Air France is well-known for embracing the finer side of life. Now, that experience begins before your feet leave the ground, with the opening of a dedicated first class check-in and trio of luxury apartments in its Paris lounge.

Debuting just days before the Olympics, a new private wing of Air France’s La Première first class lounge at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport now boasts three self-contained apartments, replete with a dedicated butler.

Furnished in calming shades of white and grey, with bold splashes of red, each apartment features its own living area, double bedroom, bathroom and outdoor patio (for families, two of the adjoining suites can even be connected together).

Guests will be treated to an Alain Ducasse menu, with a butler on call to serve Champagne and refreshments.

“Adorned with fresh flowers, luxurious linens, and haute-couture finishes, the aim is to create a regal atmosphere within Air France's Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub,” Air France says.

Each suite contains “iconic examples of French design, including Charlotte Perriand’s writing table, Pierre Paulin’s Ribbon chair, and Philippe Starck’s Privé sofa.”

However, access to the La Première lounge suites isn’t included in the cost of your ticket: this unrivalled degree of privacy and privilege will attract an additional €800 fee. 

Of course, Air France isn’t the only airline offering beds. Swiss International Airlines also provides hotel rooms for passengers jetting out of its first class lounge at Zurich Airport... though Air France’s offering takes that approach to a whole new level. 

In addition to the new apartments, the SkyTeam member has now upgraded the La Première ground experience with a dedicated ‘check-in lobby’ where guests are welcomed by a dedicated concierge who whisks away their luggage. 

Echoing the same colour scheme as the private apartments, the lobby boasts abundant natural light and showcases furnishings from renowned French designers such as Pierre Paulin and Christophe Pillet.

Once check-in formalities are concluded, travellers are escorted via a private passageway with its own security checkpoint to the La Première lounge, a sanctuary which includes an a la carte dining room and Sisley spa. 

Air France’s new La Premiere first class suites

In addition to on-ground enhancements, Air France is also giving its La Premiere suites an extensive makeover, which will make them even larger and longer.

With five windows flanking each suite, “this cabin will boast the longest configuration on the market”, Air France says.  

Travellers will relax in a residential “living space” with a seperate armchair and chaise longue sofa, the later of which will convert into a lie-flat bed facing a massive video screen, while a wireless tablet will control seat-and-suite functions.  

The new La Première Suite will debut in the upcoming winter 2024-2025, between October 2024 and March 2025. 

Other airlines to adopt the seat+bed combination in first class in recent years, rather than a seat which converts to a bed, include Etihad Airways’ A380 Apartments, Singapore Airlines’ A380 Suites and Qantas’ new A350 First Suites for non-stop Project Sunrise flights to London and New York.

But with only three suites in the Air France first class cabin, it remains to be seen if the centre crib will be an oversized suite for two, along the same lines as Lufthansa’s Allegris first class.

And it seems one unique trait – the use of a full-length curtain instead of a sliding door for privacy – will remain, having become a hallmark for the carrier’s understated air of refinement and sophistication.

“La Première represents the highest level of French excellence and is an intrinsic part of Air France’s DNA,” says Air France-KLM Chief Executive, Benjamin Smith. 

The airline is also promising “La Première will be extended across a greater number of aircraft compared to its current deployment” – the strongest indication yet that first class is coming to the Air France A350s, which currently top out at business class.

Additional reporting by Chris Ashton.