Air France Debuts New Fees for Its Front-Row Business Suite Seats. Here’s What’s Changing.

If you’ve flown Air France business class, you probably know that selecting a preferred seat usually comes with a fee — even when you book with points.

However, that option is now coming to an end, as Air France is beginning to charge for its most spacious front-row Business Suite seats, part of a broader industry trend.

Here’s how the new policy works and what it means for your next flight.

Air France Updates Business Suite Seat Selection Rules

These front-row bulkhead seats, which Air France now brands as Business Suites, have always been among the most popular in the cabin, thanks to their extra space and more open layout.

For years, travelers could still snag them for free by waiting until 72 hours before departure, as long as space was available. I even used this approach on a recent Air France flight to grab a bulkhead seat with noticeably more room.

That flexibility is now gone.

Air France has changed how these seats are assigned, and most passengers now need to pay if they want one. This follows the airline’s broader updates to business-class seat selection, which now charges business-class customers to choose their seats in advance.

Under the new policy, only Flying Blue Ultimate members can select these seats for free. All other travelers — including Platinum elites — now have to pay a seat-selection fee, which typically runs around $230 one-way, depending on the route. The fee applies from the time of booking all the way up until departure, fully replacing the old complimentary window of 72 hours prior to departure.

One important exception remains: Flights to and from the U.S. aren’t affected yet, as Air France uses a different fee structure for seats on those routes. Air France hasn’t indicated if or when U.S. routes will undergo the same change, but in the past, the airline has eventually carried over alterations like these to the U.S. after rolling them out elsewhere.

Final Thoughts

Air France’s move to charge for its front-row Business Suite seats officially closes a long-standing loophole, shifting the cost back to travelers who want the extra space. Flying Blue’s top-tier elites continue to receive these seats for free, but everyone else must now decide whether the upgrade is worth the added fee.

Since U.S. routes aren’t affected … yet … you can still wait until 72 hours prior to departure to hopefully snag one of the coveted bulkhead seats. However, the bigger takeaway here is that airlines continue to charge for premium seat selection, so it’s worth double-checking what your fare actually includes before booking.