Review: New Air France La Première First Class - Paris to Los Angeles

I recently flew the new Air France La Premiere for the first time, and it became my favorite first class experience to date. From check-in, to on board, to deplaning, every touchpoint felt considered. This is my full review of the flight from Paris to Los Angeles. If you'd rather start with the short version: I'd fly it again in a heartbeat.

How I booked Air France La Premiere First Class - Paris to Los Angeles

I booked this trip using a combination of points and cash. You can book Air France business class for as low as 60,000 miles and then upgrade to La Premiere with cash, which runs roughly $1,500 to $3,500 depending on your route. To find the business class award space, I set up alerts using the Roame award flight search tool.

I specifically chose the Paris to Los Angeles route because it flies the new La Premiere suites. Thirty hours before departure, when check-in opened, I was offered a cash upgrade to La Premiere. I was so excited I had a hard time sleeping.

One important note: Air France's official policy does not permit upgrades to La Premiere if you booked business class using miles. In practice though, there are countless datapoints of travelers being offered the upgrade around 30 hours before the flight, myself included. If you are not offered it when online check-in opens, you can still try requesting it in person with the desk agent.

You can search for Air France's Business Class seats by using a tool like Roame SkyView search and set up custom alerts.

To figure out which credit card points transfer into Air France/KLM Flying Blue before you book, consult the transfer partner cheat sheet.

Flight Information

Access to the La Premiere Lounge

The La Première journey starts right when you pull up to the private First Class entrance. A team of Air France agents greeted me and paired me with my own concierge agent for check-in. She walked me past the main security lines straight to customs for tax-free processing, even before the office was officially open to the public.

From there, she led me through a private security line and drove me across the tarmac in a Porsche Cayenne directly to the La Première lounge.

The lounge was under renovation during my visit, so I couldn't try the Sisley spa or the new nap rooms that were opening in July. However, the space is still sleek and stylish.

They had an incredible à la carte dining with an exceptional breakfast.

Cabin & Seats

When it was time to board, my agent drove me back across the tarmac in another Porsche. Even though there are only four First Class suites on board, Air France dedicated an entire jet bridge just for us.

The cabin layout is totally different from any other First Class product. It feels wide open because Air France uses thick floor-to-ceiling privacy curtains instead of hard sliding doors. I was skeptical at first, but the curtains actually work better than walls, especially since most walls/doors do not fully reach the ceiling. The Air France La Premiere design is clean and understated, pairing a grey and white palette with bold red accents.

The suites use a dual-furniture layout. Instead of your seat converting into a bed, you get a main armchair plus a separate chaise lounge that folds completely flat.

I was in Suite 1A, and since nobody was in the suite next to me, closing the middle curtain gave me a massive private double room.

Entertainment & Amenities

Each suite has two 32-inch 4K screens and a removable touchscreen remote that docks on either side. Starlink Wi-Fi was installed on board, and a quick speed test clocked in at 350 Mbps.

The amenity kit came stocked with Sisley skincare products, Jacquemus pajamas, slippers, and Denon headphones. There are no overhead bins, so your carry-on slides right into a pull-out storage drawer next to the chaise lounge.

There's a lot of storage to put your carry-ons in.

The bathroom has a ring lit mirror with a cosmetic mirror as well. They provided hand towels alongside Sisley's hand wash, body lotion, and their famous gentle makeup remover.

La Premiere Dining - Food & Drinks

The meal service was spectacular. It started with Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Grand Siècle champagne and caviar, followed by tomato and melon gazpacho, trout raviole in mushroom cream, lamb shoulder confit, a fresh salad, French cheeses, and a hazelnut cake. They offered fruit and ice cream after, but I was completely stuffed.

There were so many great courses, it felt never ending.

I paired the lamb with a glass of Grenache (2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape), which was fantastic. My flight attendant, Valerie, was super attentive. When I asked for just a half-glass, she immediately checked if I disliked it and offered another bottle.

In reality, I just didn’t want to drink too much, but I thought that observation showed a high level of attention to detail that’s usually only at fine dining restaurants.

If you want, the crew will even set up a full wine tasting for you during the flight.

I woke up later for a second meal service and had a savory tomato tart and a langoustine soufflé. Both were excellent.

Sleeping Experience

After lunch, the flight attendant made up my chaise lounge into a bed so I could switch sides to sleep. The privacy curtains are thick enough that they feel like real walls, and because they run all the way to the ceiling, they block out almost all light. I slept great the whole way across the Atlantic.

As we descended into Los Angeles, the crew offered me a selection of snacks to take home, and I grabbed some Pierre Hermé chocolates.

On the ground, an Air France agent led me through immigration and bag collection and over to my connecting Delta flight, checking me in at the Delta One-only counter and private security line. I didn't even know Delta One had its own security line at LAX.

Final Thoughts: The best first class I've flown (10/10)

Overall, Air France La Premiere is by far the best first class flight I've been lucky enough to experience. I'd 100% fly it again if I can find good business class availability and land the upgrade.

Ratings

Food Quality: 10/10
Drinks Quality: 9/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Cabin Design: 10/10
Seat: 10/10
Service: 10/10