Air France Boeing 777-200ER F-GSPE at Mumbai CSI airport.
Air France Boeing 777-200ER F-GSPE at Mumbai CSI airport. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal.

Air France deploys Boeing 777 on Paris Bangalore route, offers First Class

Flag carrier Air France has upgraded its Paris Bangalore route to a Boeing 777-200ER for the winter schedule which commenced October 26, and will run through March. The airline used to previously operate the route with an A330-200.

At 247 seats, the 777 will give Air France an increase of over 20% in seat capacity over the 208 seats of the A330-200s. The 777-200ER will feature the first class cabin of Air France, La Premiere, which is not available on the A330-200. Both aircraft feature the business, premium economy, and economy classes.

Air France La Premiere first class

Air France has recently upgraded its first class to pamper its premium passengers even more. Passengers are personally received at the airport and accompanied by an Air France staffer throughout the trip even during connections at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. The four seats convert to a full bed that measure 2 m / 6.5 ft in length and 77 cm / 30 inches in width (including armrests). The on-board gastronomic experience is designed by Michelin starred French chefs – Joël Robuchon, Régis Marcon, Guy Martin, Anne-Sophie Pic and Michel Roth. The La Première lounge at Paris offers some of the best wines and cuisine selected specially for Air France by chef Alain Ducasse along with a luxurious bar, a spa and other amenities.

Air France US West coast schedules

Air France has also tweaked its schedules to the US West Coast, the most popular destinations from Bangalore, to reduce lay-over times and total flight duration. The airline is taking on both Lufthansa and Emirates offer what it says are “the shortest flying hours to return back home for travel from San Francisco to Bengaluru.” On a separate note, the airline is offering special fares between Bangalore and the US West coast destinations of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and others.

Comparison of Air France Boeing 777-200 vs. A330-200

Seat maps and cabin layout

Number of seats, seat pitch and widths

Aircraft

Boeing 777-200ER

Airbus A330-200

Class

Seats

Pitch

Width

Seats

Pitch

Width

First 4 79” 24”
Business 49 79” 21” 40 61.5” 21”
Prem. Econ 24 38” 19” 21 38” 19”
Economy 174 32” 17” 147 32” 18”
Total 247 208

Economy class squeeze

While the premium passengers will see upgraded or similar seat dimensions, the economy class passengers will be squeezed. Air France has joined the ranks of Emirates, Etihad, American, Air New Zealand, and others, who have configured their 777s in a 10-abreast economy class configuration. This reduces seat width from 18 inches in the A3380 to the bone-crunching 17 inches we at Bangalore Aviation rail about.

About Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

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4 comments

  1. Wow Good News! Would love to see Air France’s B777-300ER on the Tarmac at KIA…

  2. Mr.Devesh- Thanks for considering my suggestion and publishing this development

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