Air France continues its fleet renewal. After 777s, A350s will also get new business class
Air France continues to renew and improve its fleet. The revamp of the 777/300 fleet is underway, [...]
Air France
SkyTeam
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Air France continues to renew and improve its fleet. The revamp of the 777/300 fleet is underway., with the installation of the new booths. A redesign that Will cancel one of the ugliest business class cabins in the skies Europeans. The investment also touches the most exlcusive cabin, That of La Premiere, which will be renewed And will soon take off for the first time.
These new cabins will be available on the new Airbus A350s that will join the company's long-haul fleet between now and 2025. In this new configuration, the Airbus A350 will have 48 Business seats, 32 Premium Economy seats, and 212 Economy seats.
In total, Air France has ordered 41 Airbus A350-900s.. The company has already received 20 of these aircraft. There are currently no plans to modernize those already delivered, while the 21st A350, named "Aix-en-Provence," will be the first to feature this new cabin configuration and will make its first commercial flight in July 2023.
The difference between the two booths, therefore, will be very marked: suffice it to say that the current A350s have a capacity of 324 passengers, the new ones only 292. A much denser configuration because these planes had been ordered and configured to fly in Joon's livery, a failed attempt by low-cost airlines for the French group's long-haul.
The new business class will have the door
The cabin will be a evolution of what we saw on the 777 fleet, AF then rightly decides to keep the same chair and configuration.
Equipped with the industry's highest standards of on-board comfort and technology, the seat has a sliding door which allows passengers to create a totally private space, obviously turns into a completely flat bed almost two meters long.
To create a greater sense of privacy for passengers traveling together, the seats located in the middle of the cabin have a center panel that can be lowered to create a convivial space and better experience flying in companies.
What is new compared to the seat installed on the 777 is the presence of a tablet in the seat structure, a controller to manage all the functions of the seat and the entertainment system.
Each seat is equipped with a 20-inch 4K Ultra High Definition TV, the largest of any Business cabin in Air France's entire long-haul fleet, the IFE will also have Bluetooth connection passengers can then use their personal headphones. To recharge the cell phone, simply place it on the coffee table and take advantage of wireless charging. If desired, passengers will also be able to use their cell phone as a remote control for in-flight entertainment.
The first row is a small suite
As is the case on the 777 and as also done by Virgin Atlantic on board the new A330/900neo, AF chose to further enhance the front row seat. Having more space, the engineers designed a small suite, which can also accommodate if desired a crib for an infant.
Not only more personal space, but also more legroom in this special seat aboard the new fleet.
Premium Economy is also new
Passengers will find in this cabin the same premium economy that is installed on 777s and is the same one chosen for the KLM fleet. I have already had the opportunity to travel on this configuration And I was really satisfied.
The configuration will be 2-4-2, the legroom is 94 cm, and the seat is 48 cm wide. The seats recline up to 121 degrees. The seats are also equipped with 13.3″ 4K high-definition personal monitors, Bluetooth audio, and USB-A and USB-C charging.
Updates for economy class as well
Air France's new A350 economy class cabin consists of 212 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. Legroom between seats will be 79cm with a recline of up to 119 degrees. The seats are also equipped with 13.3″ 4k personal monitors, Bluetooth audio, and USB-A and USB-C charging. Excellent installation of the smartphone holder built into the backrest.
In conclusion
Good strategy to revamp the interiors of new aircraft by unifying the product. Air France, like many carriers, has a varied mix of cabins, even significantly different ones. The elimination of the terrible Caribbean version on the 777s is a step forward, and it will be easier for passengers to understand what cabin they will be flying in.
I have not flown in these cabins yet, but plan to do so soon. The only flaw is that Premium Economy passengers will have a monitor as big as the economy one, and it's just not right.
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