Air France Airbus A350 Business Class Review [CDG to BOG]

Airline: Air France (AF)
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Flight #: AF436
Route: Paris (CDG) to Bogotá (BOG)
Date: April 1, 2024
Duration: 10 hours and 25 minutes
Cabin and Layout: Business class, 1-2-1
Seat: 1A
Cost: $2,049 (outbound London to Paris to Bogotá, inbound Bogotá to Amsterdam to London)

I was invited to the wedding of my friends Laura and Felipe in Cartagena, Colombia, in Felipe’s home country. I was thrilled to be invited to such a beautiful location for an amazing couple, and I couldn’t wait to plan the trip.

The only nonstop flight from the U.K. to Colombia is from London Heathrow (LHR) to Bogotá (BOG) with Avianca. Having had a terrible experience with Avianca a few years ago, I didn’t even consider taking this route. The only bank of air miles I had that would have been enough points to fly business was the Avios in my British Airways Executive Club account. As BA doesn’t fly direct, and I’m not a fan of connecting through the U.S., I ruled out using my Avios.

With no obvious way of using miles to score a lie-flat seat, I was determined to find a good value cash deal in business class.

I’ve recently been making the most of round-trip business fares departing from cities that connect via a second European hub airport, such as Barcelona and Paris. As fares are almost always lower with a connection, flying this way also avoids the ludicrous air passenger duty fees that the U.K. government imposes on travelers.

However, I started my search by seeing what was available departing from London and was shocked to find a round-trip from London to Bogotá with Air France and KLM in business class for £1,638 ($2,050).

Round trips with Avianca from London to Bogotá nonstop in economy can often be over £1,000 (about $1,300), so paying a few extra hundred to lie flat with Air France and KLM seemed like a no-brainer.

Booking Air France Business Class

I booked directly via Air France’s website to ensure I’d be eligible to earn Flying Blue miles.

I used my U.K. version of The Platinum Card^® from American Express to pay for the flights. The U.S. Amex Platinum card earns 5x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year).

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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The Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

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When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

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Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

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• $695 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

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• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
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Checking In at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4

I started my journey to Colombia from London and jumped on the Tube to Heathrow Terminal 4 for my 11:30 a.m. departure on a sunny Easter Monday morning.

As it was a bank holiday in the U.K., Transport for London — London’s transport network — caused predictable chaos by shutting some lines and performing a host of engineering works.

It took me way longer than usual to get to Heathrow, and I arrived with around 90 minutes to spare before taking off. For someone who likes to get to the airport early to eat and do work from the lounge, this was cutting it fine.

When I got to Air France-KLM’s priority check-in desk, there was nobody else in line, so I didn’t have to wait to speak with an agent.

I handed over my passport, and after a couple of taps on the keyboard, the friendly check-in agent told me that I wouldn’t have “lunch” included as I had bought a cheap business class ticket. Confused, I asked if this meant I’d get no food on either flight, as I’d never heard of this being a thing before. It turns out I’d misheard her, and she said “lounge” and not “lunch.”

This still didn’t add up, as I’d recently taken advantage of Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue status match and earned Flying Blue Platinum status. I mentioned this, and she told me I was just Silver, pointing at my boarding pass, which indeed had Silver written on it.

When I explained that I’d bought the ticket before I did the status match, she said she’d be able to manually update it for me. A few clicks of her mouse later, I was presented with a new boarding pass that correctly noted my Platinum status.

Air France Business Class Experience at Heathrow Terminal 4

By the time I’d cleared security, there was only around 20 minutes before boarding was due to start.

I was quite happy to just wait at the gate, as the Plaza Premium Lounge that Air France-KLM passengers have access to is nothing special.

I popped in to fill up my water bottle and caught a glimpse of the shiny new Airbus A220 that would take me to Paris.

The global pandemic saw to it that Terminal 4’s dedicated SkyTeam Lounge was permanently shuttered. This is a great shame, as it was a bright and airy space where passengers could even enjoy a free preflight Elemis spa treatment.

Before getting on the plane, I noticed the seat number on my boarding pass for the Paris to Bogotá flight said 9C rather than 2A, which I had pre-selected.

I asked the gate agent in London about this, who informed me that, apparently, 2A was broken. No matter, 9C was still a window seat — or at least that’s what I thought.

On Board Air France’s Airbus A220 From London to Paris

My long journey with Air France got off to a great start as soon as I stepped on the first plane.

Boarding started promptly, the Air France flight crew was smiley and cheerful, and the Airbus A220 3-2-configured cabin looked as good as new.

My seat for the short hop was 2A: a bulkhead window seat with lots of legroom and no seatmate because Air France blocked the aisle seat in business class.

I noticed Air France didn’t scrimp when designing these seats. Each seat back (at least in business class) had a USB-C and USB port, a cupholder, and a foldout flap for watching smartphones or tablets.

Congestion at Charles de Gaulle meant we left around 30 minutes late, but we still managed to arrive at 1:53 p.m. — just 3 minutes behind schedule.

The best part of this 53-minute flight was a simple gesture by a member of the cabin crew.

I was snapping pictures of the cabin during boarding and mentioned it was my first time on an Airbus A220. She said, “On doit fêter ça” (“It must be celebrated”) and presented me with a certificate including the captain’s signature.

Merci beaucoup, Air France, you really know how to make an AvGeek smile.

Transferring at Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2

In all my years of flying, this was only my second time connecting through Charles de Gaulle. The first time went without a hitch, which surprised me after I’d read and had several people tell me that transferring at CDG was a bit of a nightmare.

We deplaned quickly, and I followed signs to the M gates, which, lucky for me, were in Terminal 2E, where I’d arrived.

I hopped on the transfer train and got from K to M in a mere matter of minutes.

Given I was coming from a non-Schengen country (the U.K.), and heading to a non-Schengen country (Colombia), I knew I wouldn’t need to go through passport control and presumed there’d be no security check, either.

Incorrect.

Even though I’d bought them after clearing security at Heathrow, security officers confiscated the liquids over 100 milliliters from me at Charles de Gaulle.

The sooner liquid restrictions are lifted around the world, the better.

With just over 10 minutes to go before boarding was due to start, I hotfooted it to gate M46, bypassing the Air France lounge.

Hot Tip:

If connecting in a foreign country, be careful which liquids you pack, as the rules of the airport you’re passing through could be different from those of the airport where you started your journey.

Boarding

The huge hanging letters and numbers made it easy to find my gate.

When I arrived at M46, priority groups 1 and 2 had already boarded.

And by boarded, I mean were standing waiting to be allowed onto the jet bridge.

My boarding pass bleeped, but only to inform me once again that I’d been assigned a new place to sit because of a faulty seat.

From briefly checking the seat map, I knew my new seat would be away from the window and facing inward, which I could deal with.

After around 5 to 10 minutes of waiting to enter the jet bridge and board the aircraft, I was disappointed to find that the solitary window at 9C was partially blocked. This AvGeek (who loves gazing out of the window at 34,000 feet) was having none of it.

I stowed my bags quickly and headed to the front galley to speak with a flight attendant.

After explaining the situation, I was told that the issue with my original seat 2A had been fixed and that someone else had now been assigned the seat.

I am a diehard window seat person, so I asked the FA politely if our seats could be switched back, as I’d picked this seat months before the flight.

Lo and behold, my “shy bairns get nowt” (don’t ask, don’t get) mantra served me well once again, as the flight attendant was more than happy to switch me back to 2A.

On Board Air France’s Airbus A350-900 From Paris to Bogotá

Once I’d settled in my seat, I quickly noticed just how hot the cabin was. With no individual air vents, it was pretty uncomfortable waiting to take off.

Thankfully, the cabin cooled down after around 20 minutes.

After the seat kerfuffle, I completely glazed over the fact that this A350 did not have Air France’s new business class cabin (which I was hoping for) but was instead the cabin configured for the defunct Joon — the low-cost subsidiary of Air France that wasn’t meant to be.

Before takeoff, a flight attendant offered me a choice of welcome drinks, including water, orange juice, or Champagne. As I had a ton of work to do on this flight, I started things off with water.

Business Class Cabin

As I wasn’t one of the first to board, the cabin was full of people finding their seats and stowing their bags.

There are 2 types of center seats on Air France’s older Airbus A350s. Even-numbered rows are best for couples, as you can see in the picture below of 8G and 8E.

The seats in the center of the cabin in the odd-numbered rows face into the aisle and would be best suited for solo travelers who don’t like the window seat.

A flight attendant spotted me taking this shot from the back of the cabin and abruptly told me I had to ask permission. I always try my best to exclude passengers from pictures and always ask crew before taking photos of them. Even when I showed him that you couldn’t see anyone’s face, he said it’s not allowed, and I should ask next time.

Having just flown Air France business class and La Première, where the crew actively encouraged taking pictures, I found this interaction bizarre.

Business Class Seat

My seat 2A was flush with the window and set back from the aisle. Even without a sliding privacy door, no other passengers could see into my seat.

And I couldn’t see into any other passenger’s seat, either. When cabins are designed in such a way, my honest opinion is that sliding doors aren’t necessary and a merely just a gimmick.

Each seat did have a sliding “privacy” screen, though these made little to no difference to the overall privacy of the seat.

Here’s my view with my privacy screen open.

And here’s the view with it pulled across. Ultimately, these pointless sliding screens just add extra weight, which Air France could have used elsewhere.

The navy console contrasted nicely with the gray materials used for the seat, and the small red logo gave a classy nod to Air France.

The wings of the headrest could be adjusted, which is always nice when the seat has to be upright for takeoff and landing.

The seat went fully flat, but no mattress or blanket was provided.

Taller passengers might find the footwell a little tight, though it was perfectly fine for me, as I napped comfortably for around an hour. For reference, I’m 5 feet, 8 inches.

When the seat was laid fully flat, I didn’t feel exposed, even without a sliding door.

Elsewhere, the seat comprises many of the usual features, such as a reading light.

Just over my right shoulder and within easy reach was the remote for the inflight entertainment.

The only proper storage space at the seat was next to the IFE remote, which was quite minimal compared to other business-class products.

Inside were decent Air France-branded, noise-canceling headphones.

At boarding, there was also a bottle of water here.

There was also a handy mirror on the inside of the storage compartment door.

I find that tables that release from under the IFE, such as this one, are far more practical and user-friendly than those that come from the console to the side.

To use this table, it must first have been extended longitudinally.

It could then be rotated clockwise at a 90-degree angle into the regular position for working and dining.

When the table was occupied, it was possible to swivel the table just enough to squeeze out of the seat.

Underneath the reading spotlight was a panel that could be used to control the lighting, call for a flight attendant, or move the seat forward and backward.

Along the side of the console were 3 more buttons that would move the seat into fixed positions. These additional seat controls sat above a foldable, navy blue armrest for extra support when eating or working.

Despite the jet being only 2 years old, the wear and tear in the cabin, such as severe scratching of the side panels of the seats, was noticeable immediately.

Armrests were frayed, the window blind and shade of 1 of my 2 windows was jammed open, and the panelling at the side of the seat was coming away from the console.

You’d be forgiven for thinking these seats were 10 or more years older.

Bathroom

There was 1 smallish bathroom at the front of the cabin.

It was nothing special but did feature Clarins skin products.

Amenities

The large, crisp IFE screen was responsive to the touch and reachable from the seated position.

Air France’s IFE was well-stocked with hundreds of films, TV series, and documentaries.

I could also watch entertainment while simultaneously following the inflight map via picture-in-picture — something I don’t recall being able to do on flights with other airlines.

There was also a small, handheld remote to navigate with rather than the touchscreen. The touchpad for scrolling and moving around the screen worked surprisingly well.

In addition to the staple audio and games, Air France’s IFE had a well-being section that included bonus audio with meditations, help sleeping or relaxing, and even a demonstration of seated yoga.

Air France’s business class amenity kit was elegant and came in a gray or blue herringbone zippered pouch.

It contained a pen, a bamboo toothbrush, a miniature tube of toothpaste, flight socks, a sleeping mask, and earplugs.

It also had Clarins moisturizers and creams.

Air France doesn’t offer pajamas in business class, even on overnight flights.

The difference in quality between the blanket and pillow was day and night. The blanket was OK, but the pillow was about as large and marshmallowy as you’d find in any business class cabin.

Getting the Wi-Fi to work wasn’t easy, at least on my laptop. I managed to connect my phone to the free messaging service just after takeoff. After trying to connect via Chrome several times, I switched to Safari and was finally able to reach the payment page.

Internet packages ranged in price from 1 hour of surfing for €8 ($8.60) to €30 ($32) for a full-flight streaming pass.

I needed a full flight of surfing, so went for the €18 ($19) package.

After filling in my card details, I was brought back to the Wi-Fi Options page rather than the page displaying the packages I’d purchased.

Assuming it hadn’t worked, I filled in my details for a second time only to realize it had worked the first time. My initial frustration at paying twice (almost $40 in total) subsided slightly when I used the second voucher I’d purchased to connect my phone properly rather than just messaging.

To make matters worse, the Wi-Fi speed was terrible for most of the flight.

And for most of the time we were over the Atlantic, there was no Wi-Fi service at all.

I much prefer it when airlines allow you to use 1 pass across multiple devices. It feels like you’ve been nickel-and-dimed to be charged per device — especially in business class.

After a clunky purchasing process led me to buying 2 Wi-Fi packages for a total of almost $40 and then have terrible connectivity issues, it’s safe to say I was less than impressed with Air France’s Wi-Fi on this flight.

Food and Beverage

Around 20 minutes after takeoff, meal service started with a hot towel. And not just any hot towel.

Plain old straight edges wouldn’t be chic enough for Air France. The fact these edges were cut by a tool called pinking shears makes this all the more fabulously French.

Minutes before being fascinated by my hot towel, a flight attendant swung by and took my order.

As I’m always on high alert on review flights, I noticed various crew members taking orders from certain passengers seated further back in the cabin before finishing the process by coming back to the front of the cabin and working toward the back.

Having recently read about another airline crew taking meal orders from other crew members who were deadheading, I wondered if this might be the case. I don’t think it had anything to do with status levels either, as I’m Platinum — Air France’s highest status tier — which would, if anything, mean I’d be one of the first to have my order taken.

I had the choice of 4 main courses:

• Shredded veal shank pasta in a tomato broth with grilled cheese topping
• Chicken fillet with multigrain couscous and zucchini with lemon
• Cod in a Noilly Prat sauce with artichoke
• Oven-roasted carrot with a tangy potato purée and grains

Around 30 minutes after takeoff, I received my first drink along with the amuse-bouche of summer: vegetables with mint, sheep cheese, and black olives.

The mixture of fresh and earthy flavors worked really well together.

For the first few hours of the flight, work was my priority, so I declined an alcoholic aperitif and started off easy with sparkling water.

Air France’s first drink also came with these crèpes fourrèes, which I’m a huge fan of. Imagine Cheezits, but make them French.

Air France didn’t offer a choice of starters in business class.

No matter, as the duo of tangy crab and green vegetable salad with pickled radish was a delicious precursor to what was to come.

I was offered a choice of bread to accompany my starter. I chose the miniature baguette, which was fine but not as good as I remembered from my previous Air France business class flight in January to São Paulo.

I loved that Air France provided high-quality d’Isigny butter. I just wish it weren’t rock-hard!

The veal pasta was basically a French lasagne. Instead of ground meat, it was pulled veal. The crispy cheese on top added a perfect layer of flavor and texture that made this dish a real winner for me. I could have eaten it all over again!

In true French style, there was cheese before the dessert. Crottin de Chavignol, fourme d’Ambert, and Cantal were the cheeses of choice.

I sipped on a punchy Illy espresso as I nibbled on my cheese and finished the last bit of work for the flight.

Following the cheese course, I was offered my choice of a hazelnut and caramel baton or ice creams and sorbets from a dessert tray.

Feeling very full, I asked my flight attendant, Loïc, if I could save my dessert for a little later. He said that should be fine. But there was a risk that one of the pilots would get to it before me, he joked.

Eventually, I got there before the pilots and savored every bite of this light, smooth, and flavorsome delight.

Air France gives its business class passengers the option to speed up the first meal service by ordering an “express lunch of cold dishes (starter, cheese, dessert).”

Around 90 minutes to landing, the crew served a robust second meal.

This time around, there were 2 choices:

• Chicken fillet in a tomato sauce with risotto-style bulgur wheat and buckwheat
• Comté cheese ravioli with a creamy chive and mushroom sauce

I’d usually go for the chicken, but as Comté is my favorite, I had the ravioli, which did not disappoint.

The main dish came alongside a small portion of fruit and a madeleine sponge cake on a single tray.

The ravioli was cooked as well as could be on a plane, and there was just the right amount of sauce. The mushrooms added a burst of flavor and texture.

As for drinks, Air France had just changed its Champagne offering to Palmer & Co. Brut Reserve, which retails for around $55 in the U.S.

While not a household name for the occasional sipper of bubbles, Palmer and Co. is highly regarded among Champagne connoisseurs.

I never drink them on the ground, but Bloody Marys have become a favorite to drink in the sky, as inspired by my good friend and fellow AvGeek Jean Arnas.

Although the classic cocktail wasn’t on Air France’s menu, Loïc was happy to shake one up for me.

And here’s the wine list for the oenophiles:

Air France’s soft drink menu offered everything from regular still and sparkling water, Coke and Coke Zero, Sprite, and a selection of fruit juices to peach-flavored Fuze Tea and organic almond milk — something I’d never seen offered on an airline’s drink menu before.

Rather than using the call bell or ordering from a passing flight attendant, I could go to a small drink station in the front galley, which had Champagne, orange juice, Coke, and water.

A small selection of sweet and savory snacks, including oranges, was also available throughout the flight.

Service

After a shaky start when I got a rather snarky telling off for taking photos, the rest of the service was très bien, as I’ve come to expect from Air France. Interestingly, on previous Air France flights in economy, business, and La Première, the crew have actively encouraged me to take photos and take great interest in my work as an aviation writer.

In fact, it was the same crew member who carried out service on my row for the rest of the flight, and he was really kind throughout the rest of the flight.

Loïc was willing to adapt the meal service to my personal preferences and was happy to concoct a cocktail for me even though it wasn’t on the drinks menu. He even obliged when I asked a cheeky favor: A friend of the bride was on my flight but in premium economy. As the Champagne served was different between the classes, I asked if I could send her a glass with compliments from business.

Arrival

We landed a few minutes earlier than scheduled into a cloudy Bogotá.

Final Thoughts

Yet another excellent Air France flight.

Aside from the facts that I didn’t get the new Airbus A350 product, the Wi-Fi was pretty shocking, and the seat had seen rough wear and tear, I really enjoyed my time on board. This flight once again proved that Air France’s business class catering, especially on flights departing Paris, is pretty excellent.

All things considered, this was an excellent value way for me to fly in business class from the U.K. to Colombia, and it is well worth going via Paris instead of direct from London.

I’m looking forward to my next long-haul adventure with Air France to Africa later in the year, this time in premium economy.