Aboard the world's most exclusive first-class cabin. My experience in Air France's La Premiere

First class has almost disappeared from the world of air transportation. In Europe it is offered only by British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss and Air France. In the rest of the world, too, it is increasingly rare to find this cabin on board planes. In the U.S. only American Airlines offers it, Qatar has decided that its QSuite is better, Etihad only has it on a scanty number of planes. The queen is definitely Emirates, which on its A380s also offers First Class passengers shower facilities and has First Class on almost its entire fleet. It is still popular in the East and Asia where it is offered by many carriers.

Today, however, let's talk about the one that is probably the most exclusive of all, That is, La Premiere, Air France's first class. It is only available on a few 777/300s that have just four seats each.

The ticket

A La Premiere ticket costs that much, never less than 6 thousand euros each way. As I have written many times before, I would never spend that much money on an airline ticket, however, if I can get the same ticket by spending 1,000 euros then everything changes.

The basis of this game is to take advantage of opportunities. This ticket is very expensive if paid cash, approximately 7/8000 euros, very difficult and equally expensive to book with Flyng Blue miles: you need 200k and you have to be Gold minimum. I took the third option. I peeled off a prize ticket during one of the frequent Air France and KLM loyalty program offers, and at a cost of 39,750 points + tax, I secured a seat aboard 777.

Needless to say, I generated the points. using my American Express credit cards and that the transfer from Flying Blue Points Membership Rewards materialized in less than 24 hours.

Then all I had to do was wait for check-in to open. and hope that the small cabin, which can hold a maximum of 4 passengers, would not fill up in the meantime.

And my gamble paid off: when there were 30 hours to go before the departure of the flight there were still 4 seats available. I thus immediately accepted the offer to pay for Upgrade from business class to Premiere for a cost of €1,089, while I didn't even consider paying the 136,100 FB miles at all. requested as an alternative to cash payment (with the same points I can book 3 intercontinental flights).

On the ground

If you leave from France, there is a limousine service that picks you up in front of your house to take you to the airport, but in my case instead the trip began at Linate.

I arrive at the check-in counters, show my passport, and 10 seconds later the already polite business class check-in clerk becomes even more polite: "I have a Premiere" these were the words to my colleague who immediately came to greet me.

I had no luggage to check in, and after 3 minutes I had my tickets in hand, ready to begin my journey.

The check-in attendant apologized for the lack of a suitable lounge at Linate and asked if I wanted to be escorted to the independent lounge at Linate. Unfortunately yet another confirmation that ITA is not yet part of Skyteam's 100%.

He told me, however, that he would pick me up as soon as boarding opened.

I thus headed to the lounge, where more or less 20 minutes later I saw the AF attendant arrive and escort me to the gate. Unfortunately, as is often the case at Linate, the flight was departing from a remote park and the plane was therefore not connected to the terminal.

Let's say I would have expected preferential treatment, instead I had to take the bus like everyone else. No big deal, the flight from Linate to Paris literally flew by, of course this leg was in business, the classic intra-EU business class. Without infamy or praise.

In Paris

As soon as I opened the door of the Airbus, I jumped out of the plane, I knew full well what was in store for me, and above all, I absolutely wanted to enjoy every last moment of the experience. What makes La Premiere special compared to all other airlines is AF's treatment of the few passengers who have the privilege of flying in this cabin every day.

Outside the door of the plane was a stewardess waiting for me, she was holding a tablet with my last name written on it. "Bonjour c'est moi," and less than a minute later we had descended from an outside ladder of the finger headed for the car waiting to take me to the La Premiere passenger lounge.

Riding around an airport in a limousine is crazy cool, especially if you are as sick of planes and airports as I am. You notice details you might not normally see.The ride took about 10 minutes, but I would have gladly taken two more rides.

In lounge

Upon arriving at the lounge parking lot, the attendant first escorted me into the lounge, then took my ID and took care of the paperwork.

I didn't even think such a thing was legal, and instead she took my passport and went to document control for me, she came back 5 minutes later and told me, "All done." Finally before saying goodbye, she asked me about my boarding preferences, "First, indifferent or last minute."

Passengers are taken on board according to their preferences. I said I would like to get on board as soon as possible and we said goodbye.

The lounge at La Premiere is super exclusive, but it is not comparable to the British Airways Concorde Roomlet alone what Emirates and Qatar offer.

What does change is the size; Air France has less than 100 La Premiere seats, and even assuming a high fill rate with planes around the world, you are unlikely to see more than 50 passengers in this room at once.

Hall that offers everything: a restaurant curated by Alain Ducasse, a spa, bathrooms and tea rooms. In short, everything one could want. Too bad only to have visited it at breakfast time and not lunch time, when the menu and wine list could definitely make a difference. It will be for next time.

However, I delighted in an omelette "bavouse" as Chef Barbieri likes it and some brioches.

Of course, I didn't pass up the free half-hour massage, partly because the staff is super professional and the Replay products are 5-star.

The three hours between the two flights literally flew by, and here there was a small short circuit. The attendant who was supposed to take care of my transportation had an emergency and was therefore replaced: in the change they missed my preference to board first.

Not too bad. The second car was a Q7, also dark blue with red La Premiere lettering on the side. This zig zag around the Paris Charles De Gaulle airport was also beautiful, I was like the classic kid in the candy store.

We parked between two 777/300s, the largest aircraft in the fleet with Air France And the only one with first class set up. This time, however, no ladder, but elevator to the finger.

As we were getting on, the attendant said, "Do you know you will be the only passenger on board?" Of course she meant first class, not the plane.

When the elevator door opened we were faced with the other passengers who were already boarding, of course for La Premiere passengers there is a dedicated finger and for this flight it was just for me.

On board

La Premiere's cabin is in no way comparable to what Emirates offers on both the A380 and the newest gamechanger aboard some 777s. But the difference here is service.

However, things will soon change because. From next October, the new cabin will go into service, an updated version of the current one. It will not be a momentous change, but an evolution of the space to date. So no suites and sliding doors, the curtain beam will remain. It will, however, increase the space on board. If today you have 4 windows, the new seat will have as many as 5 available.

The chair in detail

I had assigned myself the 1k spot, but this was a special flight: since I was the only passenger on board this flight to travel in La Premiere, I had all 4 seats available, although I ended up using only 3 of them.

There is plenty of space in all respects. If desired, the chair in front can become a seat for a guest to dine with, as in a restaurant.

Also because the table is huge and made of solid wood. Being alone Geraldine, the Premiere booth attendant, kindly set the table for me in the chair next to mine.

So I didn't have to close my office for lunch!

In addition to the hatbox, there is a cockpit in the seat structure, a second cockpit that hides the power outlets and television controller, and a drawer under the front seat. Let's say there is enough room for a family of 3.

Each chair also has a small locker, where you can hang your jacket and shirt and arrive perfectly pressed at your destination.

There is no shortage of stylish touches such as abat-jours , one for each passenger.

The seat is controlled from the button panel hidden in the console. Here we see the need for a refresh given the wear and tear. Unfortunately, the only thing missing were the aeration nozzles, but I didn't miss them.

Even the coffee table comes out of the console, the size is really generous as you can see from the 13″ notebook above.

Of course, the chair becomes a bed, but I did not have to take care of preparing it. It was always taken care of by the fantastic cabin attendant who, again so as not to disturb me, prepared my bed for the night in chair 1a, so much so that the cabin was all for me.

Not only does the chair become a bed, but a 2-inch mattress is also put on top, and it really feels like a bed in a 5-star hotel.

Even the sheets are embroidered with the winged horse, the symbol of Air France.

Also available to first class passengers, so just for me, is a bathroom. Nothing fancy or comparable to Emirates' shower, but even EK doesn't offer anything different aboard 777s.

The Service

In this case one should say it is the service that makes the difference. I will hardly have a better trip than this to Mexico City, although between just over a month I will be aboard the brand new First Class Suite on Singapore Airlines' A380, But I don't think it will be able to match this trip.

I was pampered the whole time, certainly the fact that I was the only passenger on board this 777/300 also had a huge impact. Before takeoff, the captain also came by to greet me and assured me that we would not encounter any turbulence and that the flight would be smooth all the way to our destination, he also invited me to hop in the cockpit.

Not even time to sit down that I had already been served An excellent glass of Pommery Louise 2005, 140 euros a bottle along with some caviar. Considering that British proposes Grand Siecle e Emirates and many others offering Dom Perignon, I expected better etiquette aboard this flight.

Immediately afterwards, the beauty kit and pajamas were brought to me. The nice thing is that this was the first day on which the new kit was distributed, definitely nicer than the previous one and with very high quality products.

The attentions went on throughout the entire trip. In Air France they must have a telepathy system in the first class cabin, all you had to do was think of one thing and immediately the staff would pop up to fulfill the request.

The treats before bedtime were a real eye-opener.

Food & Beverage

Everything is great, even the menu is designed to impress and to make you forget that you are on board an airplane and not in a 5-star hotel with a starred restaurant attached.

Of course you can eat when you want, and what you want. The important thing to know is that it will be impossible to be left without a choice of your favorite dish, this is because AF's catering prepares an option of each dish for all passengers on board. So if all 4 passengers order the same menu no one will be left without it. Personally, however, I prefer to give a different interpretation. It is possible to taste the entire menu, like in a classy all you can eat, where no one will complain if we ordered the filet without finishing the risotto.

As mentioned, my restaurant was in the seat next to my office, an "illegal" thing.

As an appetizer, I opted for the crab rolls. Excellent

For the main course I ordered a filet with rare cooking. And it arrived perfect, as sometimes not even in brasseries can prepare.

I then concluded with a cheese tasting and some warm bread. The nice thing about the bread was that it was changed for me 3 times during lunch, each time fresh, freshly baked bread arrived and cold bread was taken away.

Not knowing what to choose for dessert, I got them all. Two pies, the fruit salad, and a bowl of ice cream. SPACES.

Needless to say, I asked for a wine tasting that coordinated with my menu, and so 4 bottles of wine were opened on purpose, just for me.

End the meal Italian style with an Illy espresso: there is a coffee machine on board (the same one I have at home) and these waffles are a guarantee, even if used in France. When I got up from the table, I felt like a stuffed duck ready to be put in the oven.

About 2 hours after landing, feeling peckish, I asked if I could have a snack. And in less than 5 minutes my table was perfectly set and ready for the second service of the day.

From fois gras to apple pie, let's say I gained a minimum of one kilogram with this flight, but I came down extremely happy.

IFE

The in-flight entertainment system is almost useless; it is like booking a 5-star hotel and staying in the room watching TV.

Perhaps given the distance and space available, the screen could also be slightly larger. Let's say at least a decade or so more.

It is touch, but it is too far away, so better to use the supplied remote control to operate it.

Controller and headphones are hidden in the frame beside the chair. The headphones are Denon and are of excellent quality, but I, as always, use my wireless adapter and live peacefully (and wirelessly).

There are two cameras on board this 777, one showing what is happening in front and one showing what is happening underneath the plane. Then there is of course the classic 3d virtual map.

There is wi-fi and La Premiere passengers have free unlimited connection, included in the ticket price.

In conclusion

Speechless, everything beyond my wildest expectations. From the first second until I disembarked in Mexico City, I was escorted to retrieve my luggage and escorted to customs control, then a cab took me to the other terminal where I was waiting for the last flight of the day to Cancun.

Now I can't wait to try it again. Of course, this year I already have the first of Singapore, Qatar and Emirates on my schedule, but this Premiere has really entered my heart.

• first class
• the premiere