Air France's lie-flat business-class seats to get mattress pads through luxury Accor brand partnership
Fresh off of a glitzy reveal of its new long-haul first-class suites, Air France is announcing an upgrade for its international business class — one that should mean a better night's sleep on flights to and from the French capital.
The Paris-based carrier is partnering with a luxury hotel brand on new mattress pads for its lie-flat business-class seats. They'll start appearing on the airline's long-haul jets this summer.
Bargain hunting: When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?
Air France's new business-class feature
Air France's new bedding partnership will see the French flag carrier join forces with Sofitel, the legacy hotel brand that's part of the Accor Live Limitless loyalty portfolio (itself fresh off something of a glow-up).
Sofitel custom-designed a new bedding collection for Air France's business pods, which the carrier said is meant to offer a "floating on a cloud" feel in its front cabin. At the very least, it should make for a more comfortable red-eye experience on your next business class redemption.
Private suites and high-tech touches: What it's like flying Air France's business class
The new "Sofitel My Bed" covers will slip over the entirety of each lie-flat seat on Air France's whole fleet of wide-body aircraft, from the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner to its Airbus A330s and A350s.
"The introduction of a new mattress pad will further enhance the comfort offered on board, ensuring even more restful nights before arrival at destination, as well as greater relaxation during daytime flights," Fabien Pelous, Air France's senior vice president of customer experience, said in a statement announcing the news.
The mattress covers will sport shades of gray colors that the airline believes fit the overall aesthetic of its business cabin. Tags on the coverings offer a nod to the partnership between the airline and the hotel brand.
Air France notes the coverings will work — and add comfort — in both the lie-flat and upright positions, as shown below.
Travelers will start seeing the new premium-cabin feature appear on jets in July. Every Air France long-haul aircraft will offer the mattress pads by the end of this year, and they'll be available whether you're flying on an overnight trek to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) or a daylight flight.
How to book Air France with points and miles
Hoping to book a business-class flight on Air France? You have a few options.
For example, you can transfer credit card rewards to the Flying Blue loyalty program it shares with sister airline KLM as one option. Points and miles transfer 1:1 from most major credit card issuers, including American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One, Bilt Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards
Alternatively, you can transfer credit card points from several programs to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to take advantage of some of the lowest transatlantic award pricing out there (but do watch out for high surcharges on some bookings).
And among U.S. frequent flyer programs, Delta SkyMiles is a SkyTeam partner of Air France, but its award pricing tends to be pricier than Air France's own Flying Blue program — though you can score an award pricing discount with a Delta SkyMiles credit card.
Accor, for its part, is a transfer partner of Capital One.
Related reading:
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month