Air France takes delivery of its first Airbus A350
Air France has become the latest airline to take delivery of the Airbus A350. The carrier took delivery of its first A350-900 — the shorter of the two A350 variants — on Friday from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France.
The A350 delivered Friday was the first of 28 that Air France has on order. When Air France originally ordered the A350, it placed an order for 21 of the aircraft. However, earlier this year, Air France and sister carrier KLM swapped orders and Air France took over the order for seven A350s, while KLM opted to go exclusively for Boeing 787s. Air France expects to have three A350s in its fleet by the end of 2019, three more by summer 2020 and another 11 by the end of 2021. By the end of 2025, the carrier expects to have all 28 from the order.
The aircraft, registered as F-HTYA, was given the name "Toulouse", which is painted on the side of the fuselage. The aircraft first left the Airbus paint shop in late June. Since then, it finished assembly and has been running test flights before its delivery to Air France on Friday.
With the delivery, Air France has now operated an aircraft of every commercial Airbus family: the A300, A310, A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380. (The A220, while now owned and sold by Airbus, started life as a Bombardier product.)
At a press conference in Toulouse, Air France-KLM Group CEO Ben Smith said the aircraft gives Air France the ability to fly to any destination in its route network, including Santiago (SCL) and Singapore (SIN), its farthest. Smith said that Air France has the ability to operate to all of the major destinations it would want to with the exception of Sydney.
Inside the aircraft, you'll find a three-cabin layout: business, premium economy and economy. In business class, the 34 Safran Optima seats are arranged in 1-2-1 configuration.
The 24 premium economy seats, made by RECARO, are a new seat for the carrier. They are laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. Finally, the 266 Safran economy seats are in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each of the A350s will be equipped with Wi-Fi, and Air France will offer free in-flight messaging — the same offering as its SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines. Stay tuned for a full look inside the aircraft.
Beginning Oct. 7, Air France's A350 will begin flying its route from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Abidjan, Ivory Coast (ABJ), via Bamako, Mali (BKO), for crew familiarization.
For the winter season, beginning Oct. 27, Air France will fly the A350 from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Toronto (YYZ). Then, as Air France gets its third of the A350s, it'll begin flying to Cairo (CAI), Seoul (ICN), Mumbai (BOM) and eventually Bangkok (BKK) in summer 2020.
Speaking at Friday's press conference, Air France CEO Anne Rigail said the carrier is looking at additional destinations for the A350.
At this point, no U.S. destinations are on the schedule, however Air France Director of Customer Experience Catherine Villar told TPG that the airline is considering adding the A350 to its U.S. route network.
Over time, the A350s will replace Air France's aging A340-300s. Additionally, these aircraft will end up replacing the 10 A380s in Air France's fleet, which the carrier plans to retire by 2020.
Related: Here's How Air France Wants to Replace the A380
With the move to add A350s to its fleet, Air France and KLM seemed to divide their allegiance between Boeing and Airbus, with KLM going forward with 787s and Air France going forward with the A350s. However, Smith said on Friday that instead of doing away with Air France's nine 787s — 10 once it takes delivery of a final one next year — it plans to keep them in its fleet.
The A350 is part of Air France's fleet renewal plans, which will see the introduction of a much more environmentally friendly fleet all around. Lighter seats in the premium economy cabin mean less weight in the air and therefore less fuel burn, according to the carrier. The A350 is more fuel efficient than its four-engine predecessors, such as the A340 and A380.
This year alone, several carriers have taken delivery of their first A350s. Included in that list are UK airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, each of which also introduced new business-class products on the aircraft. Japan Airlines took delivery of its first A350-900 in June.
All photos by Emily McNutt/The Points Guy.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.