Review: Air France “New” Business Class (A350-900)

Anytime I visit a new destination, I always scout out what carriers fly on my desired routes using FlightConnections to see if I can cross a new or bucket list business class experience off my list. When we planned our trip to Bora Bora, it was the perfect opportunity to try out Air France’s business class product.

While I had initially selected window seats for myself and my partner on this flight when it showed the older business class configuration at the time of booking, I checked a few weeks in advance of our flight and noticed that the aircraft had been swapped to Air France’s new business class configuration. 

Without missing a beat, I swapped our seats to a pair in the middle and was really looking forward to experiencing this new product as a way to cap off our trip to Bora Bora. Luckily, I didn’t encounter another equipment swap in advance of departure and as I boarded, I knew I was in for a treat.

Let’s take a look at my review of Air France’s new business class on the A350-900.

Booking Air France’s “New” Business Class

I booked this one-way flight for two people around 11 months in advance and it cost 103,000 Flying Blue Miles plus $265 USD in taxes and fees per person. This route seems to have pretty good availability, as I’ve seen up to 9 business class seats bookable at this price point on the same flight. 

There is also the chance of cheaper business class award space through Flying Blue Promo Awards and other promotions, so if you are interested in flying to Papeete I recommend doing some searching on seats.aero for seat availability encapsulating a wide range of dates.

While I was lucky to get to experience the new Air France business class as a result of an equipment swap at some point between booking and when I changed our seats, recognize that these changes can cut both ways. That being said, Daniel has previously flown the older Air France business class and said it was fantastic, so don’t let your concern of not getting to fly this new business class cabin sway you from choosing Air France as a carrier in general.

Earning Air France KLM Flying Blue Miles can be harder in Canada, as the Brim Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard is the only card that natively earns Flying Blue Miles. This card fluctuates between having and not having a welcome bonus, so oftentimes the only way to really earn miles is through spending, which is far from optimal.

On the other hand, Canadians can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Flying Blue Miles at a ratio of 1:0.75. While this isn’t as good as other transfer partners, it does present a decent value proposition for the right redemption. If you are interested in making a redemption like this as a Canadian, your best angle might be to add a Membership Rewards earning card to your wallet, such as the American Express Platinum card.

American Express Platinum Card

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American Express Platinum Card

The American Express Platinum card is a premium card that offers benefits including a $200 travel credit, a $200 dining credit, airport lounge access, instant elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, and more.

Check out our American Express Platinum card review for more details.

In 2025, we awarded this card as the Best Credit Card for Airport Lounge Access.

BONUS
100,000 Membership Rewards

MINSPEND
$10,000

NET VALUE
$1,401+

ANNUAL FEE
$799

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

However, if you are aware of how to get US credit cards as a Canadian, there is a much better opportunity available. American Express US Membership Rewards points transfer to Air France KLM Flying Blue at a ratio of 1:1 which is great value and can be made even better through a promotional transfer bonus. 

There are so many great cards offered by American Express US with outsized welcome bonuses, such as the American Express Business Platinum card (US), so this is our recommended path to earning Flying Blue Miles in large quantities if you have access to US credit cards and have a way to meet the minimum spending requirements on these cards.

American Express Business Platinum Card (US)

Apply Now Learn More

American Express Business Platinum Card (US)

The American Express Business Platinum card (US) earns Membership Rewards and offers cardholders over $1000 in annual statement credits.

BONUS
150,000 Membership Rewards

MINSPEND
$15,000

NET VALUE
$2,605+

ANNUAL FEE
$695

FOREX FEES
No

EXPIRY
–

Either way, earning Flying Blue Miles is not the most straightforward process for Canadians, but the payoff can be great when you get to make a redemption like this.

Cabin Arrangement

Air France’s new business class cabin on the A350-900 is arranged in a 1-2-1 layout. All seats have direct aisle access and for the most part are made equal, except for the bulkhead row which has a massive footwell compared to the rest of the seats. If you can select a bulkhead seat I would recommend taking advantage of the opportunity, but it isn’t a make-or-break situation.

Since all seats are made pretty much equal, the only question is if you would prefer a window or aisle seat. As we were flying as a couple, we selected seats 4D and 4H in the middle.

Seat

Air France’s new business class cabin is nothing short of immaculate with gorgeous colors and everything that you would want in a business class flight. While we didn’t choose window seats for this flight, I did grab a quick picture of one while boarding, but it is nearly identical to the middle seats.

Upon boarding, a coat hanger, pillow, blanket, and slippers were already left at our seats. Amenity kits would be handed out later once we were settled.

The middle seats are perfect for couples as there is a partition that can be lowered, making it easy to converse mid-flight.

As you sit down, you’ll notice that the entertainment console is stowed into the seatback ahead and that the screen pops out by pressing the button to the right of the unit. There is also a coat hook nearby if you have a jacket or other garment that you need to hang for the duration of the flight.

Directly below the entertainment console is the footwell, which was decently sized compared to other business class products. I did find it comfortable no matter if you are a side-sleeper or if you prefer to sleep on your back. There is a small storage space below the footwell, but it only really works for storing shoes.

To the left of the footwell is a small storage compartment.

The new business class cabin also offers doors on every suite. I’m a huge fan of doors in business class, even though this cabin was already very private as there wasn’t a line of sight to any other passengers. Doors just seem to elevate the experience, no different than what I experienced on one of my favorite business class flights, Qatar Airways QSuites.

To the right of the seat is an armrest that can be raised and lowered as desired, with various levels of configuration. This is a fantastic feature, made even more useful when the seat is in lie-flat mode as it effectively widens the bed just slightly.

To the left and behind the seat, near the center console, is a personal reading light. As this was a daytime flight (except for maybe the last 45 minutes), the cabin lights weren’t dimmed at all so it offered little value.

Instead of the fairly typical entertainment console remote, Air France’s new business class has a personal tablet that is stowed in the wall of the center console. Business class passengers can use this tablet to adjust their seats, select entertainment, and much more.

Directly beside the tablet is a small storage compartment where the headphones and a bottle of water are housed. The headphones are already connected to the entertainment console, so there is no need to fumble with plugs and cords.

Each business class seat has access to wireless charging for mobile devices, plus USB-A, USB-C, and normal plug charging. Wireless charging is super convenient, so this was a nice addition. 

It also felt like there was a lot of storage and counter space compared to other business class products, making it easy to have a laptop, mobile device, and drink all on the center console without it feeling cramped.

While the seat can be controlled via the tablet, there is also a row of quick controls on the side of the center console. These are touch-controlled, which means it can be easy to accidentally hit one while you are in your seat. I preferred to use the tablet for the majority of my needs as it simply offered more customization.

Finally, the tray table extends from the center console and it is constructed as one piece. It is sturdy and roomy, but it definitely helps to have the additional counter space with the center console.

Full-stop, Air France’s new business class seat is in my top three out of all the business class products I have flown. It is incredibly comfortable and roomy, yet practical all at the same time. The design elements are pretty close to perfect and it’s clear that a high attention to detail went into designing this cabin as a product that customers will want to choose over other carriers.

Bed

While it was a daytime flight, I did plan on napping for a few hours as a way to break up the flight in hopes I would be well-rested once we landed in Los Angeles. As I mentioned prior, there was a sizable pillow and comfortable blanket on our seats as we boarded.

Whether you are using the tablet or the center console seat controls, the seat quickly converts to a lie-flat bed. 

When we flew into Papeete, my main sticking point with Air Tahiti Nui business class was that the seat was incredibly narrow and there was no way to have a comfortable sleep whether you slept on your back or on your side. This is not the case on Air France, as the business class seat is wider and you can lower the armrest for even more room.

At a height of 5’11”, the bed was long enough and I didn’t feel like the footwell was too compact. Of course, it would have been even better if I had been able to select a seat in row 1 for the additional footwell space, but you can’t win them all.

I ended up sleeping for around 2 hours mid-flight and it was restful and comfortable, even without a mattress pad. After sleeping, I woke up and checked the time that was remaining on the flight and was pleased I had a few more hours to enjoy this stellar product.

Amenity Kit

After all business class passengers had boarded, amenity kits were handed out. My partner and I received different designs.

The contents were quite standard and what you would expect, including a toothbrush and toothpaste, eyemask, ear plugs, socks, a pen, and two moisturizing creams.

Bathroom

Air France’s new business class cabin has a total of three bathrooms, with one located in the front left of the plane and two in between the business class cabins.

The two bathrooms located between the business class cabins are standard-issue airplane bathrooms with nothing notable. However, the bathroom at the front left of the aircraft is significantly bigger and nicer than the other two. This bathroom has a wall of mirrors with some additional amenities and should be your choice if you need to change before a nap, as it is noticeably bigger.

Dining

After we boarded and got settled, flight attendants came around with welcome beverages including a choice of champagne, juice, or water. We both selected champagne, which came in very subtlely branded yet gorgeous Air France glassware.

The menus were handed out by the flight attendants prior to departure. All food and beverage choices are contained within one menu:

Once we were up in the air, tray tables were primed with tablecloths and we received our first round of drinks and a small box of crackers. I opted to keep it simple with a whiskey and coke, plus a glass of water.

Shortly after the first round of drinks, meal service started with appetizers including a salad and a selection of bread served on one tray.

For our mains, I ordered the braised beef cheek while my significant other ordered the stir-fried vegetables with Thai curry and jasmine rice. Both meals were excellent.

After the entrees were completed, both a cheese plate and a slice of black forest cake were offered as dessert. While simple, they were both excellent and a very light way to wrap up a tasty meal.

A light snack was offered about an hour and a half before landing, consisting of a small sampler plate and a muffin for dessert. We passed on this meal as we had dinner plans in Los Angeles later that evening.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

The entertainment console is modern and responsive, with an endless amount of choices. Passengers can choose between movies, television shows, a flight map, two onboard cameras, games, and more.

The Air France branded noise cancellation headphones are already hooked into the entertainment console and are comfortable with decent sound.

The selection of movies and television shows was better than most, and many new releases were available.

The flight map was robust and is what I would typically leave displayed on my entertainment console when not consuming content. However, this plane had two onboard cameras that passengers could view which was far more interesting than the flight map.

Being able to flip between the two onboard cameras throughout the flight was fantastic, and it was really neat to be able to watch during take-off and landing as it isn’t an angle you normally ever get to see while onboard.

Needless to say, the entertainment console is great and you won’t be bored when flying on Air France business class.

WiFi

If you are interested in getting some work done on your Air France flight, they do offer in-flight WiFi on supported aircraft. Connecting is simple, and instructions can be found within the entertainment console.

All passengers can utilize the free “Message Pass” which includes being able to send and receive text messages via messaging services (except for photos, videos, and audio files). I utilized this during my flight and it was sufficient to connect with those on the ground.

Should you require something more, there is a “Surf Pass” that can be purchased for an hour or the full flight, or a “Stream Pass” that can be purchased for the entire flight.

As always, prices may vary depending on the route you are flying and availability will be situational based on the aircraft.

Conclusion

It was an absolute treat to fly Air France’s new business class cabin on the A350-900. While this was my first foray into flying with the flagship French carrier, I’ve heard great things about their older business class product as well and wouldn’t hesitate to choose Air France again in the future.

In fact, should I return to French Polynesia, I would go out of my way to see if I could book a round-trip business class itinerary on Air France as it was so much more enjoyable than Air Tahiti Nui business class. This is the product that you want to be flying if you are traveling to or from Papeete.