Air France 777
Air France-KLM continuously invests in new aircraft. A modern fleet allows the Group to offer its passengers enhanced comfort, generate significant fuel savings and meet its corporate sustainability commitments by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution for residents. On their 777-200 aircraft, Air France has a total of 40 business class seats. They’re spread across 10 rows, in a 1-2-1 configuration. There are seven rows of seats in the forward cabin. Air France 777 business class cabin.
Flight AF374
Paris (CDG) to Vancouver (YVR)
Departure time: 10:15 AM
Arrival time: 12:30 PM
Air France 777-200lr
Boeing 777-300ER
Air France 777 Seat Map
Seat 38L (economy)
Upon arrival in Paris after the flight from Nairobi on Kenya Airways, we had a three-hour connection. To start with, we had to transfer to terminal 2E, a short train ride away, to get to our gate. Security at CDG is done at each individual terminal, and there are many terminals in the airport. The line at 2E was quite short, and we were through in a matter of minutes. After security, we still had two and a half hours of our layover remaining, so I decided to do some planespotting. CDG has decent planespotting through the windows at 2E, as one bank of windows has an unobstructed view of two parallel taxiways, which provides for a steady flow of traffic from a variety of airlines including Air France, Joon, EasyJet, and Air Mauritius. Other terminals at the airport also have good planespotting through the windows, as do the trains, however, you will have to go through security again if you wish to visit these locations.
After about two hours, people began to line up at the counter for the Vancouver flight. Boarding was relatively quick, considering the size of our aircraft. Our flight was upgraded from a Boeing 777-200ER to a larger 777-300ER, which has a higher passenger capacity. However, the downside to this was that our aircraft featured Air France’s old Business class seats, which are angle-lie-flat beds in a 2-2-2 configuration – not the most comfortable arrangement for sleeping or privacy. Fortunately, the aircraft was fitted with the airline’s updated premium economy and economy class cabins. The new economy seats are slimline seats upholstered in black leather. These seats were quite comfortable throughout the roughly ten-hour flight, as they have good padding. Waiting at each seat were a blanket, a pillow, a pair of headphones, an eyeshade, and a dinner menu. I was pleasantly surprised to see a menu and eyeshade in economy, as most airlines do not offer these amenities. The headphones were pretty standard. The blanket and pillow were quite comfortable, and further improved the comfort of the seat.
The menu read as follows for our flight:
Shortly after boarding finished, the captain announced that we would have a slight delay while more bags were being loaded. After about a 10-minute delay, the safety video was screened. Air France has a very creative France-themed safety video, which I enjoyed watching.
After a short taxi, we waited, as we were numberthree for takeoff. As soon as the British Airways A321 in front of us took off,we blasted off towards Vancouver. Shortly after takeoff, the crew switched offthe seatbelt sign. About 30 minutes after that, flight attendants came throughthe cabin with the drink service. I think this flight was somewhat understaffeddue to the switch to the larger plane, as there were only four flightattendants serving our economy section and the mini cabin in front. Because ofthis, service was probably a bit slower than normal, which was fine. After thedrink service, the crew handed out the meals. I chose the chicken, which wasperfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. The sauce was flavorful, and therice was well-cooked. The chicken was served with a delicious vegetable salad,a fresh bun with camembert cheese and butter, a bottle of water, and a gooeychocolate lava cake.
This meal really impressed me, as I was notexpecting such an elaborate and scrumptious meal in economy class on AirFrance.
Air France 777 Premium Economy
After the meal service concluded, I watched a few movies on the inflight entertainment. Air France’s entertainment has a large selection and a responsive touchscreen system. There was no shortage of recent movies, TV shows, Music and more. Additionally, Air France has a nose camera on its 777s, which provides an interesting view during the flight.
I also checked out the self-serve area in front of the galley, named “Le Bar” by the airline. Air France provides a wide selection of savory and sweet snacks, as well as a giant drinks area including alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices. During the cruise, the crew came around with chocolate-dipped ice cream bars, which were absolutely heavenly, if on the small side. I have never been served ice cream in economy before, so this was quite a treat.
After a few hours, it was time for the breakfast service. The cabin crew turned up the lights around two hours before landing, and shortly thereafter breakfast was served. The meal was offered in a paper bag and consisted of a delicious mushroom and gorgonzola sandwich, a madeleine biscuit, a container of yogurt and a drink of peach juice.
The meal was delicious and was the perfect way to end an excellent culinary experience on Air France.
After the conclusion of the meal, we started our descent into Vancouver. Before I knew it, we had landed and were taxiing to our gate. A great experience on Air France had come to an end. The amazing food, comfortable seats, and expansive entertainment selection really made the flight enjoyable, and I would not hesitate to fly Air France again in the future. While the airline needs to do some work on their Business class product, the entire fleet is in the process of being reconfigured, so the new seats should be onboard most aircraft soon.
All images provided by the author unless otherwise noted
Air France 777-200
Featured image courtesy of Andre Junior / Aeronautics Online