I had the pleasure of traveling by Air France business class during my vacation to Europe last May. It was a multi-city itinerary. While going I took the Mumbai to Zurich selection and while coming as I had come by TGV to Paris from Zurich to spend a few nights there, I had taken the Paris to Mumbai selection. The reason I chose business class was because I got a good rate on the tickets due to booking well in advance in December of the previous year. At the time I had made the booking, the seat selections we were being offered were that of their A 350 aircraft. However, without any notice or any email alert, I was surprised to log into our manage bookings section a few months later to observe that our flight type had been changed to another one having very limited business class seats.
The flight type we were shifted to had only four rows of business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Out of which only the middle section of rows number one and three had seats suited for couples, rows number two and four had two seats in the middle but the handrest area was quite wide in the middle and separated the two seats considerably. We were randomly assigned two different seats when the aircraft type was changed without notice, maybe due to separate PNR numbers (we booked our tickets separately) but I doubt if we had the same PNR we would be randomly assigned seats together considering the business class section was so small. So right up until the day before the flight, we were seated side by side in row two but one seat in the corner and one seat in the middle. Luckily I kept checking the seats section from time to time to check for some availability and was able to get both of us middle seats in row two. Yes, it was not ideal as we were still separated by the huge central handrest but still, it was the best we could get.
Anyway, the check-in procedure was smooth in Mumbai and we were very thankful that we did not have to wait in the long check-in and immigration lines of economy class, we breezed through the formalities and went to the lounge. In Mumbai the lounges are not specific to aircraft brands i.e. there is not an "Air France" lounge or "Swiss Air" lounge. There are Adani business class lounges West and East which are assigned to a specific number of airlines respectively. Both lounges are essentially quite similar with the same range of food and amenities offered.
After enjoying the lounge for some time we went ahead to board our flight. There was a bit of chaos during boarding with it taking a lot of time beyond the boarding timing to finally get to the flight. At first glance, the seats looked pretty comfortable. The headrest area was in a sort of U-shaped enclosure so it gave more privacy, the seat was wide so that when I finally slept I could move around a bit turning on my side. The seat of course became fully flat for sleeping and that was the most important part as a good night's sleep meant a good day of exploring once we landed.
We did not eat anything on this section of the flight and just slept as much as possible. The amenity kits were decent with Clarins products in cute cloth pouches. The in-flight entertainment system was not functional in this section of our flight! I did write to Air France later about this and was provided with some additional frequent flyer miles for the inconvenience caused. The service was pretty decent and over all I can say the journey was ok.
The best part about this leg of our flight was actually after we landed in Paris. As we were now going to travel from Paris to Zurich (within the Schengen zone), it meant that we would be clearing our Schengen immigration at Paris airport itself. We landed at Paris CDG, cleared immigration swiftly and proceeded towards the Air France lounge at Terminal 2E. We had a five-hour layover at this airport. Here we had the pleasure of accessing one of the best business-class lounges we have ever visited.
The Air France Lounge at Terminal 2E was fantastic. We entered the lounge by scanning our boarding passes and we were impressed by the sheer size and the modern design of this lounge. It consisted of two floors with a lattice window design on one end from floor to ceiling giving some brilliant views of the airport and ample natural light. There was a good spread of food ranging from fresh salads, bread and croissants with delicious and creamy French butter, hot foods, desserts, juices, alcohol and some munchies as well. We loved the La Fabrique mini flutes munchies so much over there.
One of the best parts about this lounge was the full-service showers cum washrooms. Each was meticulously clean and fully stocked. I had a wonderful shower and was provided with all sorts of amenities including a fresh comb, deodorant wet wipe, and more. I was able to do all my morning activities in this fully equipped washroom and was fresh and ready for the day. A useful tip would be to access the showers as soon as you possibly can in the morning as this lounge gets crowded. When I had finished showering and walked out of that area, there was a long line to access the showers. I had read up and they were also supposed to have complimentary Clarins treatments which I was strongly advised in many blog posts I read to get my reservation for as soon as I entered the lounge. However sadly when we came to this lounge this service was non-functional.
After I came from freshening up the staff had started setting up for lunch and we were now able to enjoy the lunch items and desserts as well. There was one vegetarian item in their hot foods only but it was fantastic. I think it was a spelt grain risotto with a variety of asparagus. It was absolutely delicious. Ensure to get whatever you like quickly from the hot section as people in this lounge were ravenous and the trays of food got over fast! The replacements came out very slowly and also especially for this special food of spelt they said that the food was over and would not be replenished.
There are two areas though where the buffet is displayed so if it is finished in your section, go and check out the other section you may have some luck there. I luckily found some more of this amazing spelt dish in the buffet section on the lower level. There was a considerable amount of rush in the lounge as it approached afternoon time but still, it was not a disturbance as this lounge was vast. I then enjoyed a few of their desserts and another pack of those tasty mini flutes.
We spent a good four hours in the lounge and then decided to explore CDG airport a bit. It was nice but nothing extra special. I'm glad we spent a large amount of our time relaxing in the lounge. After this we went to board our flight from Paris to Zurich and on this short flight there was no business class section. They had just converted the first two or three rows into a makeshift business class by providing an empty seat between two economy seats. As it was a short journey of about an hour it was completely fine to me. Overall in this leg of the journey, I could say that the flight was a little disappointing as the in-flight entertainment system did not work and the business class section was quite small. But I got a good night's sleep as the seat was comfortable and the lounge during the layover was excellent.
Now talking about my flight from Paris to Mumbai, here we got to access the lounge at Terminal 2F. This lounge was pretty dated and not special. The bathrooms were not as well maintained. That being said it did have those mini flute snacks again so I was happy! While traveling back as it was not a long time in the lounge I did not mind. I spent my time shopping at the airport for macaroons in Laduree and buying madeleines of Bonne Maman.
The flight on our way back had the same configuration as the one from Mumbai to Paris. I was hoping to sit together this time in row one or three and I had checked while online check-in that row one consisted of only one passenger in the middle section. I requested a kind air hostess to help me switch my seats and the gentleman in the first row was requested and convinced by her to take any of our side row single seats whichever one he liked. She was so helpful and I did not feel at all what other people say that their air staff is biased sometimes. Thanks to the kind gentleman, me and my husband got to sit together in row one in the middle. This time we were seated side by side without the enormous handrest separator and it was almost like our own little private enclosure.
I had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal. On reading the menu I assumed we would get the same veggie meal as was there on their in-flight menu. But I made a huge mistake as we were provided a special separate meal which although was pretty tasty but not as enticing as the veggie option on the regular menu. Note to self and to those who reading this post, usually on the journeys to or from India internationally, a vegetarian option is provided. Also to ensure that you do get your choice of selection i.e. the option does not get over by the time your turn comes, try to sit in the front rows maybe the chances of getting your choice of meal would be better. We did have a pretty decent meal though and this time thankfully the in-flight entertainment system worked.
The screen was large and had a good range of movies and shows. One of the best parts about this journey was the in-flight snacks provided to us which are special to Air France. They're called Gavottes Crepes Fourrees. They are crispy cheese-filled mini crepe snacks. Oh my god, they were delightful. The sweet air hostess got me two more packs of these treats when I expressed how much I loved them.
We were provided another meal before we landed which was a light meal consisting of a sandwich and a flavoured yogurt. Once again it was different from what was given on the regular menu as we had ordered a special meal. I definitely enjoyed this leg of the journey (the in-flight part) a lot more than the previous one. It was a pleasant flight and even though the seats were dated and the business class section was small, the service, the comfortable seats and the large entertainment system made up for it.
Talking about the positives of Air France business class would be the comfortable seat, good service, great screen (if the entertainment system works) and a good lounge at Paris CDG if you get to go to the right terminal. The negatives would be the in-flight system not working one way, a dated lounge in one leg of the journey which was not well maintained and the changing of my type of flight and hence losing my seat selection without any email or message notice.
Overall, I had a pretty satisfactory time with Air France business class as it served my purpose of sleeping as much as possible comfortably from Mumbai to Paris as it was a nighttime flight. The first lounge that we got to access in Terminal 2E was wonderful and we were able to freshen up and enjoy good food. And a relaxed journey on my way back with decent food and great service. So yes, if I had to compare based on value for money, wherein this airline's business class was cheaper than many of the same-level airlines, it was overall a good experience.
Thank you for reading! ❤️
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