No choices here… cheese blintzs for everyone! Many flyers comment about the A380’s noticeably quiet cabin, and I completely agree. The configuration and seats in Air France’s Premium Economy. Here’s our guide to the best cards for airfare purchases. It was a coach meal with an upgraded appetizer “inspired by the Business cabin menu,” according to the airline. Air France Airbus A380. Without a dedicated bathroom for premium economy, the mini-cabin shared two bathrooms with the economy section behind it, separated by a hard divider. A completely redesigned dining offer in the Economy and Premium Economy cabins. Food options were very good as well, and very satisfactory...but, let's not get carried away, it was still airline food, but it was better than most. Deep blue and gray tones create a … Premium Economy takes up six rows near the back of the top deck. It’s almost like they were hiding behind the podium instead of being actually helpful. Unless your mother wanted to explore a different level while in flight, she shouldn’t worry about having to climb the stairs. Air France is the second airline to begin retiring Airbus A380s. It was nice, though, to have the tail camera view. I hate when carriers cheap out on the air vents. I could also have checked in online. I've tried a few and this (and counterpart 11L) is to me the best Economy seat on an Air France A380. Unfortunately, that’s not what I got on Air France’s A380. With two people working the Sky Priority counter at check-in — there were no self-service kiosks — I had my boarding pass in less than a minute. y premium economy ticket granted me Sky Priority access, which I would also have had as Delta elite status holder. The amenity kit had stylish colors but lacked anything I needed. Get notified of all new comments. Cabin layout of Air France’s A380 – Image: Air France. I did that on my second leg, choosing the traditional French meal for an extra $20. There will be signs indicating where everyone should go (and with wheelchair assistance, your mother will be allowed to board before everyone else, and guided on the right path all the way to her seat. It looks like on the way from Athens to NY, we may be on an A380, my lifetime dream. Please continue with future articles! Emirates' premium economy will take flight in the first half of 2021, with the Gulf carrier this evening revealing the new seats and cabin in its latest Airbus A380. At our valuations, 102,000 Flying Blue points are worth $1,224. Had I not been reviewing this flight, I probably would have paid for it to sleep across the Atlantic. As you’re entering, First Class and Sky Priority check-in is on the left, while Economy is on the right. The only thing I can say about the food was it was better quality than the seat. My one-way ticket in Premium Economy cost 102,000 Flying Blue points plus $268.65 in taxes and fees. Once she heard I had flown that leg on the A380, she actually apologized. Recently (Feb/Mar 2015), I had the opportunity to fly Air France round trip to Barcelona, and I booked the entire fare as W class – Air France’s premium economy. The cabin crew should also know about the request for wheelchair assistance and either tell her to wait or that someone will be waiting at the door for her. This guy is one of them: Great kickoff to our honeymoon, TY @EddieIzzard for being so gracious! Air France premium economy is incredible. I am very claustrophic and am wondering if it would be worth it to try to sit upstairs. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It was a great reminder of how majestic the plane was. Im going on a long 12 hr flight with AF and wondering if the PE seating is worth it? It’s a chaotic maze, with TSA agents constantly yelling at passengers who may not understand English; airlines at this terminal include carriers from all over the world. The coronavirus has produced the first retirement of an airline’s entire A380 fleet. Premium Economy/World Traveller Plus is on the upper deck of its A380, in a 2-3-2 layout, for a total of 55 passengers. I’m flying Air France / Alitalia next summer to Europe so I love hearing about what to expect. I paid using The Platinum Card® from American Express, which earned 5x points on the ticket, for a total of 2,915, worth about $55 according to TPG’s most rec… The premium economy offers 40-inches of leg space, a width of 19.5 inches, and reclines 8 inches. And Air France failed me here. The area around CDG was spotty with storms, though the sheer mass of the A380 seemed to have absorbed most of the turbulence that would have probably tossed a Q400 or other small plane around. Is the space to move past the person next to you without them getting up? Overhead, there were reading lights… but no air vents! At CDG, we also exited from the upper deck, through a jetbridge dedicated for upstairs. I noticed that the first row of the cabin (Row 81) had ample legroom due to the exit doors (which don’t have bulges that intrude into the space) and bulkhead. Having booked daytime flights, we hoped that our sleep would be minimal, but that’s a lot of hours to just sit there without at least a quick nap. The chicken and pasta — even though it was doused in sauce — was still dry. Great review! Thank you again! Thanks!! So was the bread, which had me missing the pretzel rolls I’ve had on other airlines. Second, the Air France gate agents were absolutely disorganized and overwhelmed, losing control of the crowd. I’m pretty sure they just forgot about me. Hence, theoretically, she should never have to use the stairs built into the plane. Select another country or region Choose your language. While we all dream of flying business or first class across oceans, a true premium-economy class experience is the affordable gateway for most. They quickly announced the start of boarding for Sky Priority, and we finally fought our way through the economy passengers (not their fault at all) to reach the scanner, and up the escalator we went to the upper deck jetbridge. It is sad to see the A380 being retired by Air France (and perhaps many other airlines, if it hasn’t already). For some reason, Gates A9 and A10 are on a landing area between two sets of escalators, so there’s a wall on three sides and an architectural cliff on the fourth, boxing passengers in. The TVs on that were much bigger and easier to use compared to those on the A380. Yes, we were planning our honeymoon around the Air France A380 — my wife is awesome. They don’t (and couldn’t, logistically) hold back the economy passengers downstairs from deplaning, so by the time we made our way to the jetbridge, about 3/4 of the plane had already gotten off… that’s about 375 people ahead of us, all headed for either the exits or transfer security. There is slightly better food out during the hours dedicated solely to Air France customers. (I actually regretted throwing out my newspaper in the lounge; adding that to my seat would have doubled the padding.). New Premium Economy cabin: even more comfort for you! Overall it looks like a sharp product, but there are many complaints floating around the internet that the seat isn’t too comfortable for long, overnight flights, since the hard shell makes it difficult to recline to an angle that facilitates sleep. The screen itself was low-definition, and the interface was a little laggy but manageable. Your description is amazingly entertaining and informative. Great review! We had checked-in online the night before so once we got to the airport around 1PM, we just needed to drop off our bags. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). I noticed you mention the issue of de-planing was difficult. I was excited to board the massive Airbus A380 — this was the first one delivered to Air France, in 2009 — and take the jet bridge right up to the upper deck. Reviews See all. The Grand Marnier cake was decent enough for me to finish, but I passed on a second helping from my wife. Because of this, I had ample storage space thanks to the storage bin right under the window and I was able to step out of my seat no problem since there was nothing in … I could also have checked in online. Our Air France A380 parked at SFO. As a point of comparison, my co-worker had purchased a round-trip ticket in the same cabin for $2,324.83. Economy seats were 17.5 inches wide, and had 32 inches of pitch, roughly the industry norm for this aircraft type, and a half-inch wider than the airline’s 777 arrangement. She just shrugs her shoulders and directed us to join the back of the queue. Enjoyed your review, John! Thanks to Delta, I found a smashing deal to fly an Airbus A380 for the first time, and not in economy! items free of charge, which will be priority-tagged and would theoretically be among the first to arrive at the baggage claim. Then the comedy snowball hit… apparently the flight attendant is so discombobulated that she rushed away without giving us any bread (and you can’t eat a French meal without the bread) I rang the call button, which the crew member didn’t hear, so my wife got up again to chase her down. Emirates has also refreshed its other cabins. Not bad, not great. Now, I’m being honest when I say I don’t get starstruck easily. Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. This time we fly with a Boeing 777-300 and in the Premium Economy are only 3 rows with a configuration 2-4-2. January 3, 2021. Air France: Premium economy in the AF A380 - See 32,064 traveler reviews, 5,376 candid photos, and great deals for Air France, at Tripadvisor. This Y+ product is intended for customers looking for extra comfort over the regular Economy Class product but at a lower fare compared with Business Class. Even my worry about making our connection, our baggage transfer, etc was quelled when you said, “In a worst-case scenario where you miss your flight to Rome, there are a couple of others they can rebook you onto, either on Air France or Alitalia, perhaps others as well.” Yeah, you are right! Here’s what I do remember: there was fabric but no noticeable padding. The next passenger did the same, and we slowly made our way almost to the front, where we ran into a family who’s trying to make the same flight to Istanbul. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. Thank god she walks. My wine glass was refilled twice. But the seat was one of the most uncomfortable chairs I’ve ever had, on an airplane or anywhere else. So nice to see such attention to detail given to a review, and on a European carrier! Service was completed about 20 minutes from landing, and we all get ready for arrival. While it’s still an economy meal, PE passengers are served first so both options will still be available. Air France premium economy is, at 15-25% above standard economy fare, an excellent deal all things considered. By far, my favorite item was the truffled brie, and the cruidites with tzatziki were refreshing. 75% of my aircrafts for my next round trip Air France trip in less than a week will all be A380’s (my connecting flight going to my destination and both flights returning). Our Air France Airbus A380 parked at SFO, from the upper gate area leading to Jetbridge 9B – Photo: John Nguyen | AirlineReporter. There was a large tray table that folded out, an international power outlet and USB outlet, and a nice spot to hold water bottles, which the airline provided. The best premium economy seats on the A380 are 81A/B and 81K/L, so try to grab those first! The lounge had a decent spread of light and heavy appetizers (spoiler alert: the SFO lounge has better food than the lounge in Paris… shocker! The seats are (38 inches) 97cm long and 48cm (19inch) wide. The space at JFK was cramped, but the staff did a good job calling out boarding groups and keeping everything orderly. As soon as you arrive at the airport, we provide everything you need to facilitate your trip and ensure your well-being. Air France A380s also have no Wi-Fi. However, my Sky Priority access got me into the first- and business-class lane, shaving at least 20 minutes off the wait. (I needed a one-way ticket since I was flying business class back on another carrier for a separate review.) For your ultimate well-being, your headrest, foot-rest and leg-rest adapt perfectly to the contours of your body. Do we need to walk down the stair from upper level to deplane? As many as 68 people — 38 in premium economy plus the 30 coach seats — shared those two bathrooms. While that’s good for not having another seat’s back recline into your space, it’s bad otherwise. At first we thought she was passing out special meals to the passengers behind us, but then she moved onto the economy section. Thank you. Inflight entertainment has a huge selection, large screen was responsive and looks new. Many friends ask me if it is worth upgrading their seats … Here, I would like to note that – in spite of the subpar transfer experience – the waiting area of Terminal 2E Concourse M is really nice. At online check-in, I was offered a $461.23 upsell to business class for the New York-Paris leg. The first time(s) I traveled on the Boeing 777 and Airbus 380 (in winter 2017, then again in earlier spring 2017), I was worried about possibly getting sick since the planes didn’t have personalized air conditioning control vents for each seat. Through sheer blind luck, 83K may have been the best seat in the section, in terms of personal space and storage. Cyprus - EN; Contact us; Create my account; My account explorer silver gold platinum platinum for life platinum ultimate platinum for life ultimate club 2000 club 2000 skipper club 2000 ultimate club 2000 skipper ultimate Miles; Go to letter Country ou region starting with letter. United flies a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Paris from SFO. Air France offers a Premium Economy product on board all their widebody jets. It was better than anything I’ve had in coach before, but for that price, I should have just purchased a cold meal in the terminal and brought it on board. We were greeted warmly by a flight attendant, and directed to cross the cabin to the far aisle to get to our seats, 83H and 83K. The Air France counters are in the Main Hall towards the “A” side (right-hand side if you’re looking at the front of the building), and take up both sides of an aisle. When I spoke to AirFrance they told me she would need to take the stairs to the upper level. With security behind us, my wife and I strolled through the mall-like terminal and trekked over to the Air France lounge, which recently relocated into a larger space that was previously occupied by a Delta Sky Club. Good luck! Positive Reviews for British Airways Premium Economy A380. 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