Air France unveils its new La Premiere suites in Paris

Do not inform Air France that worldwide firstclass is a relic of yesteryear.

At a time when many airways have deserted the first-class expertise of long-haul flying, France’s nationwide provider is doubling down on it. This transfer was on full show Tuesday in Paris, the place Air France rolled out the most recent replace to its posh La Premiere suites. The provider is touting the expertise as akin to flying non-public.

More room, better consolation and full privateness are among the many options that stand to win over vacationers — notably those that have proven an rising propensity to purchase premium seats, even when flying on their very own dime.

“We have seen that leisure journey has elevated by 24% in 10 years, with a newer surge in demand for luxurious experiences,” Air France CEO Anne Rigail defined.

Apparently, this demand extends to the ultrawealthy, whom Air France says is the viewers shopping for La Premiere worldwide first-class fares that may value tens of hundreds of {dollars}.

That was the message Air France executives portrayed because the provider unveiled its newest product replace in Paris on Tuesday. The outstanding placement of the long-lasting Lodge de Crillon, one of many metropolis’s most interesting Palace Lodges, in its new La Premiere promo video was a transparent signal of the demographic Air France is concentrating on: ultraluxe vacationers who are likely to fly non-public.

“We’ve got purchasers who usually fly non-public however they expertise the La Première product they usually say, ‘Effectively, it is loads cheaper to get to Los Angeles and Tokyo this fashion,'” famous Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith. He added that the environmental optics and full confidentiality within the expertise are additionally key components for the airline’s purchasers.

The brand new suites, coming into service on choose Boeing 777-300ER plane this spring, are a part of a method Smith says started 5 years in the past. The plan is to safe the airline’s future by emphasizing what Smith and Rigail insist has distinguished Air France for over 9 many years: “Made in France excellence.”

“We’re spending $1 billion per 12 months on retrofitting and renewing our medium-haul and our long-haul fleets, plus one other billion on new lounges, new meals choices on board and employees coaching,” Smith mentioned.

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Such enhancements embody an entirely reimagined floor expertise for La Premiere passengers at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), making the method as easy and seamless from arrival to boarding as it might be when flying non-public, based on the airline.

Regardless of continued funding in what Air France believes is a profitable business-class providing, Smith mentioned demand for much more luxurious offered a chance.

“These passengers are on the lookout for privateness and an incredible expertise on the bottom,” he added. “And it is sturdy — the posh inns proper round us have seen their charges go up nearly 300% since COVID.”

Smith additionally expressed confidence that demand for Air France’s worldwide firstclass would maintain up, even amid the financial uncertainty at the moment roiling Western markets.

“La Premiere in its present iteration is already worthwhile, and the demand is excessive; we do not see that altering,” Smith mentioned. “We all know a few of our opponents use [first-class] for advertising functions of halo impact on model. Our coverage is that each single product now we have has to face by itself two ft. That is why you do not see La Premiere in all places. Not each market can assist any such product.”

Smith mentioned U.S. demand for Air France premium merchandise is rising quickest, with Miami main the market.

These top-tier passengers will uncover that the up to date La Premiere suites have more room and a number of other first-class firsts. Developed over three years, every of the 4 suites options almost 385 sq. ft of modular house (25% greater than the earlier design); the house contains an ergonomic reclining armchair and a chaise lounge, each in full-grain leather-based and comfortable wool, that turns right into a full-flat mattress. At about 6 1/2 ft, it’s among the many longest seats in industrial aviation.

The cabin is organized in a single-row, 1-2-1 configuration, with one suite at every window and two suites adjoining to one another within the heart.

The outside suites boast 5 home windows per passenger, a characteristic unique to Air France. In addition they have thick floor-to-ceiling curtains for sound and lightweight insulation. The airline utterly eliminated overhead bins, permitting for a extra spacious really feel and straightforward motion contained in the suite.

As an alternative, vacationers will discover cupboard space in a console that doubles as a aspect desk and a drawer that holds as much as two cabin-size suitcases. One other drawer beneath the chaise lounge is supposed to retailer footwear, whereas a slender closet is reserved for every visitor’s belongings. Central cabin suites might not have window views, however they’ve floor-to-ceiling electrical sliding partitions for full privateness.

When passengers are prepared for shut-eye, they will slip on Le Pyjama, the cotton poplin loungewear assortment designed by Simon Porte Jacquemus. Vacationers may also hydrate their pores and skin with merchandise from the Sisley amenity package.

In the meantime, a specifically educated cabin crew member transforms the chaise lounge right into a mattress, including a mattress topper, a fluffy pillow and a quilt from the French bedding firm Dumas Paris.

After they’re not sleeping, La Premiere passengers can entry not one however two 4K 32-inch inflight leisure screens, a wi-fi touchscreen pill to regulate suite capabilities, high-speed Wi-Fi and a wi-fi charging possibility (along with the USB-A and USB-C ports obtainable).

The bottom expertise at CDG — which was overhauled final summer season earlier than the Olympic Video games — makes this a very compelling providing for high-net-worth vacationers accustomed to flying non-public.

La Premiere passengers get non-public entry to a ground-level, check-in foyer to undergo customs and safety checks. They will then chill out in a devoted new lounge, which includes a culinary providing by Alain Ducasse, a Sisley spa and three non-public suites full with double beds and patios. When it is time to board, a Porsche Cayenne hybrid transports passengers immediately on the tarmac proper to the plane’s door.

“Paris is a singular vacation spot in Europe with a really large luxurious aspect to it,” Smith mentioned. “This product matches proper into that spirit.”

Air France will steadily deploy the brand new La Premiere suites on choose Boeing 777-300ER plane. The inaugural flight is scheduled for spring 2025, with the primary plane, named Epernay, set to attach Paris to New York Metropolis’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK). Different locations — resembling Los Angeles, Singapore and Tokyo — will comply with in the summertime of 2025.