Air France soars with new routes, services and enhanced sustainability

Strengthening Air France premium repositioning

Onboard, Air France is upgrading both comfort and connectivity. “We continue to invest heavily in upgrading our service. This year we introduced our new La Première suites on flagship routes such as New York and Singapore, with Los Angeles joining this weekend, Miami by year’s end, and Tokyo early next year,” added Hourcade. The suites offer an exceptional, fully private ground-to-air experience.

“Latest enhancement is also an exclusive Sofitel MyBed mattress topper—first launched on New York flights and rolling out across Asia this fall—delivering hotel-level comfort in the sky,” Hourcade further highlighted.

The French carrier started meanwhile introducing a refurbished Embraer 190 cabin on Sept. 1, featuring 110 lighter, more ergonomic seats in a 2-2 layout. The aircraft is among the first equipped with free, high-speed Wi-Fi accessible to all passengers via a Flying Blue account. Nine planes across the fleet—including Embraer 190s, Airbus A220-300s and A350-900s—already offer the service. Air France aims to outfit 30 % of its fleet by year-end and its entire fleet by late 2026.

Entertainment options are also expanding. Since May 1, long-haul passengers have enjoyed a broader selection of films, original series and documentaries thanks to a new content partnership with French media leader Canal+.

On the ground, travelers can expect refreshed spaces. Air France reopened its renovated lounge in Paris Charles de Gaulle’s Terminal 2E in April and relaunched its Boston Terminal E lounge in August. “Chicago is due to come soon with our own lounge by year-end“, told Hourcade.

The airline’s premium push has earned recognition: Skytrax again named it Best Airline in Western Europe and APEX awarded it a five-star rating for the fourth consecutive year.

Sustainability remains central. Air France-KLM is now the world’s second-largest user of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). On Aug. 25, the carrier took delivery of its 46th Airbus A220-300 with a historic flight from Mirabel, Canada, powered 50 percent by SAF.

“We’re investing €1 billion annually to renew our fleet with fuel-efficient Airbus A220s and A350s, pursuing eco-piloting, expanding rail connections with the SNCF, and leading in sustainable aviation fuel purchases,” stressed Hourcade.