The spacious La Premiere first class suites will encompass a seat, a sofa, and a fully flat bed, providing unparalleled comfort and versatility for travelers.
Air France is elevating its first class experience with a sophisticated and elegant suite design reminiscent of a luxurious French boudoir. The upgraded Boeing 777 La Premiere suites will be more spacious, offering a residential “living space” ambiance with three modular configurations: a seat, a sofa, and a fully flat bed. Early concept sketches suggest the sofa will convert or extend into a bed, providing a unique and innovative feature, akin to Finnair’s revolutionary business class sofa. This new design aims to redefine the luxury travel experience for Air France’s discerning passengers.
In recent years, several airlines, including Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Qantas, have adopted the seat+bed combination in their first-class offerings, moving away from the traditional ‘single berth’ format where the seat converts into a bed. Etihad offers the Airbus A380 Apartments, Singapore Airlines has the A380 Suites, and Qantas introduced its new A350 first class for non-stop Project Sunrise flights to London and New York, all featuring this innovative design.
According to Air France-KLM Chief Executive Benjamin Smith, La Première represents the pinnacle of French excellence and is an integral part of Air France’s identity. The La Première cabin on Boeing 777 flights between Paris and North America is experiencing higher occupancy levels than in 2019. The next-generation La Première suite promises to be the longest in the market, surpassing the 2.3-meter length of the current models, delivering an even more luxurious and spacious experience to its discerning passengers.
Despite the adoption of several modern and luxurious features in the new La Première first-class suite, Air France will retain one distinctive characteristic: the use of a full-length curtain for privacy instead of a sliding door. This unique trait has become a signature of the airline, reflecting its understated air of refinement and sophistication, adding to the overall ambiance of exclusivity and elegance in the cabin.
Scheduled to debut between late 2023 and early 2024, the upcoming La Première suites will carry forward many design elements from the existing version, which was crafted by the renowned London-based firm, PriestmanGoode. The new suites will maintain the essence of the current design while incorporating enhanced features and a fresh take on luxury and comfort for Air France’s discerning first-class travelers.
Interestingly, the initial concept of the La Première suites was conceived by the French agency Yellow Window and was originally proposed to Cathay Pacific as a potential design for their Boeing 777 first-class cabins. However, the concept was not ultimately adopted by Cathay Pacific, and Air France embraced and adapted the idea, resulting in the stylish and sophisticated La Première suites that have become a hallmark of the airline’s premium offering.
Air France is expected to introduce an additional row of its La Première suites on certain Airbus A350 aircraft, signaling an expansion of the premium cabin offering. The airline has emphasized that the new La Première cabin will be installed on a greater number of aircraft than currently available.
Meanwhile, a revamped Air France business class, featuring sliding doors for enhanced privacy, is set to debut in September 2022, initially operating on the Paris to New York route. The complete retrofit of all 12 Boeing 777 aircraft with the new business class is scheduled to be accomplished by 2023.
