Air France operates a large global network from its hub in Paris, with significant service to North America. From the U.S., Air France also flies to Papeete, French Polynesia (from Los Angeles) and to the French Caribbean (from Miami).
Air France was an early adopter of premium economy, and it’s available on each of the widebody aircraft operating long-haul flights. Premium economy on Air France is an upgrade over economy, but it remains closer to an “economy plus” rather than a “business light.”
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What to know about flying Air France premium economy
Air France’s premium economy (which the airline calls simply “Premium”) is an improvement in personal space over economy, but there’s one seat type to watch out for: The older-style “shell” seat, which has a fixed back and the seat slides down and forward to create recline.
Air France is introducing a traditional recliner on newer aircraft, including the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, so it’s helpful to check the aircraft type before booking.
When booking itineraries that connect to Air France’s narrowbody aircraft, premium economy fares are accommodated in economy on the connecting flight. On Delta’s domestic flights in the U.S, Air France premium economy fares are given seats in Delta Comfort+.
The best routes to fly in premium economy on Air France
Air France operates flights to destinations worldwide from its hub at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Roissy, near Paris. All flights operated by widebody aircraft have a premium economy cabin.
From North America, Air France operates from 22 gateway cities. Each has nonstop service to Paris on a widebody aircraft with a premium economy cabin. Air France also flies nonstop from Los Angeles to Papeete (PPT) with a premium economy-equipped Airbus A350 aircraft. Flights from Miami to Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP) onboard an Airbus A320 do not have a premium economy cabin.
What to expect when flying Air France premium economy
Premium economy passengers benefit from the same priority services at the airport as business class passengers, albeit without free lounge access. Lounge access can be purchased at the ticket counter at most airports. Premium economy passengers will also board earlier, have more personal space and a larger seat, slightly upgraded onboard catering, and an amenity kit. Although this is an upgraded cabin, the overall look and feel is still closer to economy than business.
Check-in and security clearance
Premium economy passengers benefit from SkyPriority when checking in and moving through airports. That means dedicated check-in areas, security lines (at some airports), and even dedicated lines for airport customer service near gate areas. This can vary by airport, but SkyPriority is a SkyTeam program–not just Air France–so most airports around the world will have these areas well signed.
Luggage allowance
Premium economy passengers can check in two bags up to 23 kg / 50 lbs each (unless they have chosen a Light fare, which does not include checked bags) and bring two carry-on bags, plus a personal item with a combined weight of 12 kg / 26 lbs (regardless of fare purchased).
Lounge access
Air France does not include access to Air France or partner lounges on premium economy tickets. Access to select Air France lounges can sometimes be purchased at the ticket counter, subject to availability. Rates for Air France lounges in the U.S. range from $50 to $100, depending on the airport.
FlyingBlue members can elect to purchase lounge access with miles. In Paris, the rate is €90; rates can be as low as $50 at airports in the U.S.. Lounge passes can be used within three hours of the flight’s departure.
Seats
There are two kinds of premium economy seats on Air France: the older “fixed shell” seat, where the seat doesn’t recline back but scoots down and forward, and two versions of the newer seats, which is a reversion to the more typical reclining seat.
Generally speaking, you’ll find reclining seats instead of fixed shell seats on the A350, 777-200ER, and most 777-300 aircraft (except those configured in high-density configurations which operate primarily from Paris to the Caribbean and Indian Ocean). Be sure to check a seat map website like AeroLOPA to verify which configuration you’ll be traveling on.
All premium economy seats have 38” of pitch, vs. 31” in economy.
On the 777 and A350, premium economy seats are configured in a 2-4-2 layout. On the slightly narrower 787 and A330, seats are configured 2-3-2.
Many travelers dislike the fixed shell seat, not only because the recline isn’t really a true recline, but also because it takes up floor space that can be used for carry-on bags. Underseat stowage for these seats is also limited because of the retractable footrest, so larger carry-ons will need to go in the overhead compartments.
Food and drink
Air France puts a little more “oomph” into its premium economy meal service. Main dishes are slightly elevated over economy meals, but still served in the same type of plastic casserole dish on a tray. The appetizer and dessert are “inspired by the Business cabin”, which most often means they’ll be very similar to one of the business class options – just served on a single tray alongside the meal.
On flights departing Paris and some Caribbean destinations, the main dishes are designed by Michelin-starred chef Frédéric Simonin. There’s typically a choice of one meat or fish dish, along with one vegetarian dish.
Before the meal service, Air France serves a glass of champagne or other beverage with a cocktail snack. The wine list is curated by Xavier Thuizat, Air France’s head sommelier.
On longer flights, there’s a pre-arrival meal service offered in a snack bag. There’s sometimes a hot pastry, croissant, or sandwich added to the bag for premium economy only.
Service, amenities, and in-flight entertainment
There’s nothing particularly distinct about premium economy service, but the amenities are upgraded. The pillows and blankets are more plush than those in economy, the entertainment headset is noise-cancelling, the screen is slightly bigger, and each seat comes equipped with a bottle of water in a specially designed compartment.
There’s also an amenity kit on overnight flights, which includes an eye mask, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, and earplugs.
How much it costs to fly Air France premium economy
Air France’s premium economy product can be well-priced when the conditions are right. Sometimes the fares are much closer to economy fares than business fares, but it depends on the availability. If you’re not able to secure a premium economy seat at a fare you like during initial booking, it’s helpful to set a fare alert, because sometimes pricing in that cabin can come down a bit, reducing the amount needed to exchange the ticket for an upgrade.
When paying in cash
We’ve seen round-trip premium economy fares from the U.S. to Europe for as low as $1,300 to $4,500, depending on departure city. Flights between Tahiti and Los Angeles start around $2,200 round-trip.
When paying via points in a credit card portal
Many transferable points programs, including Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, American Express Membership Rewards, and Bilt Rewards, offer travel portals where you can book with points instead of transferring them to an airline loyalty program.
These portals generally offer a value of 1 to 1.5 cents per point. They’re not really the optimal value for redemption compared to transferring points to loyalty programs directly, but they have their benefits. They work best when you have a lot of points to burn, want to book flights that don’t have award space, or if you need to book quickly and can’t depend on the points to transfer in time (although many programs are getting faster with transfers).
At 1-1.5 cents per point, you can expect to spend at least 130,000 points for a round-trip flight from the U.S. to Europe in Air France premium economy.
When booking using Flying Blue miles
Flying Blue uses dynamic pricing for award flights, meaning the price of flights can change based on demand. You can use FlyingBlue’s reward calculator to estimate the base number of miles needed for a premium economy seat. For example, a one-way premium economy seat between New York (JFK) and Paris (CDG) should cost around 40,000 miles each way.
When booking via partner airlines
We’ve seen Air France premium economy miles for 72,000 Delta SkyMiles round-trip between the U.S. and Paris. Delta uses dynamic pricing, so those award prices can also fluctuate with demand. You can redeem miles for Air France flights from virtually any SkyTeam member airline’s reward program.
How much it costs to upgrade to premium economy on Air France
Air France prices premium economy dynamically, just like it does its other cabins, so fares can vary. Sometimes, premium economy costs slightly more than economy; sometimes fares are closer to business class pricing. The cabins on each aircraft are small, however, so on higher-demand routes, the lowest fares will sell out quickly.
When paying in cash after booking
After booking, Air France will display an option to upgrade to premium economy. The price that you see from booking up until check-in is the fare difference between what you paid and the lowest premium economy fare.
When check-in opens, Air France also rolls out set amounts for last-minute upgrades. These can be paid using a combination of cash and FlyingBlue miles. Amounts depend on numerous proprietary factors. When upgrading to premium economy from economy class, we’ve seen offers as low as $800 each way for long-haul flights.
When upgrading using Flying Blue miles
You can upgrade to premium economy using FlyingBlue miles before check-in opens, but there are a few caveats. One is that availability is limited. The other is that you can only check for upgrade availability using miles over the phone or when managing your reservation on the full Air France site; the Air France app will only show options for paid upgrades.
Availability for upgrades in advance is actually so rare, I’m not aware of the number of miles required – I’ve never seen the seats available.
How to save on Air France premium economy tickets
The best way to save on a premium economy ticket is to set a fare alert and keep an eye out for fare sales. You’ll also want to keep checking availability for paid or miles upgrades after booking if you ultimately book an economy seat, or wait until check-in for discounted upgrade opportunities.
How to book Air France premium economy with points
Booking Air France premium economy with points is easy, whether you’re booking with Air France FlyingBlue miles directly, with a credit card partner, or with one of the SkyTeam partner loyalty programs.
How to book Air France premium economy using your credit card portal
With most credit card portals, you can select the city pairs you’re looking for on the first page and get all the possible fare options on the next page. From there, it’s typically possible to filter the results by airline and class of service, so if there are options for “Air France” and “Premium Economy” simply select those.
For class of service, many of the point portals will also ask for your preferences up front, rather than filtering search results.
Which credit card points transfer to Flying Blue
A major benefit of FlyingBlue is that it has oodles of credit card transfer partners, including:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Bilt Rewards
- Capital One Miles
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Rewards
- HSBC Rewards
- Wells Fargo Rewards
How to book Air France premium economy using Flying Blue
To redeem Flying Blue miles for Air France premium economy, simply switch to the “Book With Miles” tab on the homepage, then log in and proceed with the booking as normal. Fares will be displayed in miles instead of dollars.
If you leave the class of service set to “Economy”, you’ll see redemption amounts across all three cabins. If you choose “Premium”, you’ll only see premium economy and business class.
What other loyalty programs can you use to book Air France premium economy?
Air France premium economy can be booked from the programs of any SkyTeam member carrier, including:
- Aerolineas Argentinas Plus
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air Europa SUMA
- China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- China Eastern Miles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- Kenya Airways Asante Rewards
- Korean Air SkyPass
- Middle East Airlines Cedar Miles
- SAS EuroBonus
- Saudia Alfursan
- Vietnam Airlines LotuSociety
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Xiamen Air Egret Miles
Non-SkyTeam airlines also allow redemptions on Air France, including:
- China Southern Sky Pearl Club
- Etihad Guest
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- WestJet Rewards
How to book Air France premium economy using points from a partner airline
When booking Air France premium economy using Delta Sky Miles, it’s best to select Delta Premium Select (Delta’s international premium economy, which is analogous to Air France premium economy) under “Advance Search.” This ensures the system will only look for flights with premium economy seats open.
In this example, we’ve chosen New York to Nantes, France. Delta doesn’t serve Nantes, so we found some Air France flights available.
Be sure to select “Shop with Miles” and “My dates are flexible” because availability can be limited.
The availability calendar can be useful in finding dates with seats available.
In the upper left corner, be sure to check that the flights contain Air France flight numbers and are operated by Air France. Then continue the booking process as normal.
Tips for finding premium economy award availability on Air France
Like many airlines, Air France uses dynamic pricing for awards, so the mileage price per flight can vary greatly – even between different flight options in the same city pair on the same dates. Air France also tends to have much better availability on flights to Paris (instead of beyond Paris) than partners like Delta. So redeeming from FlyingBlue typically offers the most dates and flight options.
Air France opens its inventory 359 days in advance of the flight date. Since travelers might cancel award tickets closer to departure, it’s best to keep checking back if the flights you want aren’t available.
Air France premium economy vs business class
The biggest difference between Air France premium economy and business class is the seat and service. Air France’s business class seats are lie-flat, the service is more elaborate with more choices of entrees, served serially in courses, bigger amenity kits, snack stations, and lavatories equipped with Clarins amenities.
Business class fares on Air France also include lounge access, while premium economy fares do not. Business class has a higher baggage allowance for both checked bags and carry-on bags, but both cabins have access to SkyPriority benefits at the airport.
Should you book Air France premium economy?
Air France’s premium economy is a good step up over economy, with better seats, more room, upgraded catering, and a smaller, somewhat quieter cabin. On newer aircraft, Air France has moved away from the unpopular, rather uncomfortable “fixed shell” seats, so be sure to check before booking what type of seats will be on your aircraft.
Premium economy is of particular value on daytime flights when a lie-flat seat isn’t of the utmost importance. The savings in points or dollars can be a fine middle ground between economy and business class.
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