Air France Business Class Review CDG-LAX Airbus A350-900 XWB (March 2024)

This was my first time flying business class, and it was a real treat on this 11+ hour flight from Paris to Los Angeles. I decided to treat myself and my mama for my birthday (thanks Papa for contributing as well). Yes, we both needed to celebrate because life is short, and we may not be able to physically travel in the future. Who knows what other responsibilities we may have in the future? The time was ripe for traveling, and I’m so glad I took it and ran with it. Also, a little wishing during the Pisces New Moon didn’t hurt in this case. My wish actually came true. :)

Please note that I did not pay full price for the upgrade to business class. I actually bought a basic economy ticket with Delta one week prior to traveling (it was $548 roundtrip, and I used my no annual fee Chase Freedom Flex* credit card to earn 5x points), but this flight was luckily operated by Air France. When I checked in on the Air France app, it gave me an option to upgrade for $1,091 to business class (had I bought a new business class ticket, it would have been over $9,000 for this flight). I said yes, why not?

First off you’re granted a sky priority lane to breeze through customs, but the security line will hold you up for ~30 minutes (many bags needed to be individually inspected). If you have a chance to visit the Air France Lounge beforehand, it was a quiet escape and not too crowded in the late afternoon when I went. There were people. but also a lot of spaces. There are showers, plenty of food/beverage options. I was so looking forward to getting a free Clarins facial treatment, but they were closed by the time I got there. There were still doing some renovations in Concourse K Air France Lounge with the walls, but it was still an overall pleasant experience. Yes, there was Palais des Thes tea sachets here, too.

On the flight prior to takeoff the flight attendant greeted me, came by with drinks (I chose orange juice) and a menu, and took away our coats on a hanger. We were given an in-flight bag that came with a few goodies such as a toothbrush/toothpaste, an eye-mask, ear plugs, socks, a pen and a few Clarins sample-sized products. I appreciated the fact that we had our own storage space with a door (in there there was already a small Evian water and noise-cancelling headsets for us). I was surprised to know that our seat and tray didn’t need to be properly straightened prior to takeoff (what a difference from Economy class lol). My jacket could be parked on the “counter” next to the window, and my legs could be propped up. And, don’t get me started on the duvet blankets. They were so warm, I didn’t even need to wear my jacket in flight. Oh, the little luxuries I appreciated.

Within an hour of take off we were served our 4-course dinner, created by Anne-Sophie Pic, the world’s most Michelin-starred chef. I’m a foodie and this was one of the highlights for me. Appetizer was cashew nut and garlic cream, yellow beet and sesame. Starter was smoked salmon filler, horseradish and chive cream, sweet potato and butternut squash puree with pumpkin seeds. The Main dish included several 4 options, including a vegetarian option (by the time they got to me, they ran out of the poultry and poulette sauce with tonka bean, creamy polenta with mushrooms), so I opted for the pollock, caraway sauce, oyster mushrooms and creamy crozets pasta. Then, came the Cheese plate with Crottin de Chavignol, Fourme d’Ambert and Cantal cheeses and the Desserts, created by Philippe Urraca, were Yuzu cheesecake and sorbet. Yes, they really used porcelain plates/cups, actual silverware and a tablecloth in Business class.

Around two hours before landing, we were then offered another meal service with the option for roast chicken fillet, tarragon jus and rissoled poatoes (which I chose) or penne pasta with lemon and pistachios, parsley jus, soybeans and baby spinach. For dessert it was soft chocolate chip cake and fruits were orange and pink grapefruit. I finished everything, no problem.

For those curious about the alcoholic drink options, these included champagne (Brut Reserve Thienot), White wines (2022 Pouilly-Fuisse Albert Bichot and 2022 Pouilly-Fume Les Deux Cailoloux Fournier Pere & Fils), and Red wines (2020 Malepere Chateau De La Soujeole Gerard Bertrand and 2017 Pessac-Leognan Chateau La Garde). Since I don’t really drink alcohol, I enjoyed drinking my Perrier and Badoit sparkling water and Palais des Thes tea. Yum.

The lie-flat seats weren’t the most comfortable when flattened all the way. I liked me some elevation. After dinner was served (yes, I had two desserts), the lights were out and the windows were automatically darkened. Snacks and drinks were available by the “buffet bar”/restroom area. Note that the front and back buffets may offer different drinks/snacks, so do walk over to both areas to check them out (my curiosity got the better of me).

In terms of the noise level, please note that passengers do snore, even in Business class, so the noise-cancelling headphone or ear plugs could come in handy. In the restroom they offered some communal full-sized Clarins facial products to use (they are secured, so you can’t really take them, not that I wanted to).

Yes, customer service was excellent as expected. The flight attendant personally walked each row to thank every passenger. He seemed genuine about it.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend flying Business class if you’re able to afford it for this longer flight. However, I would not pay full price to fly. This was a one-off experience where I seemingly got a discount to upgrade. I was curious and wanted to treat myself. No regrets.

P.S. My mind is already thinking of ways to earn points and status to be eligible for reduced or even complimentary upgrade in the future. Also, I finally watched Oppenheimer for three hours during this flight (my previous flight I finally watched Barbie). Wishes do come true. ;)

Almost landing in LAX and watched this interesting meditation documentary

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