In this trip report, I'll review my last flight in Premium Economy on Air France from Paris CDG Airport to Montreal, Canada. Having flown Air France multiple times travelling back and forth to Mauritius, they’re still one of my favourite airlines despite the issues I’ve had with them over the years and they are significantly better than Air Canada. I also flew Air France’s Premium Economy earlier this year if you want to check out that review as well.
Some of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I may receive a small commission from sales of certain items. Thank you for supporting the blog.
Priority Check-in and Luggage Drop Off
This benefit may or may not be worth it for you depending on the airport you're flying out of. Some busy North American airports can have very long lines for luggage drop off, specially if you're using the lines of Delta, Air France's partner.
Having upgraded last minute while I was already airside after security, I was not able to use the Skypriority luggage drop-off line at the Check-in counter. While the line was not particularly long, it would've saved me about 15 minutes of waiting.
Next time, I would upgrade before arriving at the airport because there was no one in the Skypriorty line and luggage drop-off would've been a breeze.
Priority Security
Depending on which airport you are flying out of, you'll likely have a dedicated Skypriority or Premium security line that you can use for faster access. This is really going to depend on how busy your departure airport is, sometimes it can save you an hour or more while other times it's not any faster than going through the regular security line.
When flying out of Paris, there are dedicated Skypriority lines everywhere at Paris CDG Airport that are accessible to Premium Economy Passengers. Most times I’ve gone through security in Paris CDG, the security line was usually short. However, I have transited through Paris CDG Airport before where the security line took over an hour to get through.
In those cases and if you hate waiting in line or have a very short layover, access to the Skypriority line is absolutely worth it. It also makes a difference if you are carrying a heavy backpack like I was. It makes the experience a little exhausting. If you can, I always suggest travelling with a rolling carry-on, your back will thank you!
If you are visiting France, you can purchase your esim on the Airalo App so you're connected as soon as you land and can call your Uber, use Google Maps and WhatsApp without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first purchase!
Lounge Access
Unfortunately, Air France Premium Economy passengers do not benefit from complimentary lounge access. Air France probably wants to avoid overcrowding their Premium Lounges but they should offer some deal for lounge access. Your only option here is to pay the normal price. I feel like having lounge access would make paying for premium economy significantly more worth it, specially if you have a layover in Paris where you can shower, have lunch with an open bar and even take a nap at Air France's Lounge.
Boarding
You'll be assigned to Zone 2 boarding, which boards just after business class although they don't usually separate the Zone 1 & 2 boardings. Economy is usually Zones 3,4,5 but since it's a single line, people start lining up from up to an hour before so you may easily have to wait for atleast one to two hundred passengers to board first. Even if you are in Zone 3, the line is so crowded that you are not getting past everyone to board. I always enjoy this priority boarding perk. The stress of not having to line up early or wondering if you'll find enough space in the overhead bin is worth it to me.
I always leave an AirTag in my suitcase so that before boarding, I can track my luggage location using the Find My App to make sure it’s loaded on the plane (AirTags only work with iPhones but you can also use a Samsung SmartTag or a Tile). They are also useful to locate your luggage in case the airline loses them). In this case, the app showed my suitcase was just outside the gate so I was worry-free.
Boarding on this flight was speedy. The priority line was very short (around 10-15 people max) compared to at least 100 for economy and you can usually show up even after boarding has started and they'll let you right on without having to wait.
If you show up later during boarding, the line is usually empty but they keep it open for business and premium passengers so no worries there.
Cabin
My flight was on the Boeing 777. While I tried to search for the layout on Seatguru to help me pick the best seat, I couldn't find this layout on their site (this plane had 4 rows in the Premium Economy Cabin).
I sat in the bulkhead row and right away I noticed there was no personal TV on the wall unlike my last Air France flight. The TV was in armrest instead. The bulkhead row provides a lot more leg room but at the cost of having to watch TV staring down as the arm is too short and the screen does not rise up to eye level. The worst part is you cannot use the TV during takeoff and landing because it has to be stowed away. The cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 layout.
Amenities
At my seat were a pillow and blanket. The blanket we large and thicker than the one offered in economy. In between the two windows seats were a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones as they do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper but the Air France ones they did look sturdy and they tend to work very well from prior experience.
A flight attendant passed by after takeoff to hand out complimentary amenity kits. These included a single use toothbrush, toothpaste and socks.
Basic Wifi for messaging is complimentary for ALL passengers
Once boarding was complete, we took off on time. A glass of Champagne on a tray was served immediately after takeoff along with a refreshing towel. A cabin crew member soon came by to ask if everything was ok and to let her know if I needed any help. I mentioned that their headphones port was splitting the sound unevenly and she quickly took note of it.
She provided some information on which lavatories were available for us and to feel free to walk around through the cabin during the flight. This is as a big improvement over my previous Air France Premium Economy flight where I was pretty much ignored for the first hour. The Premium Economy cabin had 3 lavatories available for the small cabin; a decent ratio as I rarely had to wait for more than 1 person to use the washroom.
Food
Lunch was served soon afterwards. After a subpar experience on Air Mauritius, I was pleasantly surprised by the meal on this flight. I had salmon risotto with bread and camembert cheese followed by a lava cake for dessert. Wine and beer was available with lunch but sadly no gin and tonics. For the digestif, mini Cognac bottles were served. Although the service was more personal and much quicker than economy, this is generally the same meal that is served in both cabins so nothing extra for flying premium here. By the time the pilot announced the lunch service for economy, the premium economy cabin had already been served lunch.
Seat
I thought that these seats were similar to the other Air France Premium Economy seats but I was very wrong about that. While the seat is indeed very spacious, it reclines inside a hard shell. In fact it felt more like the seat slid down and forwards rather than reclined. It's hard to describe, it kind of feels like you're falling forwards and it's hard to sleep in that position. I kept waking up and my head fell forward throughout the flight since I didn't bring my travel pillow with me. It maybe works if you bring one and lean against the window but overall I didn’t manage to sleep comfortable. The seat next to me was empty and I found it more comfortable to rest my feet on them and sleep sideways despite the immovable armrest sticking up under my thighs. This seat needs a serious redesign!!
This Boeing 777 is noticeably louder than the A350 I had just flown on. The plane also felt much older. Since there were so many empty premium economy seats, I have to wonder if my flight was originally on a newer Boeing 777 without Premium Economy that had to be swapped for maintenance and that's why they didn't have enough time to sell all the seats in this cabin.
Snack
About 2 hours before landing in Montreal, we were served a snack consisting of a sandwich and drinking yogurt with choice of tea or coffee. It was nothing to write home about but the sandwich was better than the muffin and slice of cake they often served.
Overall, this premium economy flight was much better experience than my previous Premium Economy Experience on Air France. Although the plane and seat were not as good, the food and service was better. Of course their Business Class is an elevated experience with a lie-flat bed but I don't consider that necessary on a 7 hour flight.
CONCLUSION - WAS IT WORTH IT?
✅ FOR
Spacious Seats - Enjoy wider seats with ample legroom
Priority Check-in, Security and Boarding lines make the entire experience so much more calm and hassle free.
❌ AGAINST
Seats not comfortable for sleeping when “reclined”
No complimentary lounge access
Standard economy food offerings may disappoint some travellers.
The big value proposition here is skipping the lines for luggage, security and boarding while having wide, comfortable seats. If those are not important to you, it’s unlikely that you will find it worth your hard earned dollars.
RELATED
