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With new first class suite, Air France hopes to lure travellers from rivals, private jets

With its La Premiere suites, French airline hopes to lure business and luxury leisure travellers from European rivals and private jets

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A La Première suite on board an Air France plane. Air France is hoping its new first-class suites can draw business and luxury leisure travellers away from rival carriers and private jets. Photo: courtesy of Air France
Reuters

Air France this week unveiled a new first-class suite as it expands efforts to lure wealthy travellers from business jets and lend a “French touch” to the tussle for premium revenue.

The CEO of parent Air France-KLM, Ben Smith, said the investment aimed to place Air France at the top of the European league in airline luxury, signalling a battle with British Airways and Lufthansa.

“A large percentage of the customers are flying for business reasons … many of them have the choice of a private jet or flying in first class,” Smith said. “What is new for us over the last few years is a marked increase in the number of luxury customers that are flying for leisure purposes.”

The air travel industry is locked in a battle for high-fare-paying customers as it recovers from the pandemic but is split over the value of investing in first class, with many carriers focusing on steady improvements in business-class seating.
A passenger in an Air France La Première first-class suite. The suites span five windows and have both a seat and a chaise longue, which also converts to a flat bed. Photo: courtesy of Air France
A passenger in an Air France La Première first-class suite. The suites span five windows and have both a seat and a chaise longue, which also converts to a flat bed. Photo: courtesy of Air France

Air France’s latest first-class cabin, laid out in four pairs of grey, red-accented beds and seats on select planes, follows a years-long effort to reinvent a once loss-making product since Smith joined the national carrier in 2018.

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