Review Air France Business Class Paris CDG to Johannesburg

Paul‘s Flight Report for

Air France
Alliance; Sky Team

Flight: AF990

Route: CDG - JNB

Aircraft: Airbus A350-900

Business Class / Opera

Flight Time: 10 hours 50 minutes

General Impression:

Before the Flight :

Check-in Process: N/A in transit

Security Control: N/A in transit

Lounge:

Information:

Boarding @ Gate:

Staff @ these points:

Boarding in Cabin:

Welcome Drinks:

Departure:

, 17 min delay

Arrival:

40 min early

During the Flight :

Food presentation:

Food quality:

Drinks:

Service Procedure:

Amenity Kit:

IFE / System:

Seat Quality:

Legroom:

Lavatories:

Cleanliness:

General Atmosphere:

Announcement Pilots:

Announcement Cabin:

Cabin Crew:

After the Flight:

Immigration:

De-Boarding:

Baggage Delivery:

—-

= bad, a lot of work needs to be done

= poor, you will be busy with corrections

= good & normal, nothing special

= high level, but the icing on the cake is missing

= topnotch, leave me here!

= Half a Point/sheep

—-

Simply said: Magnifque

On the Ground:

As we arrived on time from our connecting flight and had around 3,5 hours in transit.

Transiting in Paris CDG wasn't a big issue as we arrived from Zurich, we didn't have to go through security again but to pass emigration as we left the Schengen area.

We could use the self scanning gates and there was absolutely no queue, we could basically walk through emigration.

As CDG airport is massive, ways can be very long especially when you have to change terminal.

Once through emigration via the self scanning gates, we made our way to the Air France Business Class Lounge at Terminal 2E, Area K.

It was the same Air France lounge we visited around 2,5 years ago with out KQ flight.

Wowww, what a change to the positive!

Air France has renovated the lounge completely since our last visit. It is now bright, modern, has different seating areas and has a warm atmosphere.

There is a main F&B station and at the other end a smaller one.

For the food section, they now offer. 4 different stations which are cold cuts & cheese, a salad bar, a hot buffet and bread as well as a desert section.

Drinks are split in 4 areas as well with a fridge full of softdrinks and beer, a bar section, a wine & champagne section as well as coffee and tea.

The presentation was really nice and staff was constantly filling up.

Staff in general was very friendly, talkative and helpful.

Boarding started 55 minutes prior departure.

Priority boarding was made and conducted according procedures.

Staff at the gate was just doing their job but otherwise nothing special.

At the aircraft door we were greeted by a friendly purser.

Cabin Crew was present in the cabin whilst boarding.

Once boarding was competent, the crew started serving the welcome drink, they distributed hot towels as well as the amenity kits.

Also the menu for today's flight was distributed.

The seats were already equipped with a fluffy pillow, a cosy blanket, a mattress as well as some slippers.

The headphones and a small Evian water bottle was prepared in the little cabinet next to the seat.

The amenity kit is good and offers the regular content. (socks, toothbrush, eye mask, ear plugs, a pencil as well as some creams). They offer exactly what could be needed during a flight.

Inflight:

The Air France Opera Business Class on this Airbus A350-900 is Air France's newest Business Class.

The configuration is in a 1-2-1 abrest and all seats are actually suites with closing doors. The aircraft has a total of 48 business class seats in a forward section and a smaller section after door 2.

The seat is simply wowww and for us one of the best business class seats we have ever had. The color which Air France uses makes it stylish and classy and some deco items like the logo make it posh.

The suite seats are very comfortable and offer a stunning privacy. No one can see into your seat whilst they are seated.

Storage around the seat is absolutely sufficient and basically every seat has an own hat rack. Absolutely no problem with handlugage space.

Needless to say that all business class seats are fully lie flat and you have enough shoulder space as well as legroom space.

We really love these suite seats as you have enough space with your shoulders to sleep on your back.

The seat worked perfectly fine and I had a very good snooze on this flight.

After take off the cabin crew first made a Champagne Service with some snacks and then they came to take the order for the meal service.

After that, the table were set up with a tablecloth and then they started the service by distributing the full size tray for dinner.

The tray consisted of an starter, a salad with balsamic dressing, cheese, a desert and some bread and butter.

Once you finished your starter, the crew cleared your plate and brought the hot meal. I absolutely loved loved loved all the small details on the tray, all sauces for the main course are brought in little sauce boat.

Once you finished everything, the crew cleared the table and offered actively coffee and digestives.

Presentation of the food was top notch and the quality was fantastic.

One of the best food and presentation of a European Airline in Business Class.

During the night, the crew passed with water and in the galley there was a kiosk with drinks and snacks prepared.

Around 1,5 hours prior arrival in Johannesburg, the cabin crew started with the breakfast service.

They set up the table and distributed the full size tray.

The tray contained some fresh fruits, yogurt and cereals, the main course option, bread with butter and jam and they offered a full drink service.

Also for breakfast, the food was super tasty, fresh and delicious.

Before landing at top of decent, the crew once more distributed hot towels to refresh for arrival.

The crew on this flight was stunning. They were all super friendly and interacted with the passengers. They never stressed or rushed and they took the time to talk to the passengers.

They were absolute service professionals and did everything with care and class.

Bathrooms were checked throughout the flight and they were always clean and refilled.

The inflight entertainment is wowww. Each seat has a large ~20-inch, 4K Ultra-HD Touchscreen, one of the biggest business-class IFE screens in Air France’s long-haul fleet.

The system offers audio/video on demand with a wide selection of movies, TV shows, documentaries and more. You can pair your own Bluetooth headphones, connect devices, and even use your device as a remote. The offer hundreds of hours of entertainment in multiple languages.

Air France has begun installing Starlink high-speed Wi-Fi on its aircraft. The plan is to equip about 30 % of the fleet with Starlink by end of 2025 and the entire fleet (all A350s included) by end of 2026.

We were lucky to get a plane with Starlink. When Starlink is installed, the Wi-Fi is free and high speed for logged-in Flying Blue members (Air France’s loyalty program).

Honestly, this is a game changer for aircraft wifi and internet access.

Flight deck announcements on this flight were very clear and well understandable. They made an announcement prior departure and one prior landing.

Cabin crew announcements were good. They were clear, understandable and exactly the right speed.

After the flight:

Immigration in Johannesburg was hectic, as 4 longhaul flights arrived at the same time.

They have a special priority lane which you can use with your business class boarding pass but also here they had queues and waiting time was around 15 minutes which is still okay.

Baggage delivery in Johannesburg was as always a perfect thing. First bags arrived on the belt 15 minutes after arrival and priority bags were delivered first.

Our summary:

Honestly, magnifique!

This was one of the best business class flights we have had with a European Airline.

It was classy, stylish, and a real pleasure.

Fantastic business class suite seats with lots of privacy.m, stunning IFE and with lots of well functioning design.

Delicious, fresh, well presented and appointed inflight service.

A crew with care and class. Taking the time for their duties and passengers and they are showing that they are professionals in their field.

I fell in love with what we have seen and gotten today on Air Frances flight and based on this experience I wouldn't hesitate for a second to book them again.