Review: Air France La Premiere

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Air France La Premiere’s is regarded as one of the finest travel experiences in commercial aviation today and is renowned for its luxurious and exclusive travel experience. Exclusive comfort, gourmet dining, private lounges, exclusive amenities, and personalized service that ultimately offers a seamless travel experience. Is Air France La Premiere the epitome of first-class travel?

This is a review of my Air France La Premiere experience in June 2024 with a couple of friends and an entire cabin to ourselves.

AF 50
Boeing 777-300
Paris – Washington (CDG – IAD)
Duration: 8h 17m
Seat: 1L + Entire Cabin

Introduction & History

It has been 91 years since Air France’s inaugural flight in Le Bourget. Since then, the French company has had many historic moments, from the golden age of propeller-driven planes to modern jetliners today. The 1950s saw Air France introduce luxury services with first-class offering high-quality dining, spacious seating, and exceptional customer service on long-haul flights.

The La Premiere branding was launched in 1999 with a renewed focus on premium services and marketed as the epitome of air travel. The early 2000s saw refinement to the La Premiere product, and it wasn’t until 2014 that a significant milestone was reached: the introduction of the new La Premiere suite on the Boeing 777s, offering enhancements in privacy, comfort, individual suites, and high-end amenities.

The La Premiere lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport opened in 2016 and offered a dedicated space to first class passengers.

Air France La Première has consistently received high praise in the aviation industry, with glowing reviews and awards. It is frequently recognized for its service, comfort, and style excellence. Let’s take a look at what makes it so special.

Air France La Premiere – End-to-End Exclusivity

Air France’s flagship La Premiere product is an exquisite experience that begins before you arrive at the airport and ends curbside at your destination, an end-to-end premium service. Here is an overview, departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle:

• Chauffeur service within the greater Paris area to Charles De Gaulle airport.
• Upon arrival, a porter takes care of the bags while the passengers are whisked to a private check-in lounge. Here, they can sit, relax, and have a coffee while the check-in formalities are completed.
• A private ground journey to the La Premiere lounge via a dedicated security channel or enjoy an interlude at a private suite (for a fee) prior.
• The La Premiere lounge, where passengers can be pampered with complimentary spa services by Sisley, fine cocktails and wines, Michelin-starred dishes by three-time Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, and perhaps a celebrity sighting or two.
• Simplified passage through private security and immigration checkpoints to an awaiting Porche Cayenne that will chauffeur to the aircraft.
• On board, the dedicated La Premiere crew will care for its exclusive passengers with personalized service throughout the flight experience.
• Upon arrival, La Première passengers receive priority disembarkation from the aircraft. An Air France escort will meet the passengers and assist them with the arrival process, including helping with baggage claim.  If the customer has a connecting flight, they can use the La Première lounge again if one is available.

Air France La Premiere – Routes

Air France flies its La Premiere product to/from 14 destinations from its Paris Chars-de-Gaulle hub aboard the Boeing 777. I chose to fly La Premiere from Paris to Washington to optimize the cost of the trip and ensure it was the most organic travel experience possible.

Air France La Premiere – Booking Process

The La Premiere product can only be booked as a redemption through Flying Blue, Air France’s reward program. In addition, only Air France Platinum members can book this redemption. Unfortunately, if you do not hold Platinum status, you are out of luck unless you have an acquaintance with Platinum status who is willing to book it for you.

For the whole gamut of options on how to fly La Premiere and how you could status match to Flying Blue Platinum, head over to this article: What did you book? – Air France La Premiere First and JetBlue Mint. I’ve also further dived into the costs of various routes, including marrying two La Premiere flights together.

The booking process is the same as any other flying blue redemption process. The cost for a La Premiere varies dynamically and on the route. Here’s a breakdown of costs at the lowest price possible for each route:

• Paris – Los Angeles: 294,000 + $414
• Paris – Singapore: 285,500 + $341
• Paris – Tokyo: 305,500 + $341
• Paris – Dubai: 150,000 + $235.80
• Paris – Washington: 155,500 + $402.10

I booked the Washington route since it was priced the best and organically fit my travel plans.  I booked a window seat, 1L, while my friends Mike and Diana booked into 1A and 1E. As luck would have it, no one booked 1F, and we had the entire cabin to ourselves!

 

 

Air France La Premiere – Ground Experience and Lounge (5/5)

I’ll kick off a review with the ground experience. This is where Air France La Premiere truly shines above all others!

While my ground experience began at the Charles de Gaulle airport with an arrival from another Air France flight, my friends Mike and Diana’s experience started with the complimentary chauffeur service from their Park Hyatt Vendome hotel in the heart of Paris.

They arrived at the airport an hour later, and a porter helped them carry their luggage to the private check-in lounge.

Our flight was just a few weeks shy of the new La Premiere check-in lounge opening, so my review is of the old one.

I was greeted at the La Premiere entrance inside the terminal.  Once my flight details were confirmed, I was permitted to enter the exclusive check-in lounge. I arrived at 6:30 a.m. for my 1:40 p.m. departure to ensure sufficient time to enjoy the ground services. There was no check-in desk or baggage belt, and I explored the lounge while sipping on my latte as the check-in formalities were completed.

Unfortunately, my friends had an initial poor experience checking in. One of their bags was overweight, and they were told it could not be checked in. Quite the shock, right? You are flying La Premiere and cannot have a slightly overweight bag? The rules felt quite strict. But rules are rules, I guess.

The tables turned quickly when Air France gifted them a brand new bag to move their extra belongings into, ensuring all bags were under the maximum weight limit. Now, this is quite impressive. Wow, what a nice gesture by Air France!

After finishing my latte, it was time to continue the journey.  I was escorted through a private walkway to an exclusive La Premiere security entryway, which bypassed the regular queue and used specially marked security screening bins. I was through within minutes. After that, it was straight to the La Premiere Lounge.

Air France La Premiere – Lounge (5/5)

The Air France La Première lounge is an exceptionally exclusive airline lounge that takes the experience to the next level. It offers Michelin-starred cuisine, exquisite drinks and cocktails, a Spa by Sisley, rest and shower areas, and most importantly, exclusivity with ample space for relaxation without being crowded.

As soon as I walked into the lounge, it was evident that the patrons here were not your usual business people or the wealthy. The crowd here was of a different calibre, and one could easily catch sight of a celebrity or two while visiting. In fact, there were two of them in the lounge with us!

The main sitting area of the lounge is divided into different sections. First is the main sitting area as you enter the lounge:

The second is in the right corner, a quieter area, where we spend most of our time.

Near the entrance is another small sitting area that can be roped off, I assume for VVIP?

The washrooms, showers, quiet area, sleep area, and Sisley Spa are located towards the back of the lounge.

As I had arrived early off a red-eye flight, my first order of business was to take a nap. There are 2 “beds” hidden in the back of the rest area; a pillow and blanket are provided. While the bed isn’t the most comfortable for a first-class lounge (compared to Qatar, Swiss, or Singapore First class), it was okay for a couple of hours of sleep.

After my nap, I needed to shower. The shower room itself was well-sized and equipped with Sisley products. The leather walls are notable, as they added an element of luxuriousness to the otherwise plain shower bathroom.

Speaking of bathrooms, I liked the design of the regular bathrooms. Each of the three is a private room designed in a circular shape with padded leather walls.

Each La Premiere guest is entitled to a 15-minute complimentary facial at the Spa, and further upgrades are available, albeit not cheap. The cosmetic products Air France provides its La Premiere guests are by Sisley, which, if you are not aware, is a very high-end brand from France. A simple lip balm can run upward of $70! It was my first facial experience, and while it was nice, it certainly didn’t hit the spot as a regular massage. I’m sure the ladies would appreciate it more than I did.

In the dining area, located to the left of the main lounge, you can find a variety of à la carte offerings and self-serve small snacks on display. There is also a selection of premium water brands for those who enjoy sampling different ones.

During my extended stay at the lounge, I had the chance to enjoy breakfast and lunch. The menus are below.

 

 

The food served in the lounge was not the typical “lounge food.” It is fine dining with menu items by Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse. I believe one of the dishes, the Elbow pasta with ham and black truffle, has received a Michelin star.  My dining experience in the La Premiere Paris lounge was by far the finest and most exquisite I have had in a lounge. Every dish was cooked to perfection and full of flavour. I may have to fly to La Premiere again to have the eggs benedict, which were the best of 2024!

Needless to say, the three of us were completely satisfied with the food served at La Premiere, which was amongst the best, if not the best, lounge food we have ever had!

While waiting to be called for boarding, or I mean to be driven to our aircraft, we decided to try many superb wines and cocktail offerings.

Finally, it was time to head to our aircraft. Before we parted, the La Premiere staff packed some goodies to take home.

Since my friends and I were on separate bookings, we chose to be escorted separately to the aircraft, which meant two Porsche vehicles. First, we were escorted down an elevator to private immigration to receive our EU exit stamp.

Then, it was out the doors right to our Porche Cayennes that awaited us.

Being chauffeured in your private car on the tarmac to your plane never gets old. It truly feels exclusive.

After arriving at our aircraft, we took an obligatory photo, went up an elevator to the bridge, and boarded the plane. We were the last passengers to board, so we didn’t see anyone else getting on the aircraft. It felt like the entire plane was ours! And, let’s not forget, the three of us had the whole First Class cabin for ourselves!

Air France La Premiere – Onboard Experience (5/5)

Let me preface that having an entire cabin skewed my onboard experience assessment. If I were a solo traveller, my onboard experience would be far from perfect (5/5), and I would give it 4/5 at best. Continue reading as I highlight where the fault lies.

Upon entering the La Premiere first-class cabin, I thought, “Wow, this space is small.” With only four seats, it feels exclusive, but travelling alone would be less private due to the lack of doors and only a curtain (more on that later). Focusing on the positive, Air France’s bright and refreshing colour palette offers a subtle luxury I appreciate. The seats are very comfortable and similar to those installed in first-class cabins of other airlines, such as Qatar First Class.

Once we had taken many photos, we were greeted by our two flight attendants and purser. The pilot also came out and greeted us, which was a welcome gesture. I enjoyed a nice glass of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle and some nuts.

The amenity kit by Sisley was solid, offering some excellent products inside.

Pyjamas were provided, which were very comfortable. It had an etching of the Air France Winged Seahorse.

Slippers and a comfortable pair of Denon headphones were also provided.

Shoes could be stored in the drawer below the footrest, which also can double for a 2nd passenger to sit.

Once in the air, we enjoyed canapes, including caviar, champagne, and various wines. I must note how pathetic the caviar offering was compared to competitors: two pieces of blini, a small scoop of caviar, and creme fraiche.

We all decided to rest before having dinner because we were still full from our meals in the La Premiere lounge. The flight attendants promptly made our beds upon request. The bed was very comfortable, with a lovely duvet, high thread count cotton sheets, and pillows.

The La Premiere seat is unique because it can be fully enclosed from floor to ceiling, much like the Emirates First Class “Gamechanger.” However, this is achieved using a partially see-through curtain, which does not offer complete privacy, which is unfortunate.

Although curtains add a dimension of warmth, I would have preferred a door in this configuration. If a stranger neighbour sat next to me and their curtain was not drawn, it would not provide adequate privacy.

The privacy offered by the La Premiere seat is a fallacy. While this did not matter for this flight with my friends, it would be very disappointing and would not meet my expectations if I travelled alone.

Before going to bed, I decided to try out the entertainment system. It had a decent selection of recent movies and TV shows but not as extensive as the Emirates ICE system or Qatar’s Oryx One. It’s suitable for an 8-hour flight, though. Keep in mind that the seats are almost a decade old. The screens in First Class are high-definition (HD) but not 4K. Also, there are only USB-A ports and no USB-C ports.

After a couple of hours of solid sleep, it was time to dine and evaluate the quality of the dishes.

First up was the chilled creamy cucumber soup that surprisingly tasted pretty good. But was it memorable? No.

The soup was followed by the duck foie gras starter, your average fois gras fare. Was it memorable? No.

I ordered the Roast Filet of Beef with Truffle Meat Jus as the main dish. The beef tasted fine, but I have had much better on other airlines. Was it memorable? No.

I also ordered a “Create your own Salad” to accompany my main dish, which came with some dressing. How did it taste? It was a salad. Was it memorable? No. Do you see a pattern forming here?

Finally, as we moved over to the cheeses and dessert, I was finally impressed.  First up was the cheese plate. My flight attendant presented a slab of cheeses to choose from, and suffice to say, they were all delicious.

This was followed by a presentation of desserts to choose from. I indulged in the Strawbery and Yuzu Cake, the Opera Cake, and the Ice Cream, all of which exceeded my expectations.

My flight attendant insisted I try the Pear Brandy by Eau-de-vie de poire. I’m usually not fond of brandy, but this was truly spectacular. I was handed several bottles of the Pear Brandy to take home, along with many chocolates and candies—such a nice gesture; thank you!

The rest of the flight involved shenanigans at 35,000 feet, which cannot be written about. Rest assured, it was a fun time with my friends, with impeccable service by the flight attendants throughout. Again, having the cabin entirely to ourselves allowed us to move around freely and enjoy ourselves.

This flight will go down memory lane as one of the best flight experiences ever.

Air France La Premiere – Ground Experience (Washington) (5/5)

Normally, ground experience at the destination would not warrant a section to write about. However, La Premiere staff in Washington went above and beyond and made our layover special.

My itinerary for the day was such that I had a connection on United Airlines, a separate booking, 6 hours later. My original plan was to use one or many of the plethora of lounges in Washington, including Turkish Airlines (using my Star Alliance gold status), Capital One Lounge, and Chase Sapphire Lounge. However, my plans were deterred, as I’ll explain.

After landing at Washington Dulles, I was greeted at the aircraft door by a dedicated Air France escort who did more than expected. First, she carried my luggage as she escorted me through the terminal and customs. Although I had a connection on a different airline, she continued to escort me through security and to a boarding gate for an earlier United flight that I was attempting to stand by for.

Unfortunately, the standby did not clear, and my Air France escort invited me to use the Air France lounge, specifically the dedicated La Premiere section, for the next 6 hours.  Say what!?  This was not what I expected, but I gladly obliged and ditched plans to visit the other lounges.  I guess my Air France experience wasn’t yet over! Shortly after, Mike & Diana also joined me in the lounge.

The lounge itself wasn’t anything like Paris. However,  we had a large private room with a dedicated staff member to look after our needs, a la carte dining, and fantastic tarmac vies! Two different types of champagne were offered.

Here is the a la carte dining menu. I ordered the risotto, which was quite good!

Air France La Premiere – Service (5/5)

Service, or the soft product is an important topic to discuss for Air France La Premiere. To my surprise, the service we received from every Air France staff member was exemplary. In many respects, it surpassed service on some Asian carriers, which really surprised me.

Poor First Class service is when staff work like robots (hello NH F). Good first class service is when airline staff provide personalized and anticipatory services. Some airlines, like Emirates, have a customer profile that is amended after each flight and is reviewed by the purser and flight attendant(s) who will look after you. This enables them to provide more personalized service. I don’t know if Air France does the same, but I can tell you that all La Premiere staff were excellent in reading our character types and providing service accordingly.

Within the past 12 months, I’ve had the opportunity to fly a plethora of top-tier First Class products, including Emirates First (4x), Etihad First Class Apartments and The Residence, Singapore First Suites, Japan Airlines First (2x, including the new A350), and Lufthansa First Class. When comparing La Premiere to these products, I can confidently say that Air France’s service ranks near the top.

Bottom Line

It’s important to remember that every first-class product has pros and cons that appeal to each person differently. Privacy may not be important for one person, but it may be for another, for example. As such, the best first-class product is subjective.

Air France La Premiere left me with mixed impressions. On the one hand, this was one of the best flight experiences I’ve ever had since I got to share it with my friends in an entire cabin with ourselves. On the other hand, the experience would not have been perfect if I were alone.  The pitfalls include the lack of privacy with curtains, food that was frankly lacklustre compared to the lounge, poor caviar offering, and an old entertainment system.

Bottom line,  fly Air France La Premiere for its phenomenal ground experience and not for in the air.