With a destination as fashionable as France, it’s only natural that its national carrier should have the most stylish first-class cabin in the skies. Air France’s new first class seats and passenger experience, named La Première (meaning first in French, naturally), is now flying daily between Paris and New York, after its inaugural flight on April 8, 2025.
In addition to New York, the new first class will gradually be made available on flights to Los Angeles, Singapore, and Tokyo-Haneda this year. The carrier plans to retrofit a selection of its Boeing 777-300ER planes in the coming months, rolling out updated seats in the business class, premium economy, and economy cabins, in addition to the elevated La Première product, which features four first-class seats.
The arrival of the latest La Première cabin comes at a good time: Today’s travel trends are leaning toward luxurious, private, and one-of-a-kind experiences, a moment that Air France is well prepared to meet. “Starting in the economy cabin and going all the way up to La Première, we’re differentiating our cabins and our services as best we can,” Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, tells Condé Nast Traveler. “Our customers are growing more sophisticated and discerning, so we’re evolving the Air France product to meet those demands.”
I had the opportunity to experience Air France’s latest first class seat—not in the air, but at an invitation-only event in New York City this week where attendees were able to experience a working version of the seat.
The new La Première suite is nearly ten feet in length and features two sitting areas: a forward-facing seat and a longer, rear-facing chaise lounge—perfect for relaxing, working, or dining with your travel companion, if you have one in the cabin. A touchscreen tablet controls all the seat functions: reclining the chaise into a true bed, two meters (six feet and five inches) long; adjusting the light sources and the shades on the five windows; and navigating the in-flight entertainment displayed on two 32-inch 4K screens on either side of the suite.
To give the space a lighter, airier feel, the overhead bins have been removed; carry-on luggage can instead be stored in a large side compartment that can fit a small suitcase and a personal item. Under the chaise is a compartment for shoes, and a small locker beside the front-facing seat contains a mirror and noise-canceling headphones—but the suite also comes with Bluetooth connectivity, if you’d rather use you own devices. Staying powered up is a breeze: USB ports and traditional power outlets are within reach no matter where you sit in the suite.
The overall vibe of La Première is supremely understated and chic. The cabin’s monochromatic palette with splashes of red is ever so French, restrained yet alluring. Sitting in the suite, it felt more like I was in a modular yet elegant Parisian hotel room than in an airplane seat. That French touch is evident in the soft product as well: Passengers receive pajamas designed by Jacquemus, the amenity kits are stocked with toiletries by Sisley Paris, and the dining experience onboard was created under the direction of French star chef Daniel Boulud.
