Premium Economy on Air France Sale

[TotallyOz]

Being disappointed that Thai Air took away their Premium Economy seats, I was happy to learn that Air France has added many to all of their flights. They are currently have a sale and you can get great seats from USA for as long as 2100 USD. I used this link from their Canadian site but it works on their USA site as well. but, plug in dates for better rates.

 

Anyone used their Premium Economy before? It looks quite nice.

 

http://www.airfrance.ca/CA/en/local/resainfovol/meilleuresoffres/promotion_PV2012.htm

 

or check out their seats:

http://www.airfrance.ca/CA/en/common/guidevoyageur/classeetconfort/premium_confort_airfrance.htm

[mahjongguy]

The seating looks good but I couldn't find a price like that for LAX-BKK.

 

Even the price you mention of $2,100 is twice that of EVA Air premium economy. Many people I know really like EVA's SFO-TPE-BKK service. Good connections, good value.

[kokopelli]

Are you sure of those fares? Best premium economy fares I saw on EVA from SFO to BKK were about $1700 USD

[Guest fountainhall]

I'd want to know a little more about that Air France seat before I booked one. It looks fancy, but according to seatguru.com, the width and pitch are virtually the same as in most other Premium Economy cabins (unless you are on the A380 where they do seem to have a lot more legroom - but that only flies into SIngapore at present).

 

My main concern is that it is a fixed shell seat rather than one that just reclines. So when you want to recline, the seat slides down within the shell and raises the middle part of the body a bit, with the legs going under the seat in front. Depending on the design, that can make getting up to go to the toilet a bit of an obstacle course if you are in a window or centre seat. If you are on the aisle, then you are going to be woken up if the person next to you wants 'out'!

 

Here's one negative review from Skytrax last month -

 

Despite being Premium Economy, I found this seat more uncomfortable than the usual economy. This was due to the seats being fixed and non- reclining. I eventually figured out how to get the button on the seat to work but all that happened was that the seat moved forwards whilst the seat back stayed upright.

 

I think the reviewer is not accurate when he says the seat back does not move. It clearly does, but not like the more traditional seat.

 

And looking through the Skytrax reviews, another thing you have to beware of is kids! A passenger in January had to endure 7 kids on his flight of which three were babies! And this is a separate cabin with just 3 rows!

 

Enjoy!

[Guest fountainhall]

Sorry, missed the edit deadline! I wanted to add in fairness that on www.seatplans.com the comments are mixed, with some passengers giving the seat and the cabin high marks. So you pays your money and you makes your choice!

[mahjongguy]

"Are you sure of those fares?"

 

It's true that their website offers fares around $1700 to $1800. But my friends who fly EVA never book online. The only way they can get the good prices is to book through certain asia-run travel agencies in San Francisco.

[Guest thaiworthy]

And looking through the Skytrax reviews, another thing you have to beware of is kids! A passenger in January had to endure 7 kids on his flight of which three were babies! And this is a separate cabin with just 3 rows!

 

This is truly my pet peeve. It should be a requirement that parents give their kids a sedative to make them calm on airplanes.

[Guest]

My biggest peeve with Air France is the frequency of fatal accidents. Never mind the seating.

[Guest fountainhall]

Kids and accidents notwithstanding, one big plus of the shell-type seat I failed to mention is that you will never be bothered by the person behind you pulling on your chair back as he/she clambers out/in.