paris1953

Has anyone experienced travel in Air France's "Premium Voyageur" cabin? They claim to have 40% more space than basic Economy class. My husband is 6'5", so legroom is critical to him on long flights. We have flown in Business Class with AA, in which the seats almost fully recline--is Premium Voyageur seating remotely comparable? I would assume I'd have to pay for cocktails, but with the fixed shell configuration for the seats in this cabin, it might be worth the extra fare (above basic coach) to be able to stretch out, and possibly even get some sleep (impossible in coach) enroute. Air France is currently offering a one-way fare of $750 (plus taxes and fees) for this class of service from IAD to CDG.

brandonmd

This class is between business and coach...look at AF.com... same food as coach, but looks like the seats are awesome..and a separate cabin.

julia1

brandon, your link leads to some strange American Friends site. Try this instead: http://www.airfrance.us

julia1

I meant to add, the seats look comparable to U.S. domestic first class. Some amount of recline, more width, leg rest, etc. While they aren't flat-bed or lie-flat seats, they will surely offer more space and comfort than coach.

Check out this seating plan to get an idea of the premium voyageur cabin: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Air..._777-300_C.php You can see from the comparison between the cabins how much space is allotted for seats in PV, basically 6 inches more than economy.

Fabio

above link seatguru shows the same seat width 17" for premium voyager as in standard coach, but a larger pitch of 38" vs. 32". This is the only difference. Food and drinks are the same. No idea about the reclining angle.

rkkwan

But with 2-4-2 seating rather than 3-4-3, you should have more lateral space, even if the actual seat cushion is the same width.

DonTopaz

seatguru is often a good resource, but not always.

according to Air France (http://tinyurl.com/28qj5pb), the seat is 48cm/19in) wide.

CathyM

Anyone else have information on this new service?

I'm considering for my flight from LAX to CDG in September but it is $500 more (one-way) than plain old economy.

julia1

I haven't flown PV on AF, but have flown WT+ (World Traveller Plus) on British Airways, which is probably somewhat comparable, and my comments here reflect that experience:

I felt much less 'crowded in' in WT+, there wasn't the sense of being shoe-horned into a little cube of space with shoulders and knees of passengers pressing in on either side. Also, when the person in the seat in front of me reclined, he wasn't quite so 'in my face' as in coach. The food service was better, I suppose, but I don't usually eat on transatlantic flights so I can't really say anything other than because it was a smaller cabin, it seemed more efficient.

That being said, the seats themselves weren't a great deal more comfortable and there was only 2 inches more recline than coach. Each seat had a foot-rest attached but it wasn't quite long enough for me to stretch out completely (I'm 5'8" tall). I'm a side-sleeper and it wasn't possible to curl up on my side so I didn't do more than doze off a few times. If you can fall asleep on your back, it's possible you might actually get some good sleep with eye-mask and ear-plugs.

There was no comparison whatsoever with the Club/Business lie-flat-seat experience. I would compare it more with Amtrak, if you've ever taken the train up or down the west coast, with WT+ offering more space between rows of seats.

Only you can decide whether it's worth the extra $500 each way. LAX to CDG is a long flight and the extra comfort might be worth it to you, especially on the outbound, overnight leg. I was bumped up from coach and was grateful for that, but not sure I'd pay that much extra myself for WT+.

I do normally purchase WT+ on BA, however, because I can upgrade to Club/Business for 25,000 miles round-trip, which I think is one of the best deals out there. I usually fly Seattle-LHR, which is also a long flight though not as long as LAX-CDG, and appreciate the opportunity to lie flat, curl up on my side and get a good 7-8 hours sleep. When I land in London I can go to the lounge and have a shower, breakfast and then catch my onward connection to my final destination. At my (60-ish) age, it's an enjoyable and relaxing way to go.

julia1

Here's info from the latest FCF newsletter: <i>The Air France Premium Voyageur seat is 18.9 inches wide, has 38 inches of pitch, reclines 123 degrees, and is fitted with laptop power outlets. Premium Economy service includes free cocktails, wines, and Champagne with meals, a self-service buffet, and a snack or breakfast on flights of more than 10.5 hours from Paris.</i>