Air France Frequence Plus - A340 seat questions

I read a review that the seats in economy on the A340 recline so much that there is only 8 inches between the seat and the person making it claustrophobic and nearly impossible to get out of the seat or see the personal video.
Has anyone had this experience?

Also is there anyway to upgrade to premium voyageur as a delta GM without changing ticket class?
Thanks

That's the case for most (if not all) Y long-haul with AF/KL, so nothing really 'special' about those A343s. Only 21 Y+ seats on these aircraft, so just 3 rows. As for the upgrade, you can try when checking-in... It depends where you fly from, but there should be a combination between miles and cash.

That's the case for most (if not all) Y long-haul with AF/KL, so nothing really 'special' about those A343s. Only 21 Y+ seats on these aircraft, so just 3 rows. As for the upgrade, you can try when checking-in... It depends where you fly from, but there should be a combination between miles and cash.

I agree with your first part. In fact, the A340 is one of my favourite planes to fly in economy, much more pleasant than the 777s.

Re-second part, I don't think this option is available on AF at all. It is on KLM (but only with cash + FB miles anyway, not SM miles) but with AF, if you want to move up to an upgradeable fare class they may not let you (this is not officially possible) and if they let you, they would charge you the exact fare difference to the penny and you would still need to have availability in the upgrade inventory. The only simplified upgrades with AF are when you receive an invitation by email (typically for a flight which is likely to be overbooked) asking you if you would be interested in an upgrade for cash for a fixed price. You then have to answer and if this is possible they will send you an email confirmation in the next few days. In that context, status (be it with FB or with anyone else) is irrelevant.

So are you saying the seats in economy are ok?
And having the seat in front of you fully reclined does not interfere with your personal video and does not end up 8 inches from your face and feeling claustrophobic? Thanks again...

So are you saying the seats in economy are ok?
And having the seat in front of you fully reclined does not interfere with your personal video and does not end up 8 inches from your face and feeling claustrophobic? Thanks again...

I think you should fly J or P :rolleyes:

So are you saying the seats in economy are ok?
And having the seat in front of you fully reclined does not interfere with your personal video and does not end up 8 inches from your face and feeling claustrophobic? Thanks again...

The A340 is my all time favorite, hands down, mainly because it is so silent and you have a 2-4-2 seat configuration in Y. This said, yes, if the person in front of you do recline his/her seat and you don't you will feel trapped and it is next to impossible to read a magazine or a news paper unless you recline your own seat which is very annoying in deed, BUT it still doesn't take away the other positive factors mentioned earlier.

Another solution is to follow my mentor and good friend Goldorak's recommendation: Get a ticket in J or P

For Y+, it's excellent for day time flights, for sleeping not so good BUT be prepared for quite hard seat cushions - I use the pillow as a softer ;)

I think you should fly J or P :rolleyes:

+1-- little smiley included. Of course the seats make for a miserable night and of course when the person in front of you fully reclines on long haul y they are 'in your face' and you couldn't eat your meal unless they straighten the seat during mealtime. This however is the case on all airlines and all plane models in y and I was just saying I find af's a340 comparatively more pleasant and comfortable than most. However asking for personal space in long haul y is just utopian.

If you fear this claustrophobic element will be hard for you you can pay extra to sit in an emergency exit seat (no one reclines on you) or select an aisle so you can face sideways towards half a metre of emptiness... ;)

(...) but with AF, if you want to move up to an upgradeable fare class they may not let you (this is not officially possible) and if they let you, they would charge you the exact fare difference to the penny and you would still need to have availability in the upgrade inventory. (...)

Well, not so long ago, out of YYZ, the thing to do was:

- go to ticketing counter
- ask for the cost of an upgrade using miles

They would check availability and calculate the cost for changing paid ticket to upgradable class (if your actual class of travel was not) + number of miles.

Once, they even agreed to recalculate the fare on the return leg only (YYZ/CDG) when the actual "rule" is that they should recalculate the entire ticket, despite the fact that you have already done CDG/YYZ.

The next time, they did not agree to do the same. the fare difference was so crazy, that I refused to even consider it.

I insisted, saying "you did it once, you can do it again" and after a bit of discussion with YUL office, they gave in and agreed to recalculate the fare on the return leg only.

....or select an aisle so you can face sideways towards half a metre of emptiness...

:D:D:D

This however is the case on all airlines and all plane models in y and I was just saying I find af's a340 comparatively more pleasant and comfortable than most. However asking for personal space in long haul y is just utopian.


Hi Orbitmic, not fully correct. CX longhaul fleet is equipped with fixed-shell, non-recling seats (à la AF PV+) and this was a major fiasco. In longhaul flights, pax do enjoy some (brief) meals where pax are expected to get their seat up. But most of the long flight, they attempt to sleep or get comfortable watching movies, and the recline is highly welcome. CX strategy was such a failure that they are now introducing regular reclining seats in Y on newly delivered planes. The have also just introduced regular reclining seats in PE, much much more comfortable that these silly PV+ non-reclining seats. They are being retrofitted on many aircrafts.

Hi Orbitmic, not fully correct. CX longhaul fleet is equipped with fixed-shell, non-recling seats (à la AF PV+) and this was a major fiasco. In longhaul flights, pax do enjoy some (brief) meals where pax are expected to get their seat up. But most of the long flight, they attempt to sleep or get comfortable watching movies, and the recline is highly welcome. CX strategy was such a failure that they are now introducing regular reclining seats in Y on newly delivered planes. The have also just introduced regular reclining seats in PE, much much more comfortable that these silly PV+ non-reclining seats. They are being retrofitted on many aircrafts.

Thanks! I didn't know about that experiment and am sure glad I 'missed' it! It does sound like hell on a kangaroo trip!!