To protect the exclusivity of the product, Air France doesn't even allow mileage redemptions for La Premiere unless you are a Flying Blue Platinum or Ultimate elite member using Flying Blue miles. There's just a single row of four first-class suites, and the airline seems to have no trouble selling out the majority of the cabin during peak periods. Once you identify a particular flight, you might be shocked to see that the cabin is already sold out, or available for $20,000 or more for a round-trip ticket. Scoring a ride in Air France La Premiere is notoriously difficult.

Here's a detailed recap of my experience flying Air France La Premiere. Thirteen hours later, I landed at Dulles International Airport (IAD) after what turned out to be one of the most memorable flights of my life. It took some work on my end and an extra cash outlay, but it ended up being well worth it. Going big meant finally crossing off a bucket list flight experience that I've been eyeing for years: Air France's legendary La Premiere first class. Once I verified that the Boeing 777-300ER featuring the new business-class cabin was out of service for the day, I considered two choices: Go big or go home. While that may have made for an interesting review, I quickly sprang into action, knowing that the flight delay meant that I could rebook on a different flight at no additional cost.

The flight I had booked was delayed due to 'operational reasons.' Then I looked at my updated boarding pass: The aircraft I was on had been replaced with another, and the fancy new business-class suite I had been anticipating had been swapped out for Air France's oldest angle-flat product. When I woke up at the crack of dawn on a recent Monday morning, I had no plans to fly Air France La Premiere, the airline's ultra-exclusive international first-class cabin.Īfter all, I had scored a 55,000-mile saver-level award seat in the airline's brand-new business-class cabin from Paris to New York, and I was excited about the prospect of reviewing a new-to-me cabin.īut upon checking my phone after my 5:15 a.m.

Vip passport appointment