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Refresh for Air France long haul business

Published: 21/09/2010 - Filed under: News »

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Air France this morning (September 21) unveiled a €110 million makeover of its business class seat, though it remains angled lie-flat.

Air France says that the new seat has “a new seat structure, offering a lie-flat seat-bed measuring over two metres in length, simpler and more practical controls, new storage space and a new screen in 16:9 format.”

Over the next three years, some 40 Air France aircraft (Airbus A330 and A380, Boeing 777) will be equipped with the new cabins.

The new seat is still built into a fixed shell structure and has an integrated fixed footrest “which offers the passenger a more stable sleeping position when adjusted into the bed position. New relaxation positions, with legs extended, are now also possible including during taxiing, take-off and landing.”

Other features include a “softer” leather headrest, preset positions allowing for the seat to be converted into “a near-horizontal bed, over two metres in length, making it one of the longest beds on the market, and 61 cm wide.” And a new 15-inch video screen, in 16:9 format, featuring the latest-generation in-flight entertainment system offering over 500 hours of programming.

The seat also has a 110 volt plug, compatible with six or seven different plugs, including European and American models, a directional reading light and noise reducing headsets. Amenities include a kit containing travel socks, a sleeping mask and earplugs, a shoe bag and shoe horn, earphone covers, a toothbrush, comb and a Clarins skincare product.

Air France says that this summer it had 101 long-haul aircraft, representing 4,650 business class seats. The business class cabins range in seating capacity between 30 and 80.

For more information visit airfrance.com.

Report by Tom Otley

Facts and figures

• 73% of the customers are men
• 70 % travel on business
• Over 50% of customers have connecting flights at Paris
• 80% are aged between 30 and 60
• 37% of customers are French, 21% North American, 20% European, 10% African-Middle Eastern and 7% Asian.

Read more about...

• Air France
• L'Espace Affaires (Business)

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COMMENTS » 

myspirow - 22/09/2010 02:17

Not much different than current seats. Bigger screen, slimmer seat structure (has to do with reduced weight will save more fuel, I suppose?). How about other aspects; service (not much complain here, but SWISS does it better) and with only 40 aircraft will receive this makeover, it's really hard to see some of these new seats servicing Southeast Asian region in the near future...

StephenLondon - 22/09/2010 08:55

"Nearly horizontal" ... still means slope, wedgie seat, which is damn uncomfortable for sleeping. Silly AF, they just don't seem to want to stretch to 180-degree lie-flat beds...go figure. Yet another carrier desperate to avoid my custom.

travelwell - 22/09/2010 11:03

why dont they do flat beds, you just cannot sleep on "a near-horizontal bed", will they never progress ?

ScottWilson - 22/09/2010 14:56

Let's be clear, as long as AF has the bulk of French based C class traffic it doesn't need to make the effort to go fully lie flat - like Lufthansa in Germany.

The only carriers who beat AF from CDG currently are a few Asian carriers, whereas the US carries that do go flat don't beat AF on soft product. LHR is considered to be too difficult for transit purposes to make BA particularly competitive for that market. LX is perhaps the best competition for AF for this business, but only on the margins. AF will go fully flat when it is almost universal with competition on most of its lucrative routes. LH is the same.

Bear in mind the UK market has benefited from BA and VS going head to head for some years, keeping each other "honest" with a certain level of hard product quality.

skywards - 24/09/2010 07:57

What no fully lie flat seat in this day and age?....that just sums the Air France up for me...we have Etihad and Qatar already upgrading their 180 degree lie flat seats to new 180 degree lie flat seats...it's madness and it will be interesting to see AF facts and figures in the future.

jamesa0330 - 08/01/2011 14:58

Let me tell you from experience, Air France Business Class is NOT WONDERFUL ! AF are not telling the truth, their Biz class seats DO NOT make lie flat beds - the foot end ducks down to squeeze under the seat in front so if you are over 1metre tall/long, the "bed" slides to the floor from the knees down, making you feel sick when trying to sleep! Even the upper portion of the “bed” doesn’t become fully horizontal, so in effect the whole seat reclines within its shell and does NOT lie flat or become totally horizontal. What a rip off, selling “lie flat” and charging for it! Cabin crew agreed with me when I complained ! AF was too cheap to make room for REAL lie flat beds like BA ! DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY !!!!!!!!!!

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