Air France Unveils New La Première First Class, Confirms New York as First Destination

When it comes to first class, it doesn’t get much more exclusive and chic than Air France’s La Première.

And it’s about to get even better, as France’s flag carrier unveiled its latest iteration at an event today in Paris. The new product promises to take the passenger experience to new levels of luxury and exclusivity.

It’s a wonder there was even room to improve this world-leading product, which is known for its elegant design, hand-picked cabin crew, and some of the finest cuisine in the sky.

However, we’re dealing with Air France, so of course, they found a way. Here’s what you need to know!

Air France’s New La Première: The Details

Air France’s new La Première cabins will be installed in 19 of the airline’s workhorse Boeing 777-300 aircraft.

These aircraft operate some of the carrier’s most important routes, including Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Miami (MIA).

Like the current version, the cabins will still feature 4 seats. However, with a total area of around 38 square feet, Air France has still managed to increase the space available in the new suites by around 25%.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the updates.

Stand-Out Features

If you were happy with 4 windows, then you’ll be very happy with 5. Thanks to the increase in the seat’s footprint, Air France was able to add a fifth window to the 2 seats located on the sides of the fuselage.

As such, Air France claims to be the only airline in the sky to offer as many windows in first class.

Split Seating for Added Comfort

Passengers flying the new La Première will enjoy 2 separate seating areas, providing dedicated space for eating, relaxing, working, or sleeping.

The new La Première suites feature a backward-facing armchair and a forward-facing chaise lounge instead of a single forward-facing armchair.

Passengers can use the armchair for take-off and landing. The seat can also be adjusted to suit individual passengers’ comfort preferences while working, relaxing, or enjoying La Première’s haute cuisine.

For even more comfort, passengers have the option of getting cozy on the chaise lounge, where they can get lost in a good book, watch some films or TV shows on the inflight entertainment system, or take a post-dinner nap.

When it’s time to sleep, a crew member will turn the chaise lounge into a lie-flat bed measuring more than 6.5 feet long and about 2.5 feet wide.

Tech and Gadgets

Technology is probably the area where La Première lagged most behind its competitors. The new seats have been brought up to modern standards with the introduction of several high-tech customer-centric features.

A wireless touchscreen tablet is available to control various suite functions, from lighting and seat recline to the window shades and the IFE system. This replaces the small handheld remote found in the current La Première product.

Passengers will be delighted to learn that the much-loved seahorse-embossed lamp has made it into the new La Première suite, and a second, wall-mounted sconce has been added by the armchair.

Because the armchair and chaise face opposite directions, Air France decided to add a second IFE screen to the suite, meaning passengers can enjoy a plethora of entertainment options on either one of the 32-inch 4K screens, no matter where they’re seated in the suite.

More new tech features include Bluetooth connectivity for headphones — a feature that’s proving very popular with flyers these days.

Finally, there will also be dedicated smartphone and tablet holders, wireless charging capability, and the addition of a USB-C port.

Unmatched Privacy

Rumors swirled about Air France introducing a sliding door to La Première, but the carrier bucked the industry trend and made the excellent decision (in our humble opinion, at least) to retain the floor-to-ceiling curtain that fully encloses the suite. This is one of the most unique flourishes of La Première, and we’re glad the carrier kept it in the latest iteration.

Having experienced this for myself, I find the curtain to provide a far cozier and bedroom-like feel than the hard materials used by other airlines with their sliding privacy doors.

There’s a full-height privacy divider that can be engaged in between the 2 center seats should those passengers not know each other.

New Designer Pajamas

Air France is replacing its all-grey pajamas with a new version designed by Simon Porte Jacquemus.

Available in 4 sizes, the impeccably designed pajama set comes adorned with the iconic seahorse logo and a subtle mention of “Le Pyjama” on the back.

No changes have been made to the amenity kit, as this latest addition was only recently introduced in 2024.

It includes an eye mask, ear plugs, a wooden comb, a pen, and lotions and potions by French cosmetic brand Sisley.

Quintessentially French Design Flourishes

The color palette and overall design of the new La Première are very similar to the current version. As the old saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Contributing to the feeling of spaciousness, overhead bins have been removed. Instead, a slide-out compartment, which passengers can use to store roller bags, has been installed.

La Première 2.0 Comes to New York This Spring

Air France says that one of its Boeing 777-300ER jets, carrying the name Épernay, will be the first to be equipped with the brand-new La Première suites, and that it should take to the skies for the first time this spring. However, an exact date hasn’t yet been revealed. However, this aircraft will exclusively operate the route between Paris (CDG) and New York (JFK).

Then, this summer, Air France plans to add the new suites on aircraft operating routes to Los Angeles (LAX), Singapore (SIN), and Tokyo-Haneda (HND), making them the next cities to enjoy the ultra-exclusive La Première cabin.

How To Book the New La Première

With this latest update, La Première should cement its position at the very top of the list of the most exclusive first class cabins in the sky.

However, such a distinction comes with a huge price tag: A one-way flight can cost upward of $12,000!

Given its exclusivity, Air France does not make it easy to book a ticket in La Première using points or miles. However, all is not lost.

Technically, you can redeem Flying Blue miles outright for an award ticket in the La Première cabin. However, you must be a Air France-KLM Flying Blue Platinum or Ultimate Elite member to do so, eliminating a large majority of the U.S.-based flying population.

More common methods of securing a La Première seat include booking a business class award ticket using points and upgrading with cash (if an upgrade is available), or securing a relatively inexpensive cash fare in business class and then paying again to upgrade (again, subject to availability), which is precisely what I did last year on a flight between São Paulo and Paris.

Hot Tip:

Check out our guide on the best ways to book La Première with points!

Final Thoughts

Oh la la, bien joué, Air France.

The new La Première cabin promises an incredible experience for the lucky few who have the cash or points (and requisite elite status) to book a ticket.

While none of the updates are particularly revolutionary, the changes Air France has made are more than enough to keep this truly unique first class product competitive, at least. This couldn’t be more important at a time when airlines around the world are unveiling their latest visions of first class cabins.

For now, we’ll have to make do with the images supplied by the airline. But we hope it’s not long before we can provide you with a first-hand account of what it’s like to fly in Air France’s brand-new La Première cabin.