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Why are AF interiors so basic?
Why are AF interiors so basic?
Their short haul a/c (A32S) doesn't even have drop down screens, and the new seats can't even recline. Their short haul C class is a joke.
Concerning their long haul a/c, their 777s have become terrible with 10-abreast in Y, and tiny PTVs (some airlines have 10-abreast in Y, but with at least huge PTVs). And of course, they don't have mood lights....
Concerning their A380s, they must be the most basic A380s in the world: nothing extraordinary, when we compare to other airlines, inluding LH (!). Their mood lights are not real mood lights since the only colours are white and purple...
The F and C class are also disappointing compared to other airlines (and not only Asian carriers)
What do you think? Why does AF make the miminum?
Don't they have to improve their cabin to remain competitive?
This is not an AF bashing thread, on the contrary, I love this airline, which represents my country around the world.
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You have a good point. They are lagging behind compared to quite a few airlines out there, and it is not unthinkable that they loose passengers because of that...
Whilst the 10 abreast will never go (This was confirmed at the DO). New F and J seats are on their way starting next year, if I am not msitaking. But don't count on a fast rollout though. Concerning the looks of the cabins, I guess it's their style. And concerning moodlights. I think moodlights are overrated. But that's my opinion.
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longhaul aside, what is the difference between LH, AS, KL, BA, LX, AF, etc short-haul? The above comments sound more like a Europe-wide comment than just for AF.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LY777
Concerning their A380s, they must be the most basic A380s in the world: nothing extraordinary, when we compare to other airlines, inluding LH (!). Their mood lights are not real mood lights since the only colours are white and purple...
I think the little lounge area at the front of the Business Class section puts Air France in quite good shape. Doesnt compare with the Emirates bar area. Certianly better than Singapore which puts Business Class seats in the narrowest part of the plane at the front...
My question is somewhat unrelated to that specific post.
Is there an EF guideline to avoid double posting on other forums? Personally, this is the only forum that I have time to read and would not suggest a rule that prohibits posting information here because it is posted elsewhere. Of course, a simple link might serve that purpose in many cases. But I would rather have the info written here than have a link to a full page of posts on airliner.net.
That being said, I am in full agreement with the observations of LY777. My reply is cost-cutting. But I think that AF understood that the non-recling seat on shorthaul is a step too far; at least I hope so.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brunos
That being said, I am in full agreement with the observations of LY777. My reply is cost-cutting. But I think that AF understood that the non-recling seat on shorthaul is a step too far; at least I hope so.
I don't think they have I'm afraid. To me, they seem very happy with it
AF always have the same reaction when passengers tell them things. So for years we've told them J (and P) is sub-par and losing out to the competition of flat beds. They said no no no people don't want flat beds. We said but look, you have less J (and P) revenue than others and most of your income is from Y. They answered no no no it's a business model, high paying Y is the future, J is (all but) dead, we are aiming for the right segment.
So now, they have decided that they are tremendously behind in J, that they need to boost J income and that therefore all effort will be put into improving J and P. I think we can expect genuine improvement in C/J, probably both long haul and short haul, but I would also expect the non-reclining seats to stay on short-haul and shorter medium-haul at least.
(PS: I also still wonder if they will end up generalising them to the whole medium haul fleet ultimately. Bear in mind AF already flies some 4h-ish flights with the non-reclining new seats with the bases Province concept - NCE-TLV, MRS-BEY until discontinued, MRS-SVO, NCE-ATH, TLS-CMN, etc. If they don't have major complaints about it I wouldn't put it passed someone in the airline to suggest generalising those seats to the whole medium haul fleet to bring down costs.)
Great find
Seriously, I wanted to get the point of view from AF FF exclusively. On the A.net forum, most people ((in particular American) found AF product great. As you can see, the answers on this forum are quite different...
AF always have the same reaction when passengers tell them things. So for years we've told them
You are not alone in having noticed that...
Back to the point of in-flight comfort... yes that's sub-par. There is no denying that flat beds are better, and AF don't have them in J. As to why... I'd say that, like any business, they expected to minimize cost without affecting revenue.
But:
Quote:
This is not an AF bashing thread, on the contrary, I love this airline, which represents my country around the world.
I don't think AF can make this claim. It's private, you know, it just happen to be headquartered in France. But like the football team called "équipe de France", they can't claim to represent a country just by putting its name on it.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richelieu
Quote:
Originally Posted by orbitmic
AF always have the same reaction when passengers tell them things. So for years we've told them
You are not alone in having noticed that...
Back to the point of in-flight comfort... yes that's sub-par. There is no denying that flat beds are better, and AF don't have them in J. As to why... I'd say that, like any business, they expected to minimize cost without affecting revenue.
But:
Quote:
This is not an AF bashing thread, on the contrary, I love this airline, which represents my country around the world.
I don't think AF can make this claim. It's private, you know, it just happen to be headquartered in France. But like the football team called "équipe de France", they can't claim to represent a country just by putting its name on it.
I guess it depends on how you define "represent". Methinks your definition is too narrow and underestimates the role AF plays in promoting "Frenchness" and it underestimates the way in which people from other countries look at AF.
Air France cabins are not that bad, even if not the most modern ones.
Some reasons: one of world largest fleet, the average fleet age of Air France is 9.1 years, and the strategy - more driven by yield management rather than marketing - was optimization of occupancy rate rather than differenciation of the product.
Things are changing with the modernization of the J and P products.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nicolas75
Air France cabins are not that bad, even if not the most modern ones.
I agree. On the other side of the spectrum exists the "bling" cabin. That is not exactly my style. I prefer the calm and modest colours AF uses over shiny fake wood panels with gold-coloured shiny plastic thingies found elsewhere...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zembla
I agree. On the other side of the spectrum exists the "bling" cabin. That is not exactly my style. I prefer the calm and modest colours AF uses over shiny fake wood panels with gold-coloured shiny plastic thingies found elsewhere...
I am not fond of EK interiors, either, they are indeed "bling".
For example, SQ, TG (77Ws) Air India 777s(77L/77W) have a nice interior, with some warm colours, 3-3-3 config in Y, mood lights, nice IFE...
BA First Class look amazing, too, as well as LH new C and F
I guess it depends on how you define "represent". Methinks your definition is too narrow and underestimates the role AF plays in promoting "Frenchness" and it underestimates the way in which people from other countries look at AF.
One could also point to the people who will avoid AF at all cost, due to:
- the perception (right or wrong) that they will be affected by a strike
- if you do not speak French, you will get worse service
- the lack of flexibility in getting a miles upgrade (if no award fare class is available)
Yes, these are stereotypes, but they are also seen as part of the AF DNA, as the representation of France.
Cheers,
GenevaFlyer
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