Air France La Première is commonly ranked as among the best First Class flights in business aviation, with personal cabins, beautiful foods and drinks on the bottom and within the air, and refined service from begin to end.

And whereas securing a seat within the prestigious La Première cabin at a reduction value is notoriously troublesome, it’s definitely not unattainable.

On this information, we’ll take a look at every little thing that makes Air France La Première among the best merchandise within the enterprise. Intimately, we’ll take a look at what you possibly can count on earlier than and throughout the flight, in addition to the cabins, routes, and how one can e-book this First Class expertise with factors.

The Air France La Première Expertise

As anticipated for one of many world’s greatest First Class merchandise, the Air France La Première expertise is prime notch. It’s far past something supplied by any enterprise class cabin, and is superior to most different First Class merchandise, too.

Floor Expertise

As a La Première passenger flying out of Paris, your First Class journey begins lengthy earlier than boarding the plane, and even earlier than arriving on the airport.

La Première passengers get a complimentary chauffeur switch to the airport they’re flying out of. This service is obtainable inside a 40km radius of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and inside a 30km radius of airports in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Good.

When you’re flying out of Paris, there’s a devoted assembly place for La Première passengers. You’ll be met by a concierge who will take your baggage and lead you to a personal check-in lounge.

On the check-in lounge, you’ll be launched to your devoted handler, who will assist information and help with every little thing previous to your flight, starting with check-in.

As soon as checked in, you’ll be escorted to what’s thought of among the best First Class lounges on this planet. In fact, you’ll whizz via the lengthy safety traces by way of a collection of secret corridors alongside the best way.

The Air France La Première Lounge in Paris has every little thing you’d presumably need earlier than your luxurious La Première flight.

Free entry is simply granted to La Première passengers flying into or out of Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, whereas choose Air France enterprise class passengers could buy entry for €650 ($877 CAD). Evidently, the strict entry necessities ship a convincing air of exclusivity.

As soon as contained in the lounge, you’ll encounter an intimate area, with daring splashes of pink in opposition to soothing shades of cream and gray.

There’s a wellness space with reclining chairs, positioned in a secluded space that’s made to really feel such as you’re surrounded by grass. Must you want to sleep, there are additionally nap pods out there on a first-come foundation.

A spotlight of the lounge is the spa operated by Sisley, the place La Première passengers are entitled to a 30-minute complimentary spa therapy. You may both make a reservation previous to your journey, or via your escort on the day of journey.

The eating choices on the Air France La Première Lounge are of the best calibre. Most notably, the total à la carte menu was created by three-Michelin-starred Chef Alain Ducasse, and there’s no restrict to how a lot you possibly can order.

A miniature buffet choice can be out there, with a buffet shelf that features 11 varieties of nonetheless or glowing water, together with quintessential French manufacturers Evian and Perrier.

To shut off your eating expertise, the lounge has a completely separate menu for ice cream and sorbet so that you can get pleasure from earlier than your flight.

The Air France La Première Lounge additionally performs host to a high-class bar with top-shelf whisky, Champagne, wine, and cocktails.

Whereas the La Première Lounge is spectacular by itself, what actually units Air France’s La Première floor expertise aside from many different First Class merchandise is the personal automobile switch.

When you’re originating from Paris, an elevator will take you from the La Première Lounge to the bottom ground, the place a BMW might be ready to whisk you away to your La Première flight.

Making certain that the journey is as seamless as doable, your driver will even escort you onboard and assist load your baggage into the overhead bins as you’re taking your seat and put together for the principle occasion.

Lastly, one other factor of the bottom expertise that distinguishes Air France La Première is the service supplied after you land.

Even if you happen to aren’t flying into France, devoted La Première employees will information you thru safety, immigration, and all the best way to the luggage carousel, the place your bag would be the first to reach.

The Air France La Première employees will collect your bag and current it to you, thus concluding the La Première beautiful floor expertise.

Seat

Just like the La Première Lounge, the onboard Air France La Première expertise is simply as luxurious and unique. With solely 4 seats throughout one row, you’ll really feel as if you’re flying on a personal plane.

With a seat pitch of 79”, and a seat width of 24” that measures at 30” large when transformed to a full-length mattress, you’ll definitely have a lot of room to sprawl out and chill out.

Each seat has an adjoining ottoman with additional space for storing beneath. There’s sufficient area right here to have a companion be a part of you for the meal service.

There’s additionally a 24-inch leisure display, with loads of choices on your viewing pleasure.

Beside every seat is an elegant lamp, adorned in La Première’s seahorse design, making the seat really feel much more like house with a bedside lamp.

Including to the sensation of being in an expensive condo fairly than on a airplane is probably the most distinctive facet of the La Première seat: the full-height curtains.

Each seat has its personal personal curtain, which will be drawn to supply full privateness.

For electronics, there’s a separate leisure controller, energy and USB shops, in addition to a headphone jack with noise cancelling headphones.

The seat controls permit you to place your seat nevertheless you’d like, which incorporates reducing it to a 6’7” absolutely lie flat mattress once you’d prefer to get some relaxation.

Previous to mendacity down for a nap, the flight attendants will make up your mattress by including a memory-foam mattress, a fluffy quilt, and a pillow. You’ll even be given pajamas, that are yours to maintain, to make sure your relaxation is of the best high quality.

Meals and Drink

The La Première floor and seat experiences elevate you to a different stage of in-flight opulence, and the unbelievable onboard gastronomy definitely maintains that top customary.

La Première passengers can dine on demand, that means you possibly can order off the menu at any time throughout your flight.

Earlier than take-off, you’ll be supplied your selection of beverage, which can embody Taittinger Comtes Blanc de Blancs 2007 Champagne.

As soon as airborne, extra Champagne is available, together with throughout the Sturia caviar service.

After the caviar service, you’ll be handled to high-quality French delicacies, with a plethora of fine-dining meals choices created by Michelin-starred cooks.

An array of French cheeses and delectable desserts can be found to wrap up the in depth menu, together with a spread of high-end drinks all through the flight to fit your each want.

Air France La Première First Class Cabin

Since Air France retired its Airbus A380s in 2020, the La Première cabin can solely now solely be discovered on choose Boeing 777-300ER plane.

(Nevertheless, it’s value noting that Air France is wanting so as to add La Première on their Airbus A350 fleet in late 2023.)

Located on the entrance of the Boeing 777-300ER, Air France La Première is sort of noteworthy in that it’s restricted to a single row in a 1-2-1 structure.

You gained’t have any seats in entrance of or behind you, and also you’ll get pleasure from full privateness with the curtain drawn.

Like most First Class merchandise, you actually can’t choose a nasty seat. When you’re travelling with a companion, you’ll need to choose Seats 1E and 1F to get pleasure from a shared expertise, whereas if you happen to’re travelling solo, Seats 1A and 1L by the home windows could be the most effective choices.

Air France La Première First Class Routes

In North America, Air France La Première will be discovered on routes between Paris and the next locations:

• San Francisco (SFO)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• New York (JFK)
• Washington (IAD)
• Miami (MIA)
• Mexico Metropolis (MEX)

Outdoors of North America, La Première is operated between Paris and the next cities:

• São Paulo (GRU)
• Abidjan (ABJ)
• Johannesburg (JNB)
• Dubai (DXB)
• Singapore (SIN)

Even if you happen to see that there’s a Boeing 777 flight in your desired route, you’ll need to be sure that it provides the La Première cabin, as not all of Air France’s Boeing 777s have it as an possibility.

The way to Redeem Factors for Air France La Première

Air France La Première is without doubt one of the most troublesome aspirational awards to e-book on factors. Nonetheless, there are just a few methods to go about it if you happen to’re decided to make it occur.

Redeeming Flying Blue Miles for Air France La Première

Air France is part of the SkyTeam alliance, however they don’t launch any La Première award area to any accomplice applications. Which means the one option to e-book a La Première flight with factors is thru their very own Flying Blue loyalty program.

To make issues harder, and what retains La Première much more unique, is that solely Flying Blue Gold and Platinum elite members are allowed to e-book La Première utilizing Flying Blue miles.

In an effort to attain Flying Blue Gold Elite standing, you’ll must earn 280 XP factors. XP factors are earned by flying with Air France, KLM, or some other SkyTeam accomplice.

Air France makes use of a dynamic pricing mannequin when pricing out flights booked with Flying Blue miles. On the decrease finish, a La Première flight from North America to Paris will price round 220,000 miles a method.

Whereas there are definitely cheaper choices out there for transatlantic First Class flights, this redemption might nonetheless be worthwhile for flying La Première as a bucket-list merchandise, on condition that it’s among the best First Class merchandise on the market.

Fortunately, Flying Blue miles are comparatively straightforward to earn. In case you have US-issued bank cards, there are many applications that switch to Flying Blue at a fee of 1:1, together with American Specific US Membership Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Final Rewards.

On the Canadian aspect, American Specific Membership Rewards will be transferred at a fee of 1:0.75. You may also switch Marriott Bonvoy factors at a fee of three:1, with a bonus of 5,000 Flying Blue miles if you happen to switch 60,000 factors.

Lately, Brim Monetary introduced a partnership with Air France/KLM Flying Blue that can deliver a Flying Blue co-branded bank card to Canada.

Whereas the precise particulars have but to be launched, this can most definitely be the simplest method for Canadians to earn Flying Blue miles going ahead.

Paying for an Improve from Air France Enterprise Class

Whereas it’s not a totally dependable methodology, you need to use a mixture of money and miles to get your self into La Première.

When you’re okay with a little bit of a raffle, you possibly can probably improve from an Air France enterprise class flight – booked with both money or factors – to La Première. The method is a bit complicated, however this might symbolize probably the most environment friendly and reasonably priced option to rating your self a seat in La Première.

Step one is to e-book a enterprise class award on an Air France flight that has a La Première cabin. The most well-liked routes for this methodology are from Paris to Dubai and from Paris to Mexico Metropolis.

From there, you’ll have to observe the La Première cabin in your particular flight, maybe by utilizing a device similar to ExpertFlyer, to make sure that there are certainly unsold seats in La Première.

A T-30 hours to your flight, you’ll be capable to examine in. Through the check-in course of, you may even see the choice to pay for an improve to La Première in your flight.

(Whereas it seems seemingly that you simply’ll see the choice for a paid improve if La Première seats are empty, it isn’t essentially assured. That’s why this methodology is a little bit of a raffle, and also you must be able to both change your plans or just fly in enterprise class if it doesn’t work out.)

When you see the choice, you possibly can rating a seat in La Première at a fraction of the common value. Studies counsel that the improve prices round $1,000 (USD) ($1,351 CAD) to Dubai and round €1,000 ($1,349 CAD) to Mexico Metropolis.

If this strategy winds up figuring out for you, you possibly can count on the full price to be round:

• 80,000 Flying Blue miles, $458 CAD in taxes and costs, and €1,000 ($1,349 CAD) for the improve from Paris to Mexico Metropolis
• 60,000 Flying Blue miles, $367 CAD in taxes and costs, and $1,000 USD ($1,351 CAD) for the improve from Paris to Dubai

Take into account that the flying time to Mexico Metropolis is over 12 hours, whereas the flying time to Dubai is just below seven hours. So, if you happen to’re going to go for the gold, it might be greatest to goal for Mexico Metropolis.

Air France La Première First Class Award Availability

There’s one upside to the truth that La Première seats can solely be booked with Flying Blue miles by Gold or Platinum elite members: there tends to be a good quantity of award availability.

In case you have particular days in thoughts, you’ll nonetheless need to e-book properly upfront. However if you happen to’re versatile together with your dates, and when you’ve got the standing and the miles, you shouldn’t have too onerous of a time securing a seat or two on a date that works for you.

Air France usually releases two of the 4 seats in La Première to award bookings.

Ideas & Methods for Air France La Première First Class

The easiest way to earn Flying Blue Gold standing and be eligible to e-book Air France La Première could be to credit score paid fares with SkyTeam companions to this system, thereby racking up Flying Blue XP factors.

SkyTeam airways typically placed on enterprise class seat gross sales – for instance, from Europe to North America for $1,500–2,000 round-trip. You’ll nonetheless should fly a good quantity to be able to attain Gold standing, however relying on how a lot you fly, it’s nonetheless inside grasp.

Moreover, preserve an eye fixed out for standing match alternatives. When you already get pleasure from standing with one other airline, it might be straightforward so that you can get Gold or Platinum standing with Air France, providing you with entry to La Première award redemptions.

When you aren’t capable of attain Flying Blue Gold or Platinum by any means, you aren’t utterly out of luck for discounted La Première seats.

Air France has had mistake fares within the La Première cabin up to now, together with a one-way fare between Algiers and San Francisco for less than $472.05 (USD) one-way.

Whereas these could also be uncommon, they do occur. When you’re capable of finding one, I’d extremely suggest reserving instantly, because it most likely gained’t final lengthy.

Lastly, if you happen to’ve been eyeing down a La Première seat, you must also know that Air France is predicted to roll out a brand new La Première product in late 2023.

The brand new First Class seats are mentioned to not solely have a seat, but additionally a settee and absolutely flat mattress. When you aren’t in a rush, it might make sense to carry off earlier than reserving your La Première flight to be able to check out the newer model.

Conclusion

Air France La Première is without doubt one of the greatest experiences you possibly can pattern in business aviation.

You may count on to get pleasure from impeccable inflight service in your personal curtain-enclosed cocoon within the sky, an out-of-this-world floor expertise in Paris, and loads of consideration to element all through the journey.

From the superb eating within the La Première Lounge to the tarmac chauffeur service, there’s a motive why this specific flight is on the very prime of many airline lovers’ bucket lists.

Whereas reserving a seat at a reduced fee could seem out of attain, it isn’t completely unattainable. With cautious planning, and perhaps even a little bit of luck, you possibly can snag certainly one of these seats at a reduction as properly.