Air France » A380 » User reviews

MatthewWilkinson flew Air France Voyageur (Economy), on a A380 (13/04/2012 20:35)

Arrived in CDG after a connection from Manchester, which was 20 mins late due to it arriving at Manchester late, however a Air France man guided us from the arrival gate to the departure gate to Johannesburg where there was a queue stretching half way across the terminal. However after 20 minutes we boarded the plane and were directed to our seat.

As a 6ft 2 man I could stretch my legs fully under the seat in front of me and had lots of room to move around the seat. The head rest also had moving "wings" to cushion your head with. However just after we pushed back from the gate one engine would not start so we had to return to the gate. After an hour in which there was no IFE or food we were then given take-off clearance and whispered into the sky with barely a sound.

The cabin was very clean and fresh and the food was excellent, if a bit odd. After a 7 hour sleep it was morning and there was a selection of food in the self service bar to be eaten, again the food was a bit weird such as apple purée tins, after an hour breakfast was served then we landed in JNB without a hitch. However we arrived in the baggage collection to discover I had no bag. We discovered a week later that they had sent it accidentally to Angola. Overall a good flight experience with bags of room and excellent value, although I didn't want my bag in Angola. With an economy product like this I couldn't see the point of business class.

MatthewWilkinson flew Air France Voyageur (Economy), on a A380 (13/04/2012 20:26)

Arrived in CDG after a connection from Manchester, which was 20 mins late due to it arriving at Manchester late, however a Air France man guided us from the arrival gate to the departure gate to Johannesburg where there was a queue stretching half way across the terminal.

However after 20 minutes we boarded the plane and were directed to our seat. As a 6ft 2 man I could stretch my legs fully under the seat in front of me and had lots of room to move around the seat. The head rest also had moving "wings" to cushion your head with.

However just after we pushed back from the gate one engine would not start so we had to return to the gate. After an hour in which there was no IFE or food we were then given take-off clearance and whispered into the sky with barely a sound.

The cabin was very clean and fresh and the food was excellent, if a bit odd. After a 7 hour sleep it was morning and there was a selection of food in the self service bar to be eaten, again the food was a bit weird such as apple purée tins, after an hour breakfast was served then we landed in JNB without a hitch.

However we arrived in the baggage collection to discover I had no bag. We discovered a week later that they had sent it accidentally to Angola.

Overall a good flight experience with bags of room and excellent value, although I didn't want my bag in Angola. With an economy product like this I couldn't see the point of business class.

HappytobeSilver flew Air France Affaires (Business), on a A380 (18/10/2011 09:50)

My wife and I recently flew AF business class from Paris to Johannesburg on the A380 where we were seated in 61E/F.

We connected from Edinburgh on a Cityjet flight. The lounge at CDG offered a good selection of beverages and snacks. Upon boarding we felt that the Affaires cabin was somewhat dark and claustrophobic (brown and beige seat coverings).

The seat pitch is not great and the 'bed' as has been previously reported is not lie flat (nor would I say even angled flat). Sleeping was pretty difficult on account of this. I found the IFE difficult to navigate my way around (and I have a reasonable understanding of the French language).

The service offered by the cabin crew was excellent and the food was tasty if perhaps overcomplicated for my palate. The breakfast omelette was however cold when served.

The toilets on board, apart from the one at the front of the business cabin, were very cramped.

The A380 has at the front right of the business cabin a 'lounge space'. This is certainly an error in the way that AF has chosen to fit out its A380 aircraft as there is no buffet/bar there nor any proper seating. The space to my mind could have been better used had another toilet been installed there.

We connected on a South African Airways A340-600 to Cape Town which was configured for their longhaul product which was definitely more comfortable to my mind than that offered by Air France.

mrgcmorse flew Air France Affaires (Business), on a A380 (30/07/2011 20:05)

I purchased these seats with some trepidation, given the comments I had seen. But the service and the comfort proved to more than satisfactory. We sat in the second back from the front of the plane and it was exceptionally quiet and spacious. You can adjust these seats to umpteen different positions and even get a massage. The video choices are many and the screen is large. The food was fine and the personnel on both flights were uniformly pleasant and attentive. The plane itself is a marvel and I had a chance to roam around and check out the Premium Economy section, which sits on the upper level just behind Business. I sat in an open seat for a while and, for the relatively short Atlantic hops, it would be fine, too. Air France may have its good moments and bad, but the 380 flights are excellent. I would fly again with them and plan to do so.

J.Murray flew Air France La Premiere (First), on a A380 (27/08/2010 01:09)

Seat was far behind other European airlines, even on the new A380, which one would expect to be one of the best First products around. Service is more that of a business class cabin at a First class price.

Flight attendants need to be told to see and serve their passengers at regular intervals, rather than just at meal times. However, when they do appear into the cabin they are always helpful and warm. The food is of a decent standard although portions can be a bit stingy for an international first class.

Overall Air France is a decent choice, I would certainly choose them over a US carrier (Not much of a compliment). But if travelling in Europe or around the world I would almost always choose British Airways, which in my view has a solid, consistent First product.

dan56550 flew Air France Voyageur (Economy), on a A380 (12/07/2010 07:33)

We travelled on A380 Air France from PAR to Johannesburg, and were very very desappointed by the Air France A380 seat configuration: half of the aircraft capacity is allowed to Business, which represents only 20% of passengers. That means yhat we never have so been tightened in any other airline. Impossible to sleep, of course, but also, very difficult to move arms for dining, and impossible to watch tv, because of distance between eyes and screen !

J.Augusto flew Air France Affaires (Business), on a A380 (22/12/2009 22:40)

I flew this weekend from Paris CDG to New York JFK with Air France A380.

A fantastic experience! The flight was 3h30 minutes delayed due to the weather condition in Paris and New York, but I spend a very nice time at Air France VIP loung at CDG terminal 2E. The flight boarding was realy confusing as the flight was delayed and the airline ground staff is still not prepared to deal with the huge airplane.

So, there were lots of people with lower deck seats boarding through the upper deck and vice-versa (a real mess). Also the lines were not well clearly marked... But, after everybody was seated I had only good surprises!! I was seated at the seat 60L (first Business Class 'Affaires' row, at the window at the upper deck - all the Business Class seats are ate the Upper deck).

A very polite cabin chief came to us to give individual welcome on the wonderful aircraft saying that they were glad to have them there and to provide any required information. The taxing took a while due to the snow and ice. The take-off was fast and VERY smooth - no noise at all!! At the upper-deck we have the feeling to be in a A330/340, but much quieter.

The front section lavatory is huge and very modern. For me, the stair, located just besides the lavatory could be quite dangerous during a night flight. They also have like a rest area with some video screens which is useless - It would be better to have like sofas or a bar... The seats are quite the same as other Air France aircraft but with a different and more 'clean' colour. The first row has more room for the legs and provides a feeling of a more space... The seats are very comfortable and easy to operate. The entertainment system is very good, but the first row has a lower screen size. The screen of the seat beside mine was not working well, but the airline had a support person. The food had a very good quality and 4 options of main course, including fish, meat, chicken and vegetarian.

Very good selection of wines as well. Before the arrival, it was offered a light meal - nothing special... The flight attendants were really fast and polite - I hate when they are slow...! At the arrival another mess to have all the 530 people out of the airplane.... In general I would give a 9 for the flight!