It’s no secret that the French Riviera is one of our favorite destinations. That means there’s a lot of travel to that part of France by members of the team. Personally, I’ve enjoyed traveling via Delta. Delta happens to have an affiliation with Air France, so the domestic flights in France are operated by the French carrier.
That makes the news that Air France will introduce a new La Premiere cabin interesting. Referred to by the airline as a ‘reflection of French elegance and art de vivre,’ the new suite has some great features to give the illusion that you’re flying private. Each of the four suites will have a single passenger area of about 3.5 sq m and five windows! If you’re one to compare new offerings to existing ones, that’s a 25% increase in personal space.
If that doesn’t catch your attention, there’s more. Each suite has a seat that adjusts to different phases of the flight and the body of the passenger for bespoke comfort. Also available is a chaise lounge that transforms into a 2-meter-long bed and a nice side table for all those last-minute script changes and frantic emails to production crew members (at least for those of us who are traveling for media work).
For everyone else, the table will hold your cocktail while you anticipate the absolute joy of being on the French Riviera or wherever your destination happens to be. Each suite also features floor-to-ceiling curtains for privacy.
Finishing materials for the suites, which will be located at the front of the aircraft, include full-grain leather and wool made by STELIA Aerospace, along with touches of red, which the airline claims have an alignment with haute couture.
Another welcome addition is the floor-level storage accessible via a sliding drawer with room for two carry-on bags (I’m fairly certain I’ve seen that before. I just don't recall what airline). There’s also room for footwear storage and a wardrobe for personal belongings.
When it’s time for onboard entertainment, you have two 32-inch 4k screens connected to 1,500 hours of entertainment accessible from the seat or the chaise lounge. For audio, you can use the provided noise-cancellation headphones or your own using the available Bluetooth connectivity. You can select your entertainment options via the touchscreen tablet that doubles as a controller for adjusting the seat and chaise lounge.
There’s little doubt that these offerings will beat many first-class cabins so the next question is when and where will the new La Premiere be available? It will be introduced in phases on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, starting with flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to New York-JFK in spring 2025. Other destinations, including Singapore, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, will follow in the summer of 2025 (it appears someone forgot to add Seattle. Where's the love Air France?).
As you would expect, the comfort starts long before you board the plane with a chauffeured ride to the airport, where an expansive airport lounge awaits you with delightful cuisine and drinks.
This is definitely the way to travel. Now, all I need to do is convince the powers that be here that our production quality will be better if I fly the new La Premiere.
