM offered very cheap one-way tickets on selected routes for a short period. For a little over €500, there were flights in the Business Flex fare to e.g. Asia or South America. Cheap enough that we sent out an urgent alert:

HOT: Oneway SkyTeam Business Class to Asia & South Africa for €518 from Oslo, Helsinki

In the days (and weeks) that followed, there were cancellations. I booked a total of three tickets, and two of them were cancelled:

• Oslo – Paris – Seoul – Taipei in March 2024 for €614 (not cancelled)
• Oslo – Amsterdam – Singapore – Kuala Lumpur in Nov. 2024 for €528 (cancelled by Air France)
• Tallinn – Paris – Singapore – Auckland in Sept. 2024 for €727 (cancelled by KLM)

I can’t say why only this one ticket to Taipei remained, while there were several comments from other users in the comments of our article who received a cancellation for exactly the same routing. Perhaps it was due to the travel period, and comparatively short-term bookings were not touched.

The Business Class Light fare at Air France & KLM usually includes only 1x 32 kg of checked baggage and no lounge access. Seat selection is also not included by default.

In my case, however, it was the Flex fare. Therefore, the seat could be selected free of charge immediately after booking. At least in theory. Initially, I was glad to have secured the bulkhead seats for both of us. However, a week before departure, I had to realize that the seat selection had disappeared. Apparently, I either forgot to save the reservation correctly, or we were bumped off because a mother with a child reserved the seat.

Check-in

Just before departure, it became exciting again. Because on Flyertalk, there was a report of denied check-in in Oslo despite an active booking. Unfortunately, the KLM website is not very informative regarding the status of the ticket. However, a check on Saudia.com showed that all flights on the ticket were still open and ready to be flown. So, nothing should stand in the way of the trip.

30 hours before departure, the online check-in worked, and I was relieved. After all, a lengthy legal battle over Denied Boarding with jurisdiction in Oslo wasn’t exactly something I would have liked.

We arrived at Oslo Airport around 5 a.m. for the 6:20 a.m. departure. There was no line at the SkyPriority lane, and we were immediately taken care of.

At the counter, fortunately, they managed to change the frequent flyer number as desired to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. I had tried several times online before, but it wouldn’t work. Air France would probably prefer you to collect 2,000 (spending-based) miles with Flying Blue rather than 30,000 with Virgin.

Oslo – Paris Feeder

The feeder flight from Oslo to Paris was quite uneventful. As usual in the Airbus A319, the middle seat is left vacant, but otherwise, the seats were the same as in economy class. Credit must be given to Air France for installing adjustable headrests in all classes.

The two biggest criticisms: the seat pitch is (even by European standards) below average, and the catering (apart from bread and croissants) was cold. For a nearly three-hour block time flight within Europe, I would have expected at least a warm egg dish or something similar.

In my case, the cabin furnishings were quite old. Therefore, the seats still offered quite good padding and adequately wide armrests. However, this padding comes at the expense of legroom.

Transfer in Paris

Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle corresponds quite closely to my nightmare vision of an airport. There are dozens of terminals, resulting in long walks, and everything feels very chaotic. Coming from Europe, we were at least spared a second security check.

However, there were long queues at passport control. Theoretically, there is a SkyPriority queue there. However, this led to a single passport control counter, while other passengers also had access to automatic e-gates. Even these e-gates are limited (for Europeans), with just three available. So, we stood in line for a total of about half an hour.

It probably would have been faster to leave the security area and first go to the landside. Then we would have had to go through security again, but at least we wouldn’t have had a long wait at passport control.

Lounge

The flight departed from the K Gates in Terminal 2E. (Who actually gave these terminals these confusing names?) There is a suitable Air France lounge for non-Schengen flights. It spans two floors but is still not particularly large. Additionally, it feels a bit outdated and cannot compete with the other AF lounges in Paris overall.

There is a small buffet on each floor. The food selection is overall okay but nothing more. For breakfast, there were scrambled eggs, sausages, pastries, and appropriate cold cuts.

It got better when lunch was served at 11 am. The selection of hot dishes remained small and consisted of:

• Braised beef
• Grilled sausages
• Steamed vegetables
• Some kind of mushroom risotto

However, this could be compensated for by an excellent selection of desserts. I tried various desserts including a kind of profiterole in chocolate coating, chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and Berliners with chocolate filling. All of these were excellent and could also be served in a French café.

Unfortunately, the stay was not particularly pleasant for the simple reason that the air conditioning was set too warm. Additionally, there is a shortage of tables where one can work with a laptop comfortably.

Boarding

Boarding was actually scheduled for 35 minutes before departure, relatively short for a long-haul flight. I was there on time to try to take photos of the empty cabin. However, boarding actually started 15 minutes after the scheduled boarding time.

But that wasn’t the end of the waiting time. Boarding initially only led to another queue because the doors to the gangway were not yet open. There, all passengers had to stand for at least another 10 minutes until we finally boarded the aircraft. I probably should have waited for the final boarding call instead of standing in line for so long. Unfortunately, this procedure seems to be standard in Paris.

Cabin

The colour white dominates the cabin of the Boeing 777. However, they manage to break the otherwise sterile colour scheme with dark blue seats and patterned carpet.

Air France’s official logo is a red stripe (you can see it at the back of the economy cabin). The people in the headquarters in Roissypôle also know that this is somewhat boring. Therefore, the old logo, a winged seahorse, is displayed in several places in the cabin. It is located on the wall at the front and is also illuminated at each seat. Especially the latter looks stylish.

There are overhead bins on both sides and in the middle. The cabin of the Boeing 777 is high enough, so there is no feeling of being cramped.

The 48 seats in the business class are distributed over two sections: a larger cabin with seven rows of seats and a smaller one with five. Accordingly, there are eight opportunities to benefit from a seat in the “first row”:

Best Seat

The best seats are undoubtedly those at the bulkhead, i.e., 1A, 1D, 1E, and 1L as well as 9A, 9D, 9E, and 9L. They offer an unbeatably large amount of space since the legroom is not restricted forward. So, the legs don’t have to go into a small compartment; instead, you can curl up if you wish. This should be particularly beneficial for side sleepers.

Apparently, these seats can only be selected by SkyTeam frequent flyers (free of charge). If you can, you should definitely do so… and then hope you don’t get bumped off again.

All other seats are more or less identical. The only difference is that there are single seats at the window, and two passengers sit side by side in the middle. So, if you’re travelling alone, you should choose a window seat, and for couples, seats D and E are suitable.

I generally prefer smaller business cabins, so I chose row 10. Unfortunately, I didn’t consider one thing: seats 9A and 9K are standardly reserved for travellers with babies. We were only one row away and had to listen to crying children all night. Therefore, if available, I recommend the front half of the cabin.

Seat

Air France, as a launch customer, uses the Safran Cirrus 5C03 seat. The concept is nothing new by now: it follows the typical reverse herringbone arrangement, supplemented with a door for additional privacy. Virtually every seat manufacturer has something like this in their product range, including:

• Collins Super Diamond
  (British Airways Club Suite – Impressions)
• Recaro CL6720 (Iberia – Review)
• Collins Elements Suite (Etihad)
• JAMCO Venture (in some KLM 777)

Although I had never flown with the Safran seat before, it immediately seemed quite familiar to me. However, there are still some differences from the competition. For instance, questions about seat control, storage space at the seat, size of the table, padding, etc., are interesting.

So, let’s start with a tour of the seat. First, you notice the shoulder strap that must be worn during takeoff and landing.

On the side, there is a compartment where the headphones are stored. However, it is large enough to also accommodate a smartphone, wallet, passport, etc.:

Next to it is a small reading lamp, below it is a USB charging port (only type A), and a headphone jack for your own headphones.

Then there is the large platform. It is sufficiently large and can at least accommodate a laptop and meal tray (if you need to use the restroom during meals). There is also a wireless charger for smartphones.

The seat controls are also integrated into the platform. The usual three modes (takeoff position, lounge mode, and bed) can be selected, with continuous adjustment between them. Additionally, the overhead light can be activated there, and a do-not-disturb mode can be activated. Unlike Recaro, Safran has thoughtfully raised the edge around the touch panel slightly. This prevents accidental contact with it.

If you’ve been missing the power outlet so far, you’ll of course get your money’s worth. It’s a bit hidden, below the control panel. There, you’ll also find:

• Space for a water bottle
• A USB-C charging port for laptops, Nintendo Switch, etc. (60W)
• A storage compartment that was standardly stocked with a pair of slippers

The shoes can be stored under the footrest. However, everything else that doesn’t fit in the compartment with the headphones will ultimately end up lying around on the table. This is better solved on British Airways (with the Club Suite), where additional storage areas are hidden under the side platform.

I was surprised to see that the seat looked quite worn out in several areas. Currently, it’s not too bad, but after a year and a half, it really shouldn’t look like this:

The dining table is extended from the side and then (partially) unfolded. It’s not particularly large, but more importantly, the adjustability forward and backwards is very limited. Other manufacturers handle this better.

There is a sliding door everywhere towards the aisle. It can be closed by pressing a button, which surprisingly worked quite well. However, it takes some effort to reopen it. The door doesn’t provide complete privacy since the walls are not particularly high. But that was expected.

For those seated in the middle who don’t want to interact with their neighbor, an additional privacy screen can be extended to further isolate oneself:

For those who like to converse with their neighbour, the partition can simply be left down. Although the heads are quite far apart, chatting surprisingly works well. With other seats, you have to lean forward to understand anything at all.

Seat Comfort

As important as the other points is, of course, comfort. In principle, there’s not much to complain about. The shoulder strap is reasonably comfortable, the seat is wide enough, and there is enough legroom (while seated).

However, the seat cushion felt quite hard overall. After about two hours, it started to become a bit uncomfortable on the buttocks. It helps to occasionally shift positions on the seat and/or stand up. But the seat is definitely harder than many competing products. This is noticeable even in lounge mode (= half reclined). Overall, it was fine, even for a 12-hour flight. But there’s still room for improvement in terms of seat comfort.

Sleep Comfort

When fully reclined, the seat turns into a bed around 2 meters long. The foot space is not huge due to the design, but it’s better than at some other airlines. Despite having foot size 48, I could stretch out my legs:

To sleep, you should either use the sleep mask from the amenity kit or wait a bit. On the flight to Seoul, the cabin lights were turned off only after 3 hours. However, at that time, it was only 4:30 PM local time in Paris (0:30 in Seoul). There was still plenty of time to sleep, with more than 8 hours of flight time remaining.

I was able to sleep for about four hours and then dedicated myself to this review. The comfort as a side sleeper is overall okay. The knees can be angled at least a little. Even when lying down, the seat is rather hard, but it bothered me less than when sitting.

A mattress topper was not offered. Both the blanket and pillow felt quite high-quality and, above all, comfortable.

Food & Drinks

A welcome drink of orange juice or champagne was offered shortly after boarding the aircraft. Additionally, the menu was handed out.

Here’s a look inside:

A Brut Reserve Thienot (bottle price apparently around €50) was offered as champagne. Other beverage options can be found below:

Main courses can be chosen, at least when departing from Paris, online under Manage booking. However, the selection is the same as on board. So, online ordering only guarantees that the dish will indeed be available. One or two additional options definitely wouldn’t have hurt.

As a small appetizer, garlic cream with marinated yellow beets was served. Not to my taste, but the cheese crepes served alongside were all the better.

For the starter, salmon fillet (very good), pumpkin pieces (untouched), and a bread roll of choice were served. I opted for a small baguette, which doesn’t have much in common with a good French baguette.

I had already discussed the choice of main course with my colleague Felix in advance. He had almost the same options as I did and strongly advised against the chicken. Nevertheless, I chose the chicken to form my own opinion for the review. And what can I say? The chicken along with the side dishes was excellent. Tastes are indeed different.

Next was the cheese plate, which is of course a must for a French airline. The appearance could use some improvement:

Although I had already tried the entire dessert selection in the lounge, that’s certainly no reason to skip it on the plane. In addition to the dessert with yuzu (a type of lemon), there was chocolate ice cream, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry ice cream to choose from. I’m always up for ice cream on a flight. Therefore, I was all the more pleased that the two ice cream flavours I tried were of excellent quality. Only the presentation in a paper cup is perhaps not the most elegant.

Overall, the meal from start to dessert lasted almost two and a half hours. If you’re still hungry after that, you can help yourself to the snack basket, which is available in the galley. There were until shortly before landing:

• extra dark chocolate bars
• Mini-crêpes with cheese filling (very good)
• Cookies
• Shortbread with tomato & basil (dry, dissolves into dust in the mouth)
• Grapes and mandarins

The menu also lists other snacks that can be delivered at any time. I made use of this 4 hours before landing. Unfortunately, I forgot the other options, but when I asked via the crew call button, I was brought two croque monsieur sandwiches. I was amazed that they could be served in less than 2 minutes. However, they were only lukewarm. Anyway, this dry piece of bread had little in common with a croque monsieur.

About an hour and 45 minutes before landing in Seoul, the lights were turned on for breakfast. It was 7:30 AM local time in Korea at that time. So, the timing is roughly right, although you could probably wait another 15 minutes.

For breakfast, two options were available: either an omelette with vegetables or a piece of salmon muffin (?). The omelette came with a tasty tomato sauce and a croissant. The omelette and tomato sauce were good, the croissant not so much. If you served something like this in a French café, a shitstorm would be inevitable. Even for a plane croissant, it was mediocre at best. Only the butter from Normandy could slightly elevate it.

Service

In the beginning, the languages spoken by the crew members were mentioned. I stuck with English and was a little surprised at how well it was spoken. The flight attendants seemed almost like native speakers. I have had different experiences in France itself and also with airlines from South America.

Moreover, all interactions were very friendly without displaying too submissive behaviour, as is sometimes the case with airlines from the Middle East and Asia.

Some room for improvement exists in the service processes. For instance, I received my appetizer about 10 minutes before my seat neighbour, but the main course was served noticeably later than his. Iberia demonstrates how it’s done better. There, the flight attendants made sure that all meals were served simultaneously – like in a good restaurant.

Empty plates were usually cleared away quickly during meals. However, the main course plates tended to remain on the table for so long that I had to stack the cheese platter on them. And the refilling of drinks also depended somewhat on the crew member. At night, I didn’t notice any service rounds at all. Although drinks and ice cubes are available in the galley, it’s not a suitable replacement.

Overall, I remember the service positively despite these minor flaws. Ultimately, feeling valued as a guest is more important to me than flawless adherence to all procedures.

In-Flight Entertainment

The onboard entertainment is displayed on a 17-inch touchscreen with 4K resolution. The operating system running on it is also quite modern: For instance, the flight map can be displayed as a floating overlay and is therefore always in view. Multi-touch gestures are also supported: With two fingers, you can enlarge and shrink the window with the map.

I particularly liked the combination of the camera and flight map. The cameras are also very high-resolution, which was particularly beneficial during the flight over the Alps. The downward vertical view serves as a suitable replacement for the missing window in the middle of the cabin.

However, this function is still a bit buggy. Although I set up the camera overlay as desired, I couldn’t close it at some point. Even turning the screen on and off and many other attempts didn’t improve the situation. However, the issue wasn’t important enough for me to ask the crew for a reset.

Air France provides some headphones with active noise cancellation. Unfortunately, the noise-cancelling function works rather poorly. However, the sound quality is quite decent and suitable for music playback. Alternatively, you can of course use your own headphones – either via a 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth.

If you prefer not to stretch your arms towards the screen, you can also control the entertainment system via remote control. It has a touchpad and buttons for the most important functions. Nice gimmick: The remaining flight time is displayed continuously.

Of course, there is also a wide selection of movies available. The current selection of movies and series can be checked online in advance with this link. I counted a total of 280 movies, which is a very impressive selection. Some newer films like Oppenheimer were also available. However, the selection of the series is rather unimpressive, as often only individual episodes instead of entire seasons were loaded.

WiFi

Air France offers a total of four different Wi-Fi packages. These are:

• Messaging – free (only WhatsApp and others)
• “Surf” package for 1 hour – €8
• “Surf” package for the entire flight – €18
• “Stream” package for the entire flight – €30

The prices are comparatively fair. However, it should also be considered that other airlines offer permanent free access in business class.

Unfortunately, the network was intermittently unavailable for several minutes. Theoretically, the stream package should provide better transmission rates – and thus enable video streaming. In practice, no significant difference was noticeable. Reliability was more of a problem than speed.

Extras

Unfortunately, Air France doesn’t offer individual air nozzles at the seats. Initially, this wasn’t a problem because the cabin was pleasantly (cool) temperature-controlled. Unfortunately, it became increasingly warmer during the flight. The nozzles could have provided relief.

The amenity kit includes socks, a sleep mask, a toothbrush + toothpaste, a pen, earplugs, and two gels. The whole thing is served in a fabric bag. Due to the slightly thicker fabric, it seems quite high-quality, so there’s nothing wrong with reusing it as a cosmetics or cable bag.

Also at the seat are a pair of slippers. They are far too small for shoe size 48, but that’s the case with all airlines.

Conclusion

Overall, the following points stand out in the (new) Air France business class:

Star ratings are always dependent on the author. Ultimately, the evaluation also depends on the comparison values and individual preferences. Anyway, I would prefer flying in the British Airways Club Suite or Delta One Suite over Air France. However, when comparing it to Lufthansa, Air France offers a more than solid product.

Translated by Ditmar