This is the best business class seat in the world, there is no doubt about it
Before opening The Flight Club my daily source of news about the world of points and award tickets [...]
Air France
SkyTeam
Before opening The Flight Club my daily source of news about the world of points and award tickets were the American sites like The Points Guy and One Mile at a Time. In fact between the two I always preferred OMAAT because I always liked Ben Schlappig's editorial line better. Few markups and lots of content.
In this article:
Ben and I have a Similar philosophy on travel and reviews, but a very different editorial line. He when he travels posts all reviews in bulk, in many cases while he is still traveling, I put one review a week online and often then months pass between when I fly and when I post the content.
In recent days he took the same flight as me, but in the opposite direction, and had the same feeling as me: "Air France's new business class seat is the best in the world." indeed mine was even better than his.
I said armchair not cabin, much less experience
Before the fanboys of Qatar or other companies go wild. I recommend reading the title of this article carefully.
I wrote armchair, I didn't write cabin. They are two extremely different things. Because in one case it is an objective, unquestionable fact, namely the chair.
In the other, we talk about an expanded concept to the whole plane, thus to all seats, Which is still something other than "best business class in the world" which instead encompasses the whole experience: ashore, onboard, catering and, of course, in-flight service.
Air France's new business class
I had written several articles about the debut of this cabin in late 2022. A redesign that Air France had announced both as a modernization of the older cabins of the 777s, in fact the first aircraft to be modernized were the 777 "Caribbean" ones that had the 2-3-2 configuration.
And which was simultaneously being installed on all new aircraft being delivered for the French company. The first flight was a Paris New York and since then there has been a continuous growth of planes with this cabin, and now, more than 12 months later, it's very common to fly in these seats, which is why in recent days I booked and tried (finally) this cabin.
For the sake of the record, and pending Experience the new business class seat on ITA Airways' A321. the title of best business class on a single aisle belongs to JetBlue and its A321lr.
The best business class seat in the world is from Air France
In recent months we have seen several new booths debut around the world, Unfortunately, almost none of these carriers fly to Italy, and if they do fly there, they don't (yet) use these products, perhaps only Etihad also occasionally brings its suites to Rome or Milan.
From Virgin Atlantic with its A330neo a Japan Airlines with the new A350/1000 are some nicer products that have popped up recently on board the different companies. Looking forward to the revolution that should come along with the 777x it is Air France, in my opinion, that has literally broken the bank.
In this case it should definitely be said that not all business class seats are the same, indeed. Here we are in a supeior category, a kind of Premium Business.
777 and A350 have two similar but different seats produced by two different manufacturers Safran (Boeing) and Stelia (Airbus).
On board the A350s and 777/300s. there are 8 special chairs, 8 seats that give the passenger an experience completely different from all others on the same plane.
These are the seats in the first row, or in the two first rows since the business class cabin is divided into two on both planes. If you normally tend to prefer the central part of the cabin, to be away from galley and bathrooms, Here you have to choose the first row instead.
As mentioned they are the first row of the two cabins, row 1 and 9 on Boeing 777/300s and row 1 and 10 on A350s, to be sure I always recommend consulting the Aerolopa bible.
But be careful because Row 1 is still different from the one in the second cabin, because it has more space and It also has a small closet, Which is not present in the second cabin.
The envy of other passengers
The first thing I noticed is. the amazement (mixed with envy) of other passengers who, while boarding, wondered why they had not chosen this seat, and the reason could be simply one: they could not choose it.
Air France KLM changed during 2023 the fares and now those who do not have the status have to pay for their choice of seat, even in business class. On the other hand, those who possess an elite level have the option of choosing free. This is not new British Airways has been doing this for years, and LH group companies also have similar rules, as do a great many other carriers.
In order to reserve these chairs you must be at least Gold in the Flying Blue program, if you own this card or an even higher one, then you will have the opportunity to select these chairs for free. All other passengers cannot book them even for a fee until 72h before flight departure, in the map in fact they may show as unbookable or occupied. In the first case it means that they are still vacant and not booked by anyone, and only in the last 3 days before takeoff will they be freely optionable.
What is so special about these chairs
It would be too easy to say the space. There are front rows that have something similar, such as on the Singapore Airlines' A350. Here, however, we are at another level.
The wall and door are not as high as on the Qsuite, but the door in business is just a matter of fashion, now is the must that defines a cool product from an average product.
What makes the difference is the space that is twice as large as all the other passengers seated in the other rows and of all other business class seats on the market today.
I'm not just talking about legroom, but living space. Storage space with the ability to also accommodate a traveling companion to chat or play cards.
In addition to this there is all the non plus ultra that a geek can look for aboard an airplane: electrochromic windows, wireless cell phone charging, a tablet with which to manage the entire chair, 4k screen with Bluetooth connectivity, and even a small closet in which to hang one's jacket.
If the technology is the same for everyone aboard these planes, it is the space that is unique and makes this chair the best in the world.
In conclusion
Now that I have flown for the first time (as a paying customer, as I usually do). I can't wait to fly there again, try the other seats, the regular ones, and aboard the 777s as well.
