With its all-new Airbus A350 business class seat, Air France hopes to please every passenger.
Want to sit right up against the window and enjoy the view through as many as three large windows? Done. Prefer to be closer to the aisle? Also done.
If you're set for the middle seat, how about being right next to your partner in forward-facing seats...
... and for solo travellers, about as far away from the other passenger as they can get, with seats which angle away from one another?
The unique layout of Air France's newest business class adopts the same 'mix and match' approach as seen in United Airlines' latest Polaris business class.
And that's no accident: for its Airbus A350s, Air France has chosen the same 'Optima' seat which forms the foundation of United's Polaris platform.
Air France's A350s will have 34 business class seats, with first flights tentatively scheduled for September.
Note that the images shown here are of the Optima seat in its dressed-up catalogue form – the Air France version will undoubtedly receive a chic redesign.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Etihad - Etihad Guest
01 May 2019
Total posts 1
C'est si bon! Vive Air France.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
16 Jan 2018
Total posts 129
It looks like UA’s Polaris or am I mistaken? Kinda funny that they talk about it in a way as if AF is the first airline to do the staggered lay out.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
08 Jul 2014
Total posts 59
05 Sep 2014
Total posts 14
If you had read the article you'd see this: "And that's no accident: for its Airbus A350s, Air France has chosen the same 'Optima' seat which forms the foundation of United's Polaris platform."
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jan 2014
Total posts 320
Looks like a clever way to get all of those seats in a restricted space but the middle section looks crowded, maybe once you are seated you wouldn’t notice so much.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 174
Never flown them (in United) but elbow room in the centre does look compromised
Etihad - Etihad Guest
10 Apr 2019
Total posts 2
I don't like the aisle-facing seats, But if you can jag a middle seat together or a window seat that would be fine.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Assume the angle on the aisle seats enables a denser configuration than say the Vantage XL that QF uses
KLM - Flying Blue
05 Feb 2019
Total posts 36
I think this new Business Class seat is a good improvement
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
27 Feb 2015
Total posts 20
I think the old AF A380 biz is the worst A380 biz i have been in.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
22 Apr 2013
Total posts 143
Looks like 3 different fabric/seat covering types? Eg: hero image (chocolate brown with arched quilted stitching. 1st image (light colour with pattern and parallel stitching. 3rd image (cream colour with wide, straight lined quilted stitching).
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2560
Those are all promo shots, they in no way reflect how Air France's version of the seat will look.
10 Dec 2018
Total posts 40
Bravo, parallel in/out/in/out weds wrong way around, peer at your neighbor, 1st generation herringbone. That must just about exhaust all the available permutations. Yawn.
CX
05 Jun 2012
Total posts 127
"The unique layout of Air France's newest business class adopts the same 'mix and match' approach as seen in United Airlines' latest Polaris business class"
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