I tried out Air France's new retrofitted B777-300/ER from Paris to New York JFK recently.
The newly configured Air France B777-300/ER has 48 Business Class suites, 48 Premium Economy class seats and 273 Economy seats.
Video
Passengers were greeted by Air France employees holding posters of the newly refurbished cabin.
Air France B777-300/ER New Cabin
Business Class cabin has 1-2-1 individual pod seats added with a privacy door.
The Business Class seats are similar to Air France's current long-haul B777 seats. There are 48 seats spanning across 2 cabins. The second cabin feels more private with just 5 rows of seats.
Apart from the door, several added features include a bigger storage table and wireless phone charging dock.
The seat also features a wide 17.3-inch 4K High-Definition anti-glare screen, a new Bluetooth connection allowing passengers to use their own headphones and several electric sockets.
Tip: Row 1 and 9 has a massive footwell and extra room due to the bulkhead position. These seats are often shown as blocked at online check-in but available at check-in.
Air France’s new Premium Economy seat came with a deep recline which is different from the current fixed shell design. The seat pitch is standard at 38".
The seat back reclines to 124 degrees and has been widened thanks to the narrower armrest.
Seat Map of Air France B777-300/ER
Seat map of the new Air France B777-300/ER is provided by SeatMaps.com
AF16 Paris to New York
We took off on time from Runway 26R, the 4k camera front camera view is very clear even at night.
I'd say Premium Economy Class food can be improved and distinguished better than standard economy meals since passenger pays more.
The weather in New York was very bad with rain and low visibility. Our plane was on hold for 40 minutes before cleared to ILS approach on Runway 13L. Watch the exciting landing at JFK in my video.
My Verdict
It is great that Air France has finally started refurbishing the 12 older B777-300/ER (with angle flat 2-3-2 Business Class) with the new configuration. This will provide their entire long haul fleet with flat bed in Business Class.
3 refurbished Air France 777-300/ER (F-GZNK, F-GZNS, F-GZNQ) currently flies between Paris and New York JFK (AF22/15), Dakar and Rio with this new configuration. 9 more B777 will be refurbished by the end of this year.
I think the trend in long haul Business Class is clearly adding extra privacy. We have seen Qatar Airways QSuite, ANA The Room, BA and Etihad new Business Class, and now Air France is also joining the bandwagon. However, Air France said they will not refurbish the existing long haul (4 class) 777 Business Class with the new privacy door.