Air France unveils new cabins for some international flights

Air France is improving its hard product offering on several routes. The French airline announced this week that it plans to introduce new cabins on some of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft, which primarily will serve destinations in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean.

As of 15 January, the first aircraft equipped with the new cabin operated a flight from Paris (ORY) to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP) — registered as F-GSQT. Then, on 16 January, the new cabin operated to Fort de France, Martinique (FDF). As of the summer 2020 season, the new cabin will also operate to Saint-Denis de la Réunion (RUN).

On board, passengers can expect a total of 472 seats spread across a three-cabin configuration — mostly economy, given the aircraft will largely operate in leisure markets. In business class, there are a total of 14 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration.

On the surface, the upholstery of the seat looks rather similar to the relatively new seat that Air France installed on some of its A330s in 2019. However, that aircraft features a 2-2-2 configuration, while the 773 features a much-preferred 1-2-1.

This new 773 cabin features lie-flat seats, a removable partition between center seats and "do not disturb" functionality. At each seat, there's an electric socket, two USB ports and an 18.5-inch inflight entertainment screen.

In premium economy, Air France has outfitted the cabin with 28 new seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. Each of the seats is a narrow 19 inches wide and features 130 degrees of recline.

There are adjustable footrests, legrests and headrests. Each seat also features a digital tablet stand, power outlet, two USB ports and a 13.3-inch IFE screen.

Meanwhile, in economy, passengers can expect to find a dense cabin of 430 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration. Each of the seats features nearly 17 inches of width and 118 degrees of recline.

Each of the seats also features an 11.6-inch IFE screen and USB port.

Across all cabins, passengers can expect regional dishes to accompany the renovated hard product.

The 773s are equipped with Wi-Fi. The airline offers three packages for connection: a message pass (free), Surf pass for internet searching (between $9 and $20) and a Stream pass for high-speed internet access ($33). By the end of 2020, Air France expects to have all aircraft equipped with Wi-Fi.