Air France’s top executives gathered in New York City this week to deliver a message to the aviation market. They want their airline to be recognized as among the top three in the world—and they are investing heavily to make their service on par with the best.
On June 24, Air France inaugurated the first Boeing 777 equipped with its new cabins, offering more space, more amenities and more technology than ever before. The airline also did so on its marquee Paris-New York route, which it has been flying for nearly 70 years.
This week, Air France also is staging a “pop-up” exhibition of its new cabins, the service experience it delivers, and the history of its Paris-New York route at a venue on New York’s West Side. Called “France in the Air,” the exhibition will place June 26-28 at Center 548 at 548 West 22nd Street, not far from New York’s Chelsea Piers.
The airline’s new economy, premium economy and business cabins will be installed by 2016 on its 44-aircraft 777 long-haul fleet, as well as its A330 and A380 airplanes. Featured will be an all-new economy cabin with more comforts and a premium economy cabin with 40 percent more space. A new business cabin will offer full-flat beds and much more space as well.
Overall, Air France is installing nearly 10,000 economy seats, more than 1,100 premium economy seats, and 2,102 new business seats. The new cabins will be available by the end of 2014 to Singapore, Jakarta, Tokyo-Haneda, Houston and Shanghai. Douala, Dubai and Sao Paulo will follow early 2015.
Air France-KLM had already announced an investment of 700 million euros in new cabins, including 500 million euros for Air France and 200 million for KLM. With the planned upgrading of both airlines’ Airbus A330 and Air France’s A380 over the next few years, the group will invest a total of more than one billion euros by 2017 in the upgrading of its products and services.
Air France selected New York to showcase its new cabins because Paris-New York is the leading route on the airline’s network in terms of capacity. This summer, Air France is offering more than 4,000 seats on this route, with seven daily frequencies, two of which are on a codeshare with alliance partner Delta.
Since 1946 and the birth of the transatlantic service, Air France has made the Paris-New York route a showcase for all its innovations. “There’s a love story between New York and Paris,” said Air France Chairman and CEO Alexandre de Juniac. “We have chosen New York because it’s a legendary route for Air France. We’ve announced all of our innovations here…the Concorde, the A380, and now the first 777 equipped with the new product a few days ago.”
De Juniac said the new cabins are a major step in a four-year plan to turn Air France into a major world-ranked airline. The carrier began its plan with a cost-reduction plan and now it has focused on improving the quality of its products and service.
“For the future we will fight hard to improve the quality of what we provide to our customers, both on the ground and onboard,” de Juniac said.
Air France also is touting the fact that its new cabin interiors and seating have been developed with input and testing by its customers. “There’s a new relationship between Air France and our clients…a new relationship with the people flying with us today,” de Juniac said.
That kind of input has resulted in innovations across the four classes of service offered by the airline. For example, Bruno Matheu, Air France’s chief officer-long haul passenger activity, said the airline’s new more comfortable and ergonomic economy seats have about one inch more pitch.
The economy seats also have electric sockets, a bigger HD touch screen (9 inches) in seatbacks, and more than 1,000 hours of programming, including movies, TV shows and audio. The airline also has revamped economy dining with new menus, food presentations, tableware, trays, and ice cream. And even in economy, champagne is free for all passengers.
In Air France’s premium economy cabin, according to Matheu, the airline has developed a new type of larger seat complete with adjustable footrest and electric sockets. Here, too, there are bigger HD touch screens (12 inches) and more entertainment programming options.
In the business cabin, a new seating concept allows all passengers to have direct access to the aisles. Private, cocoon-like seats transform into full flat beds that are some of the largest in the market (77 inches long, 22 inches wide). New inflight entertainment can be accessed on 16-inch HD touchscreens and can be listened to on the latest generation noise-reducing headsets. Throughout the business cabin, the airline is using high-quality fabrics and materials, new lighting schemes and providing ample storage space.
In La Premiere, Air France’s first class cabin, the airline is promising to deliver a unique in-flight experience that is “haute couture” in every detail. There will be only four suites per cabin, each of which can convert into one of the largest flatbeds in the industry (94 inches long, 23 inches wide). A 24-inch HD flat-screen, which Air France says is the largest in the industry, delivers a full range of entertainment options. The compartments come with closets for storage and Givenchy amenity kits. A three-star gourmet menu comes with high-end champagne brands and caviar.
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