Air France unveils its new La Premiere suites in Paris

Do not inform Air France that worldwide top notch 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 newest replace to its posh La Premiere suites. The provider is touting the expertise as akin to flying personal.

More room, larger 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 price 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 Resort de Crillon, one of many metropolis’s best Palace Resorts, 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 personal.

“We now have shoppers who usually fly personal however they expertise the La Première product and so they say, ‘Effectively, it is lots 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 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 a long time: “Made in France excellence.”

“We’re spending $1 billion per yr 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 workers coaching,” Smith mentioned.

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Such enhancements embody a completely 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 personal, 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 incredible expertise on the bottom,” he added. “And it is sturdy — the luxurious 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 top notch would maintain up, even amid the financial uncertainty at present roiling Western markets.

“La Premiere in its current iteration is already worthwhile, and the demand is excessive; we do not see that altering,” Smith mentioned. “We all know a few of our rivals use [first-class] for advertising and marketing functions of halo impact on model. Our coverage is that each single product we’ve got has to face by itself two ft. That is why you do not see La Premiere in every single place. 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 several other first-class firsts. Developed over three years, every of the 4 suites options practically 385 sq. ft of modular house (25% greater than the earlier design); the house consists of 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 business 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 function unique to Air France. In addition 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 a substitute, vacationers will discover space for storing 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 footwear, whereas a slender closet is reserved for every visitor’s belongings. Central cabin suites could 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 also can 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.

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 out there).

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 personal.

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

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

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