Air France, the flag carrier of France, has some very intriguing products from an aviation perspective — and there’s no question that it’s one of the top ways to fly to Europe.
It has a huge route network due to the massive tourist appeal that France offers to America, and the market is very strong in this space since these 2 countries aren’t all that far apart.
There are quite a few options here, so let’s get started! We’ll talk about La Première, the different business class products offered by Air France, and the preferred economy seats to take when you fly with them.
Update: Due to COVID-19, Air France may temporarily suspend routes, frequencies, and/or aircraft flown. Please check with the airline directly for the most current information.
Air France Seat Options by Aircraft Type
Air France’s plane selection is a mess. It operates at least 6 different aircraft on flights to the U.S., and aircraft swaps are common, especially on non-flagship routes (such as between Chicago and Paris) — just keep that in mind for when we do our analysis and ranking of seats and planes.
Here are the aircraft summarized in the table below:
- 777-300ER (4-class)
- 777-200ER (3-class)
- 787-9 (3-class)
- A350-900 (3-class)
Additionally, these aircraft can have different seat maps, so be on the lookout for this. Usually, the configuration and seat sizes are the same — but the number of seats offered in a particular cabin could vary a lot.
Air France Routes |
Flight No. |
Aircraft |
Cabin Classes |
Frequency |
Atlanta (ATL) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 681/689 |
A350-900 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
2x daily |
Boston (BOS) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 321/333 |
A350-900 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Up to 2x daily |
Chicago (ORD) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 153 |
787-9 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Daily |
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 159 |
787-9 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
5x weekly |
Denver (DEN) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 631 |
787-9 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
3x weekly |
Detroit (DTW) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 377 |
787-9 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Irregular (5x weekly to daily) |
Houston (IAH) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 639 |
777-300ER |
La Première, Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Daily |
Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 65/69 |
AF 65/69: 777-300ER |
La Première, Business, Premium Economy, Economy
|
2x daily |
Miami (MIA) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 99 |
A350-900 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Daily |
Minneapolis (MSP) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 673 |
777-200ER |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
5x weekly |
New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 7/9/11/15/17/23 |
AF 7/11/23: 777-300ER
AF 9/15/17: 777-200ER |
777-300ER: La Première, Business, Premium Economy, Economy
777-200ER: Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Up to 6x daily |
Pape’ete (PPT) – Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 77 |
777-200ER |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
3 to 5x weekly |
San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 83/85 |
AF 83: 777-300ER
AF 85: 777-200ER |
777-300ER: La Première, Business, Premium Economy, Economy
777-200ER: Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Up to 2x daily |
Seattle (SEA) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 355/367 |
A350-900 |
Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
5 to 7x weekly |
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) |
AF 27/55 |
AF 27: A350-900
AF 55: 777-300ER |
777-300ER: La Première, Business, Premium Economy, Economy
A350-900: Business, Premium Economy, Economy |
Daily |
This analysis might get a bit convoluted and confusing just because of the number of aircraft we’re analyzing — but hang in there! This information is extremely useful, and you don’t want to be sorely disappointed if your seat isn’t what you were expecting.
Best Points To Earn To Fly Air France
As a SkyTeam partner, Air France can be booked with Delta SkyMiles, Korean Air SKYPASS miles, and of course its own mileage system, known as Flying Blue.
For the most part, you’ll find that the best value is using Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles.
If planned properly, you can get business class flights one-way from America to Europe for only 53,000 Flying Blue miles!
Additionally, Flying Blue is a transfer partner with all the major transferable currencies: American Express Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Using Delta SkyMiles is probably the second-best option since there’s a ton of different ways to earn Delta SkyMiles as well!
Let’s get started.
Air France La Première Options
Lie-flat La Première seats aboard Air France’s 777-300ER. Image Credit: Air France
La Première on Air France is somewhat of a unicorn in the points world — it’s very difficult to book as you’re required to be a Flying Blue elite member (Silver, at minimum). In addition to this requirement, you need to pay 200,000 Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles one-way for flights from the U.S. to France!
There are many great ways to redeem Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles — and this isn’t one of them. This price is simply unattainable for most travelers, and the elite status requirement doesn’t make it any easier to book.
Hot Tip: Want to earn more Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles? Check out our guide on the best ways to earn lots of Flying Blue miles.
Still, if you’re thinking about flying on La Première, it’s very useful to know that it’s only offered on 1 aircraft:
Air France 777-300ER (4-Class) La Première First Class
La Première on the 777-300ER is a single row of 4 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration featuring private curtains, beautiful French design, tons of storage, and more space.
On SeatGuru, the 777 La Première seat dimensions are incorrect, as the seat width says 24 inches. But in reality, the 777-300ER’s La Première seats measure 35 inches wide, 81 inches for pitch, and 79 inches of bed length.
Let’s look at the 777-300ER’s seat map:
Air France 777-300ER 4-class La Première seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
Pretty simple, right?
Here are the routes on which it’s offered:
- Houston (IAH) – Paris (CDG)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) on AF 65 and 69
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) on AF 7, 11, and 23
- San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) on AF 83
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) on AF 55
Bottom Line: Air France’s La Première first class product can only be found on the 777-300ER, making it one of the most luxurious first class products in the sky! This product can be booked exclusively on Air France’s flagship routes.
Air France Business Class Options
Access Air France’s best seats in business class on most 777s. Image Credit: Air France
Let’s talk about business class options on Air France, which are plentiful.
The bottom line is there are many different business class products — but the best ones are on the 4-class 777-300ER and 3-class 777-200ER aircraft.
In the past, Air France had clear winners and losers when it came to business class products. Namely, its A380, A330, and A340 didn’t have direct aisle access and were sometimes not even lie-flat.
Luckily, this has been alleviated since Air France decided to load its U.S. routes with solid aircraft. Here is a table summarizing the key differences between the 4 available products.
Aircraft |
Seat Width |
Seat Pitch |
Bed Length |
Configuration |
Number of Seats |
777-200ER (3-class) |
21.5″ |
61″ |
77″ |
1-2-1 (lie-flat) |
40 |
777-300ER (4-class) |
21.5″ |
61″ |
77″ |
1-2-1 (lie-flat) |
58 |
787-9 (3-class) |
21″ |
42″ |
77″ |
1-2-1 (lie-flat) |
30 |
A350-900 (3-class) |
21″ |
74″ |
78″ |
1-2-1 (lie-flat) |
34 |
The 777-200ER, 777-300ER (4-class), and 787-9 all have reverse herringbone business class seats, while the A350-900 has Safran Optima seats. Both designs are excellent!
Hot Tip: For more details, check out our complete guide to booking Air France business class with points.
Air France 777-200ER (3-Class) Business Class
We prefer the 777-200ER in business class because there are only 40 seats along 10 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration, as opposed to 58 seats in the 777-300ER 3-class variant.
Let’s look at the 777-200ER seat map:
Air France 777-200ER 3-class business class seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
As you can see, there are 2 mini-cabins. When flying on the 777-200ER in Air France business class, the best seats are in row 12: they’re the most private and experience the least foot traffic.
Find the “winning” Air France business class setup on the 777-200ER, which flies on these routes:
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Paris (CDG) on AF 673
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) on AF 9, 15, and 17
- Pape’ete (PPT) – Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) on AF 77
- San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) on AF 85
Air France 777-300ER (4-Class) Business Class
Moving over to the 777-300ER 4-class aircraft, your first choice should be seats in row 3, followed by row 20, due to their private nature. Nobody will be walking in your area, as the lavatories and galleys are located in the middle of the business class section.
Air France 777-300ER 4-Class business class seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
These close “runner-up” Air France business class seats are on the 4-class 777-300ER, which you’ll find on:
- Houston (IAH) – Paris (CDG)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) on AF 65 and 69
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) on AF 7, 11, and 23
- San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) on AF 83
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) on AF 55
Air France 787-9 Business Class
The 787-9 comes in third, with an identical reverse herringbone product with a slightly smaller seat and a smaller business class cabin.
Here’s the business class seat map aboard the 787-9:
Air France 787-9 business class seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
If you find yourself on the 787-9 in business class, row 7 seats are far enough from the rear galley to avoid disturbances while being far from the front galleys and lavatories.
Find the 787-9 aircraft operating on these routes:
- Chicago (ORD) – Paris (CDG)
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Paris (CDG)
- Denver (DEN) – Paris (CDG)
- Detroit (DTW) – Paris (CDG)
Air France A350-900 Business Class
Let’s move on to the A350-900. This seat uses a Safran Optima staggered, forward-facing seat that looks like this:
Air France A350-900 business class. Image Credit: Air France
The seats are still fully lie-flat and in a 1-2-1 configuration, but these seats are arranged like this:
Air France A350-900 business class seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
These seats typically feel a bit less private due to the angles toward the aisles, although this is truly a matter of splitting hairs at this point. Nonetheless, we recommend window seats for solo travelers, which are even-numbered row A and L seats.
Honeymoon seats can be found on even-numbered row E and F seats. Here are the routes operated by Air France’s A350-900:
- Atlanta (ATL) – Paris (CDG)
- Boston (BOS) – Paris (CDG)
- Miami (MIA) – Paris (CDG)
- Seattle (SEA) – Paris (CDG)
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) on AF 27
Bottom Line: There are lots of discrepancies across different planes, but the good news is that you’ll have a quality business class seat regardless of which route you fly.
Air France Premium Economy Options
Air France 787-9 premium economy. Image Credit: Air France
Let’s talk about premium economy! Our clear favorite plane is the 787-9. At a high level, the configuration is the least cramped, the seats are the largest, and the cabin is more intimate.
Let’s take a head-to-head look at each aircraft:
Aircraft |
Seat Width |
Seat Pitch |
Configuration |
Number of Seats |
787-9 |
19″ |
40″ |
2-3-2 |
21 |
777-200ER |
19″ |
38″ |
2-4-2 |
24 |
777-300ER (4-class) |
19″ |
38″ |
2-4-2 |
28 |
A350-900 |
18.8″ |
37″ |
2-4-2 |
24 |
Air France 787-9 Premium Economy Class
Right off the bat, we notice that the seating configuration on the 787-9 is 2-3-2, which is a pleasant surprise. This means that these seats afford you more space!
Also, the 787-9 is tied for the widest seats and has the largest overall seat pitch (legroom).
Lastly, there are just 3 rows with 7 seats in each row as shown here:
Air France 787-9 premium economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
Another benefit is that there are no lavatories at the front of the premium economy cabin, which reduces foot traffic more. We love the bassinet/bulkhead seats at row 10, thanks to the extra legroom.
Here are Air France’s 787-9 routes to the U.S.:
- Chicago (ORD) – Paris (CDG)
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Paris (CDG)
- Denver (DEN) – Paris (CDG)
- Detroit (DTW) – Paris (CDG)
Hot Tip: The 787-9 is the only aircraft operating to the U.S. with a 2-3-2 configuration in premium economy. All other aircraft have denser layouts.
Air France 777-200ER (3-Class) Premium Economy Class
Now, we’ll get to seats with the denser configuration: 2-4-2. These seats are 19 inches wide and 38 inches in pitch.
The premium economy cabin on the 777-200ER consists of 24 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration:
Air France 777-200ER premium economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
The most spacious seats are in the bassinet/bulkhead, so pick row 19, if possible.
The 777-200ER is operated on these routes:
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Paris (CDG) on AF 673
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) on AF 9, 15, and 17
- Pape’ete (PPT) – Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) on AF 77
- San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) on AF 85
Air France 777-300ER (4-Class) Business Class
The next best premium economy product is on the 4-class 777-300ER. Oddly, this aircraft has the best first and business class products — but it falls lower in our list for premium economy rankings.
The seats are arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration, but the reason why they’re not ideal is that they’re so close to the lavatories.
Here’s what we mean:
Air France 777-300ER 4-class premium economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
The best premium economy seats on the 4-class 777-300ER would be in row 26, as it is the furthest away from the lavatories. Here are the route offerings for this aircraft:
- Houston (IAH) – Paris (CDG)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) on AF 65 and 69
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) on AF 7, 11, and 23
- San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) on AF 83
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) on AF 55
Air France A350-900 Premium Economy Class
Our least favorite premium economy product is aboard the A350-900. This is simply because the seats are the smallest among the other options — 18.8 inches wide and just 37 inches in pitch.
The cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 setup as follows:
Air France A350-900 premium economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
The bulkhead seats at row 10 may be the most spacious with extra legroom, but these are uncomfortably close to the lavatories and galleys.
So if you would like extra legroom, be prepared for galley and lavatory disturbances.
Find Air France’s A350-900 aircraft on the following nonstop routes to/from the U.S.:
- Atlanta (ATL) – Paris (CDG)
- Boston (BOS) – Paris (CDG)
- Miami (MIA) – Paris (CDG)
- Seattle (SEA) – Paris (CDG)
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) on AF 27
Air France Economy Options
Air France 777-200ER economy class. Image Credit: Air France
Now that we’ve covered the premium economy seats, let’s cover our last section: coach.
Here’s a quick summary table:
Aircraft |
Seat Width |
Seat Pitch |
Configuration |
Number of Seats |
777-200ER |
17″ |
32″ |
3-4-3 and 2-4-2 |
216 |
777-300ER (4-class) |
17″ |
32″ |
3-4-3 and 2-4-2 |
206 |
787-9 |
17″ |
31″ |
3-3-3 |
225 |
A350-900 |
17″ |
31″ |
3-3-3 |
266 |
Air France 777-200ER (3-Class) Economy Class
On the 777-200ER, there are several good seats out of the 216 total in economy: row 23, 24C/J, and side rows 45 to 47 (which have 2 seats on each side).
Air France 777-200ER economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
You’ll find the 777-200ER on the following routes:
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Paris (CDG) on AF 673
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) on AF 9, 15, and 17
- Pape’ete (PPT) – Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) on AF 77
- San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) on AF 85
Air France 777-300ER (4-Class) Economy Class
The next aircraft we’ll be discussing in economy is the 777-300ER 4-class aircraft.
The seat map looks like this:
Air France 777-300ER 4-class economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
The best seats are 29C/J, side seats in rows 49 to 50, and seats 39B/C and 39J/K.
29C and 29J offer extra legroom due to a missing seat, so that’ll be excellent to stretch out your legs. Row 28 is not a preferential seat — although it’s in the bulkhead, a wall in front of your legs will restrict your legroom.
Side seats in rows 49 to 50 are ideal for couples traveling together since you’ll have a row to yourself.
Lastly, seats 39B/C and 39J/K are good because they’ve got tons of exit row space to stretch out.
The main disadvantages are that the seat width is reduced due to the inflight monitor being stored in the armrest, and the proximity to the galleys and lavatories making for a noisy background.
Find these seats on routes utilizing the 4-class 777-300ER:
- Houston (IAH) – Paris (CDG)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) on AF 65 and 69
- New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG) on AF 7, 11, and 23
- San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) on AF 83
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) on AF 55
Air France 787-9 Economy Class
The 787-9 Dreamliner offers our third-place economy class product. There is 1 inch less of seat pitch — 31 inches instead of 32 inches.
Also, the 3-3-3 layout can feel cramped at times. Here’s a look at the seat map:
Air France 787-9 economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
The best seats to reserve are 30B/C and 30H/J. These seats have the most legroom, thanks to the exit row. However, you might find the proximity to the lavatories a bit cumbersome.
Air France A350-900 Economy Class
Our last-place economy class product is on Air France’s A350-900. The A350-900 narrowly loses out to the 787-9 for 1 simple reason: a larger economy cabin.
The A350-900 has 266 seats in economy, while the 787-9 has around 225.
The seat map looks like this:
Air France A350-900 economy seat map. Image Credit: SeatGuru
As you can see, the best seats for solo travelers are 31A or 31L. Also, 16D/E/H will provide extra legroom for travelers. Row 30 seats also have enhanced legroom but are uncomfortably close to the lavatories.
Bottom Line: Overall, the best economy seats to book on Air France are the 777-200ER (3-class) and the 777-300ER (4-class).
Final Thoughts
Wow! We’ve talked about enough different seats to make just about anybody’s head spin. Here are the key takeaways:
- The only plane equipped with a La Première first class product is the 777-300ER.
- In business class, choose the 3-class 777-200ER or the 4-class 777-300ER. These reverse herringbone seats are the best and most private.
- Take premium economy on the 787-9. The spacious seats, 2-3-2 configuration, and intimate cabin size make it a no-brainer.
- For economy, fly on the 3-class 777-200ER or the 4-class 777-300ER. These seats have the best legroom, making for an improved coach experience.
We’ve gone over all the Air France routes to/from the U.S., and they can be quite complicated. Keep in mind that frequent, last-minute aircraft swaps can make or break your trip, so be on the lookout for those!
Overall, though, Air France’s predictability is decent, especially on flagship routes — so 90% of the time you’ll be alright!