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 service 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 service is touting the expertise as akin to flying non-public.

Extra space, better consolation and full privateness are among the many options that stand to win over vacationers — notably those that have proven an growing 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 more moderen 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 price tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.

That was the message Air France executives portrayed because the service unveiled its newest product replace in Paris on Tuesday. The distinguished placement of the long-lasting Lodge de Crillon, one of many metropolis’s most interesting Palace Motels, 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 have now shoppers who usually fly non-public however they expertise the La Première product and so they say, ‘Effectively, it is quite a bit cheaper to get to Los Angeles and Tokyo this manner,'” 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 shoppers.

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 embrace an entirely reimagined floor expertise for La Premiere passengers at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), making the method as clean and seamless from arrival to boarding as it might be when flying non-public, in line with the airline.

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

“These passengers are on the lookout for privateness and an excellent expertise on the bottom,” he added. “And it is sturdy — the posh accommodations 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 presently 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 and marketing functions of halo impact on model. Our coverage is that each single product we have now has to face by itself two toes. That is why you do not see La Premiere in all places. Not each market can help one of these 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 practically 385 sq. toes of modular area (25% greater than the earlier design); the area contains an ergonomic reclining armchair and a chaise lounge, each in full-grain leather-based and smooth wool, that turns right into a full-flat mattress. At about 6 1/2 toes, 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. Additionally they have thick floor-to-ceiling curtains for sound and lightweight insulation. The airline fully eliminated overhead bins, permitting for a extra spacious really feel and simple motion contained in the suite.

As an alternative, vacationers will discover cupboard space in a console that doubles as a facet desk and a drawer that holds as much as two cabin-size suitcases. One other drawer beneath the chaise lounge is supposed to retailer sneakers, whereas a slim 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’ll slip on Le Pyjama, the cotton poplin loungewear assortment designed by Simon Porte Jacquemus. Vacationers can even hydrate their pores and skin with merchandise from the Sisley amenity package.

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

Once 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 choice (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 massive luxurious aspect to it,” Smith mentioned. “This product matches proper into that spirit.”

Air France will progressively 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 — comparable to Los Angeles, Singapore and Tokyo — will comply with in the summertime of 2025.