Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Wednesday!

Today's post is a bit different.

A few months ago I finally flew Air France's new Airbus A350 business class from Paris Charles de Gaulle to São Paulo, and I have been working on the review for longer than I want to admit.

So here it is: my overdue Air France A350 review.

And I will say this from the start: when Air France gets it right, it is world-class.

The flight

This flight was completely self-funded. No involvement from Air France, no sponsorship, no special treatment. Just a normal award booking and an honest review.

Let's start with the airport.

Paris Charles de Gaulle is a lot. CDG is sprawling, multi-terminal, and confusing in the way that suggests it has been expanded many times over the years without anyone stepping back to look at the full picture, like most of the airports in Europe.

Give yourself time. More than you think you need.

The Air France Business Class check-in area was smooth though: no line, a super nice design, and premium enough to set the right tone. From there, a train ride to Terminal 2E and up to the lounge.

The lounge was “fine”. I would give it 3 out of 5.

The food was decent, the space was comfortable, and it did the job. But compared to what Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, or Singapore Airlines offer their premium passengers on the ground, Air France still has room to grow. It is not a lounge I would rush to the airport early to spend time in. It is a pleasant waiting room.

Once onboard, I took my seat: 1L.

Air France's A350 has eight bulkhead suites across rows 1 and 10. These are the best seats on the aircraft, and they are not just slightly better than the other rows. They are categorically different.

The footwell is much larger, and the whole suite feels more like a small room than a seat.

I am 186 cm tall, and in most business class seats, the footwell is one of the first things I notice. If it is too tight, you feel it immediately when trying to sleep. In seat 1L, that was simply not an issue.

The space was enormous. Not just "better than expected" enormous. Disproportionately enormous. I could stretch all the way out and still had room to spare.

If you are flying this aircraft, look at the seat map before anything else. Rows 1 and 10 are where you want to be.

Top-tier Flying Blue elite members can select these seats for free at booking. Everyone else gets free access when check-in opens. If you want to guarantee one before check-in, the fee is around $200 each way. I paid it and do not regret it.

One honest thing worth saying: the cabin showed signs of wear despite being retrofitted only about a year before my flight. Scuffs here, tired panels there. When an airline is positioning a product as premium, the first impression matters. I expected it to feel newer.

But then I sat down in 1L and forgot about most of that.

The suite has a sliding door, multiple storage compartments, a large screen, and a mini tablet to control the entertainment. The tablet at my seat did not work, which meant I had to keep reaching forward to the screen. Not at all ideal. But it was also a weirdly good demonstration of how much space the bulkhead suite actually has. The screen is far away because the suite is that big.

After takeoff, I closed the sliding door and the outside world disappeared.

There is something about closing a door on an airplane that never gets old. If you have spent years flying in cabins where someone is always in your peripheral vision and every conversation around you is audible, you understand exactly what I mean.

One thing to keep in mind: the seat can feel slightly narrow through the shoulders for broader passengers. Sitting up, most people will not notice. Lying down, you may feel it more. It did not stop me from sleeping well, but it is worth knowing before you book.

This is where Air France earns its reputation.

The main meal started with an artichoke and goat cheese amuse-bouche, which was one of the better single bites I have had on any aircraft. The starter was a salad with fresh smoked salmon, pea, lemon, and basil cream: light, fresh, and well put together.

Then came the chicken main.

I almost never order chicken on planes. This one was very good. I also had a baguette and French butter, which felt very right.

Then, of course, came the cheese course. This is Air France. There should be cheese, and there was: good selection, properly presented.

The chocolate dessert that followed was the best dessert I can remember having on a flight. I wanted more, but I was too full to ask.

Hot towels before the meal, good bread, and a serious wine and spirits list, though I cannot properly judge that side since I rarely drink on flights.

The pre-landing meal was lighter and a little strange in combination, but by then I had slept, and food near landing is more about function than experience. There were also snacks and drinks available in the galley throughout the flight. I may or may not have eaten quite a few pieces of chocolate…

The crew was warm. Not scripted, not performing friendliness. Just pleasant people treating passengers like adults.

Their style leaned toward minimal contact: efficient, polished, and respectful of your space. If you like being left alone and calling when you need something, this is your flight.

For me, there were moments where I would have appreciated a bit more proactive attention. A quiet check-in between meal services, or a refill offered before having to ask. That is the difference between good service and truly memorable service. The best crews anticipate rather than respond.

Air France was very good. But the gap between good and great is smaller than they might realize.

After lunch, I made the bed and went straight to sleep. I slept for five hours on a 12-hour daytime flight.

The enormous footwell made a real difference. At 186 cm, I could fully stretch out immediately. The bedding was excellent: proper duvet, substantial pillow, and good-quality materials. With the suite door closed and the window shade down, it was as dark and quiet as an airplane can reasonably be.

I watched Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two back to back in a closed suite. A very good cinema setup. The screen supports direct AirPods pairing, which is a small detail I love.

And then there is the Wi-Fi. This aircraft had Starlink, and the speed was around 382 Mbps over the South Atlantic at 38,000 feet. I held a WhatsApp audio call that felt exactly like being on the ground.

Some airlines are still charging $20 for 50MB of barely functional satellite internet. Starlink equipped aircraft are running speeds that make that feel like a different century. Fast Wi-Fi has crossed from luxury to expectation in premium long-haul, and Air France is right at the top of what is currently possible.

Scorecard

Air France is building a business class experience that leans into French culture in the best way. The food, the presentation, the warm but not intrusive service, and the overall elegance of the product all feel very Air France. They are pairing that with hardware that is competitive with the best business class products flying right now.

The gap to close is consistency.

There is a real difference between the enclosed suites on the A350 and some of the older configurations still flying under the same Business Class name. That is something passengers need to understand before booking.

When Air France gets it right, it is world-class.

The suite, the food, the Wi-Fi, and the sleep all added up to one of the best long-haul business class experiences you can book right now. Seat 1L on the A350 is not just a very good business class seat. It is a different product from what many passengers will find a few rows back.

86,000 miles plus around $300 in taxes for 12 hours that felt like five. Landing in São Paulo rested, well fed, and slightly annoyed the flight was over.

That is what the best products do. Air France, at its best, does exactly that.

Catch you in the clouds, 

Tomi from Points Master